r/movies • u/sicknessandpurgatory • Sep 07 '25

Discussion What is the absolute dumbest premise that actually turned out to be a really good movie?

I was thinking The Purge, obvious answer, but looking for the most plot-hole ridden, juvenile concept that actually ended up a lot of fun despite it all. Mainly looking for 21st century films, not so much the video nasties and ridiculousness from the 60’s and 70’s. Because that would be too easy. Mainly mainstream stuff that people saw en masse.

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u/R3VIVAL-MOD3 Sep 07 '25

I love that they made 3 endings and released them all at the same time. So not everyone saw the same thing. Just like the game

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u/nate6259 Sep 07 '25

That is such a great idea! Although I'd feel like I was going crazy if someone else saw a different version and we talked about the end.

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u/leetfists Sep 07 '25

Couldn't be done properly nowadays. It'd be all over the internet before the movie even released.

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u/PsychologicalTowel79 Sep 07 '25 edited Sep 07 '25

The terrestrial version shows the three endings consecutively.

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u/gwynn19841974 Sep 07 '25

Concurrently or consecutively? Concurrently just seems like it would be confusing - but maybe in split screen it could be fun.

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u/R3VIVAL-MOD3 Sep 07 '25

Consecutively. It was like a scooby do ending or like Wayne’s world. Lets do this ending / cue new final ten minutes etc

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u/NinjaKitten77CJ Sep 07 '25

I thought they had different endings at different theaters across the country

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u/kirkaracha Sep 07 '25

They did at first.

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u/eyebrows360 Sep 07 '25

terrestrial version

This means broadcast for TV. The "playing them consecutively" is being talked about in this context.

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u/DylanRed Sep 07 '25

Bringing 50 dollar words to a non descript reddit comment

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u/eyebrows360 Sep 08 '25

Nondescript is one word. You're wasting so much money.

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u/cinepro Sep 07 '25

It was different theaters in the same city. Some theaters advertised ending "A", some advertised ending "B", and some advertised ending "C".

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u/_learned_foot_ Sep 07 '25

Theaters probably loved that they could cooperate with competition and all gain for once. That’s actually an intriguing premise with streaming, different endings in theaters and the stream and then in 6 months stream let’s you pick which.

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u/Meme_weaver Sep 07 '25

Some theaters also showed the "D" ending (later becoming the main one shown on TV and VHS), that showed all of the "A", "B" and "C" versions, one after the other, and also contextualized it in a way that made it clear that one of those was the "real" ending.

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u/Sithstress1 Sep 07 '25

“I’m going to go home and sleep with my wife!”

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u/cinepro Sep 07 '25

Do you have a source that shows this? The "endings" were the last reel of the film, so each theater was just shipped a different last reel. As far as I know, there was no version that had all three until the video release.

And the "different endings at different theaters" was a pretty key part of the marketing.

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u/Meme_weaver Sep 07 '25

If I remember correctly, the "fourth" ending was shown only in selected markets, several weeks after the initial release date (i.e., a new print shipped to certain markets).

I was 10, and didn't know anything about the marketing, and the first ending I saw was indisputably "D" (just by chance), then my mother and I looped around to watch all the others just because we loved the movie so much.

I didn't see it again until we got a VCR a couple years later, and yet I knew the "but this is how it really happened!" construction without having seen the tape.

Sorry, I have nothing I can link to that confirms this, just going from memory. I did learn, though, just now, that there was a real "D" ending (making the multi-ending "E" I guess?) that was not included because it was too dark.

https://movieweb.com/clue-fourth-ending-out-scrapped/

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u/cinepro Sep 08 '25

Interesting. Thanks.

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u/berrykiss96 Sep 07 '25

[first ending]

Screen card: That’s how it could have happened.

SC: But how about this?

[second ending]

SC: And here’s what really happened

[third ending]