A Beginner's Guide to Endings

A favorite movie of mine, Magnolia, is introduced with a narrator talking about odds and the unlikelihood of certain things happening and A Beginner's Guide to Endings starts in a very similar fashion. The credits for this Jonathon Sobol film are cleverly presented as parts of games of chance and from the outset there is that feeling that unlikely things are going to happen and this will be an unpredictable and unusual comedy. The Beginner's Guide was one of more than a dozen options available at the Domestic Arrivals Film Festival in London Ontario and it is one that I almost missed. When so many quality films are offered in such a short time frame sometimes difficult choices have to be made. This film was one of the best decisions I made and everything about it impressed me. The award winning screenplay gave the ensemble cast plenty of material to work with and their performances were all pitch perfect.

J.K. Simmons serves as an adviser to the White brothers, a family so dysfunctional that they could lower the property values in any neighborhood they chose to call home. Siam Yu manages to deliver up some laughs as a very credible Todd, the youngest product of Duke White's many misadventures. While Harvey Keitel doesn't need a lot of screen time as the Duke White character his presence is felt throughout the full 92 minutes. Any casting changes would have made this a different film and it likely wouldn't have been a better different. Everybody needed to be who they were to make it work as well as it did. The shooting locations in Niagara Falls are very familiar to most people, but because of the close proximity to London there may have been a stronger connection for the audience here. This isn't a film for everyone but it is one that l will go out of my way to see again.

This is one seriously weird and quirky film. And, I don't think I'm off base here in saying that there is no way you could possibly have seen a film like this before...and if you have, please let me know!

The film begins with a TERRIBLE father (Harvey Keitel) jumping to his death at Niagara Falls. At his funeral are his five sons from five different women. And, not surprisingly, he was a HORRIBLE father to all of them. With the exception of the youngest (who is too young to realize his father was a jerk), they boys don't seem the least bit concerned about the death. After all, the man didn't act much like a father. At the reading of the will, however, three of the sons learn something TERRIBLE--their father signed them up for a drug study when they were kids and the medicine they took will make them die...very, very soon! The rest of the film consists of showing what these three men do with their final days. I'd try to describe what they did...but frankly you just need to see it to believe it!

While this plot sounds very sad, the film is hilarious due to the very, very quirky writing. The dialog is among the strangest and funniest I can recall...other than in "Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil". And, I loved how I could never predict where the story went next. It certainly is unique, strange and non-formulaic! And, it's also, most importantly, a lot of fun. A wonderful indie film for someone looking for a film totally unlike anything they've seen before...or since.

This movie should have made it to the main stream. Like "Harold and Kumar", "Snatch" and other such movies, your definitely not watching this movie for the great believable story line or explosive drama. Once you get into the movie, however, it just gets better and better. The more ridiculous each character gets the better it gets! Another review mentioned this was a hidden gem and I couldn't agree more. It is nice to watch a movie that is original and well thought out, but at the same time doesn't take itself to seriously. I wish more movies were this entertaining. As I think about it the one thing that really makes this movie so good is that each character adds to the fun of the movie as a whole. Thumbs way up and prepare yourself to laugh.

Duke White (Harvey Keitel) decides to end his crazy gambling life by hanging himself. When that fails, he jumps into Niagara Falls. He has 5 sons. He has three sons with Goldie (Wendy Crewson). Then came Juicebox (Jared Keeso) from showgirl Champaigne. There is Todd (Siam Yu) from the Siagon Incident and Goldie finally left him. Nevertheless she remained the boys' mother.

In his will, Duke tells the three oldest that they are doom to die from drugs that they took for money along with him. The pharmaceutical company had paid each brother $100k as compensation for their impending death but Duke had lost it all betting on horses. The three brothers are sent into a spiral to find some kind of meaning in it all. Uncle Pal (J.K. Simmons) tries to help each one in his own way.

Eddie 'Nuts' White (Jason Jones) is a failed undefeated boxer who wins only because everybody keeps punching him in the junk. Cal (Scott Caan) is a womanizer who wants his teenage love Miranda (Tricia Helfer) back after sleeping with a waitress who also slept with dad. Jacob (Paulo Costanzo) is the responsible one and completely unhappy. He makes a bucket list to do.

Jason Jones is so ill-fitting as a boxer. If anybody should be the boxer, it should be Scott Caan. The three guys don't look anything like brothers. They don't fit together and have no brotherly chemistry. Paulo Costanzo and Jason Jones could be brothers but there is no chance for Scott Caan. The movie is so quirky that it makes it hard to follow and lacking in flow. Newcomer Jonathan Sobol is the writer/director. I think he has a lot to say and a lot of style. He just needs to rein it in and control it better. The other problem is that the three brothers go off on their own. It would help with the brotherly chemistry if they face their challenges together. I'm all for quirky comedies. It would help if the family is more together.

"The events leading up to my death were a lot like the rest of my life, things didn't go exactly as planned." Duke White (Keitel) is dead and his three sons are at the will reading. After hearing what they will get they also get another surprise, due to gambling problems their father signed them up for unsafe drug tests when they were babies and because of that they all find out they will die soon. All three sons handle the news differently but eventually they all take one last run at the one thing they have always wanted to do. Based off the preview this is a movie I was looking forward to. I really like these dark comedies and the cast was pretty good. I have to say that I really enjoyed this movie and laughed throughout, but this is another movie where I laughed at things I shouldn't be laughing at. The idea on it's own is pretty morbid but watching it it comes off as more comedy then depressing. There are some really funny lines in this and the running gag about Cal's (Caan) car is great and I loved hearing what they would say about it next. This is a very funny comedy but is not for everyone. Overall, really funny but this is a dark comedy so you must like that style of humor to fully enjoy this movie. I give it a B+