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The following piece includes spoilers forA Futile and Stupid Gesture.
How do you write a happy ending when youre making a biopic of a life that ended in tragedy?
How do you write a happy ending for subjects who made fun of sentimental crap like happy endings?
When the movie opens with his childhood, he quips, You really want to start there?
You think Will Forte is 27?
Doug was known as the man who invented nostalgia, explained Aboud.
Compounding the difficulty: The fact that nobody knows for sure how Kenney died.
What we do know is that after the initial negative response toCaddyshack, Kenney became very depressed.
Chevy Chase took him to Hawaii, hoping to help him relax.
This is when the film reveals that Modern Doug has been a mere narrative machine.
In other words, the scene reminds us: This is serious, but dont take it too seriously.
Murray remarks, Every funny person in the world is here.
And no ones laughing.
He walks up to Beard, and tries to will him to do something.
Beard, bidden by Kenneys spirit, takes a handful of shrimp and throws it at the mourners.
Belushi breaks the silence with a yell: Food fight!
Harold Ramis hurls a pie at Tony Hendra (Matt Lucas).
And its all made up.
The scene, much like the rest of the movie, strikes a perfect balance between melancholy and funny.
I wouldnt call it an especially happy ending, said Wain.
The main character dies tragically early in life.
[Food fights] represent Dougs anarchic attitude, said Colton.
Laughing in the face of pain or tragedy is a coping mechanism.
Its a futile and stupid gesture, but often its the best option we have.
