A Beginner's Guide to Endings

This movie is really impressive. I expected it to be some pretty bad stuff I'd turn off after a shot while but I liked it very much. The way it's told is a mixture of classic styles and it also reminded me a little of the way Tarantino tells his stories. The whole plot is cool and without comparison. Cast of characters, acting, settings, locations etc are completely awesome, character development as well. So I'm still stunned that I watched this movie 2 years after it came out and it only has 198 views with a rating of only 6.6 which is completely ridiculous to me. Music and ending are nice as well. I really liked it and I think it's one of those movies that's worth to be watched again. I guess someone did a very bad promotion for this DVD because it's worth to be watched by way more people and not only because of it's nice humor.

Guy Ritchie films are usually pacy, character driven & quirky with cartoon violence & a slick soundtrack - which is the style writer / director Jonathon Sobol tried blatantly aping with his 2010 Niagra Falls based debut "A Beginners Guide To Endings". After roguish Harvey Kietel's suicide his three very different oldest sons (Scott Caan, Paolo Costanzo & Jason Jones) learn thru his will (read by uncle JK Simmons) that they too will die soon (due to Kietel putting them in a drug trial yrs earlier) so each goes loopy in his own silly way, before fate weaves their strands back together. It's an unoriginal, implausible & hole-filled pale-imitation, but as an homage to Ritchie... it's passable.

"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+

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.

"A Beginner's Guide to Endings" begins with Duke White (Harvey Keitel) rattling off odds of chance, of life, of games, and of death. He's determined to kill himself one way or another and see if his death can give his sons better odds at living a semi-functional life. He has five sons, from three different women, and we first meet them at his funeral.

The eldest is Eddie (Jason Jones) and he's nicknamed "Nuts" after a failed but spirited attempt at becoming a boxer; Cal (Scott Caan) is a womanizing, scatterbrained meathead. Jacob (Paulo Costanzo) is able to hold down a house and a job, but that certainly doesn't mean he's happy. Years later came Juicebox (Jared Keeso) another failing boxer following in the footsteps of his big brother, and many years later came Todd (Siam Yu) whose arrival marked the departure of the mother of the first three.

Following the funeral where Cal showed up late, Paulo tried to beat him up, and then Eddie showed him how to throw a punch, the brothers gather at a bar for the reading of the will. The will provides the plot for the film and let's just say it sends the three oldest brothers on ill- advised, death-defying stunts to reaffirm their lives. It's as funny as it is chaotic and the completely unrealistic, ridiculous antics actually go along way to complementing the clever and comedic nature of the film.

At first, the odd casting (Jason Jones as a dark, brooding boxer) can distract from the good qualities, but the three elder brothers, in particular, have fantastic comedic chemistry. The best part of the casting has J.K. Simmons as the uncle and minister who tries to dispense sane advice, but don't worry, they rarely listen to him.

Primarily shot and set in Niagara Falls, the city and the falls themselves provide a suitable backdrop for the unfolding and unraveling of the boys' plans and lives. Unfortunately, the film itself has a very dull or washed-out look and feel; the shots and use of colour are lacking a bit of punch that the screenplay and actors have. Perhaps it's just an outcome of the low budget, and most fans of dark comedies should be able to easily overlook it and enjoy "A Beginner's Guide to Endings".