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Terri Mauro's avatar

Well, this death wasn't unexpected at all—it's a necessary set-up for the romcom that follows—but even though I knew it was coming, the cut from Bob and his wife dancing at a fancy ball to her covered with blood being rushed through the corridors of a hospital in "Return to Me" still devastated me and set high emotional stakes for the comedy to come. The filmmakers had such a short time to establish this couple and their happy marriage, yet her loss had to cause enough of an emotional hangover that you'd understand why Bob would freak out when he discovered just who had his dead wife's heart. That scene where the dog won't eat until his mistress comes home and Bob of course can't make him understand that she's never coming home and then crumples up crying and blood-covered by the front door ... that's heavy stuff to start your sweet romance with, and it leaves a mark.

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Vince Guerra's avatar

Yup. Great answer for all of those reasons. The music that plays during that scene, Angels Standing By by Jewel is also perfect.

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Terri Mauro's avatar

Yes! So melancholy yet hopeful.

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Shannon Guerra's avatar

Ohmygosh, yes...that scene is amazing and heartbreaking. The dog, the blood on Bob's shirt, everything implied that was so tastefully kept unsaid. So well done.

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Terri Mauro's avatar

The way they humorously set up the dog waiting at the door for her in those opening lighthearted scenes just to wordlessly break your heart with it this little bit later on. ...

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Jess's avatar

Marie in Bourne Supremacy

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Vince Guerra's avatar

Totally.

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Kris's avatar

Mary Corleone in Godfather III left me speechless, and believe it or not it still shakes me every time I watch that scene unfold.

A very troubling death for me was Neil Perry from Dead Poets Society. I was a teen when that came out and it stayed with me for years.

I'm going to venture back further through time though and say Bambi's mom. It was my first encounter with death in a movie -probably death in general. Of course, it's easy to understand how a child sees themselves in Bambi and sees their own mother in his. To this day, I cannot watch that scene. It still devastates me.

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Vince Guerra's avatar

And the winner is Jess with Bourne Supremacy. Congratulations Jess, you get to choose Monday's question.

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Vince Guerra's avatar

In The Fisher King there is a flashback scene [spoiler alert] where the audience learns what caused Robin Williams' character's mental breakdown.

We see him enjoying dinner at an upscale restaurant with his wife. Suddenly a gunman shoots up the place killing the wife.

It's graphically sudden and heart wrenching, and all the more painful because it comes at a point where that character is finally living on a hight note again and the memory begins a downward spiral. Some great dialog in that movie too.

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Shannon Guerra's avatar

The little boy in Faith Like Potatoes. Such an incredible movie but I never want to see it again; we paused the movie and I went upstairs and cuddled my sleeping four-year-old to recover.

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Jess's avatar

That movie has been on my list forever…I don’t want to see it now😭

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mama mia's avatar

Bruno in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 💔

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Vince Guerra's avatar

Never saw that because I heard it was great but depressing.

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Jess's avatar

Or Jenny in Forrest Gump…now I can’t decide.

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Vince Guerra's avatar

Jenny sort of made her own bed. Wasn't really shocked by it myself.

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Jess's avatar

That's what Tony said. ;) Admittedly true, but I still didn't necessarily expect it when it happened. It would've been more expected while she was in the throes of her horrible choices. Still...it made me sad, as tragic stories, whether by one's own choices or by uncontrollable circumstances always do.

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Nov 28, 2023
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Vince Guerra's avatar

They did it pretty good. I did a better Endgame though IMO. https://vinceguerra.com/2021/01/18/the-nerd-cut-avengers-endgame/

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