List RulesVote up the losses that make comedies feel like tragedies.
We watch comedies because we want to laugh and feel good, but sometimes we come out of the theater sobbing. It’s not uncommon for some of the goofiest, most lighthearted movies - and even cartoons - to have some of the saddest, most unexpected deaths. It always seems to be a beloved character, or someone we were simply rooting for the entire time. This list itemizes some of the biggest punches to the gut in films that we initially perceived as sweet and harmless family fun.
After Phil (Bill Murray) finds himself trapped in a continous time loop, he spends his time bedding women and robbing banks before he begins to use it wisely. He learns how to sculpt ice, speak Italian, play piano, and even how to properly communicate with women on an intimate, emotional level. The one thing he can't do, however, is save a life.
Over and over, Phil attempts to save the life of a sickly homeless man, but each time, the man dies. Phil learns that, continuous loop or not, death is an inescapable part of life. Before his final end, Phil makes sure the man is warm, clothed, and fed. It's an act of compassion that marks a turning point in Phil's character.
Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) has been successfully fighting bad guys as Deadpool for two years, but he fails to eliminate one of his targets on his anniversary with his girlfriend Vanessa (Moren Baccarin). That night, after the couple decides they should start a family together, the target tracks Wilson down and slays Vanessa.
Wilson wipes out the man in revenge, but this doesn't stop Wilson from blaming himself for her loss.
Donny, played by Steve Buscemi, is a strange character - so much so that his mere existence has spawned several Big Lebowski fan theories. The Dude (Jeff Bridges) gets mixed up with some bad people, and these people - three German nihilists - want money.
When the nihilists confront the Dude and his friends at their beloved bowling alley, they realize the Dude never had any money to give and proceed to attack and rob them. A fight breaks out, and Donny falls to the ground dead from a sudden heart attack.
When Michael (Adam Sandler) asks the magic remote to "take him to a better place," he fast-forwards to his own end. Michael has a second heart attack when his daughter Samantha (Katie Cassidy) calls Bill (Sean Astin), his wife's new husband, her dad. When he wakes in the hospital later that night, he finds his family there, including his son Ben (Jake Hoffman). Michael, fearing that his son will make the same mistakes he made, warns him not to ignore his wife, but a nurse makes Ben and Samantha leave.
Michael gathers his last bit of strength to follow them out of the hospital, but collapses. In his final moments, Michael assures his family that he still loves them and always has. His last words: "Family comes first."
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Lauren Milici
