Where's the Happy Ending?

So before you start to read this, you have to realise that there will be spoilers.... that means I am going to tell you the story and ruin it if you want to see it. The movie is Million Dollar Baby and if you don't want to know what happens, stop reading now! After you have seen it, come back and let me know what you think.

I really didn't know what this movie was about. I knew there was boxing in it, but I should have also realised that Clint Eastwood was directing which meant things weren't quite that simple. Now I like a bit of boxing and I am partial to a sports movie or two. So when it started off with boxing and then Clint came in and agreed to manage the female boxer, I was thinking, "great this is like Rocky with a woman!". She gets her title shot and then it all turns to crap. A sucker punch after the bell and she is paralysed from the neck down... No more boxing for her. Then her family turn up and try to con money out of her and then she asks Clint to kill her. He doesn't want to, so she bites off her tongue, blood everywhere. Then he decides to and then after killing her Clint doesn't go back to the gym, he goes and buys a cafe that they once ate at in Missouri. The end. What the hell? I paid $30 to see this movie and at the end I felt pretty depressed. Look, I know that movies are meant to make us think. But if I wanted to see something this depressing, why don't I just watch the news? Like I said, I should have taken the clue from Clint and his previous films. The Unforgiven. This ruined cowboy films for me. No gung fights and a miserable movie from beginning to end. Mystic River. This was torture from beginning to end. What is this guy up to? Is he thinking about his own mortality as he gets older? Why be so morbid Clint? Help the poor miserable unwashed like me enjoy our sad insignificant existances by giving us happy endings! Where oh where has Dirty Harry gone? Bad guys cause chaos and violence... Harry takes out bad guys... we are happy knowing that Harry has protected us. That's what I want, surely that's what the people want?

Now, some people are going to tell me that the message here is that being able to accomplish your dream and then dying is better than never getting there and living a long life, but this is just not going to wash with me. What the hell message is that? What we want to hear is that although it may be difficult to live your dream, when you finally accomplish it, it will all be worth it. Plus you get to live a long life! Also, what is this movie saying for the quadraplegics out there? After she broke her spine, I thought that this would be a good chance to get to university or join support groups or anything to try to make the most out of things. But no, this movie tells us that is it better to be dead than not be able to walk. Great. Should we tell blind people the same thing? Clint, I am pleading with you; the world needs more Dirty Harry films, please change your ways before it is too late!

San Nakji for President!