With the general disappointment over the last episode of "The Sopranos" (I’m not a watcher, so I have no comment), the folks at MSNBC compiled a list of the "best" and "worst" endings of movies, TV shows, and books:
BEST ENDINGS:
Movies:
- The Godfather
- Notorious
- The Lady Eve
- The Wild Bunch
- The Third Man
- The Usual Suspects
- McCabe and Mrs. Miller
- The 400 Blows
- Midnight Cowboy
- Blazing Saddles
- Some Like It Hot
- Kiss Me Deadly
- Yojimbo
- Bambi Meets Godzilla
- Planet of the Apes
- The Lives of Others
- Blade Runner [director’s cut]
- Carrie
Books:
- The Great Gatsby
- Light in August
- The Grapes of Wrath
- Charlotte’s Web
- For Whom the Bell Tolls
- The Dead
- Love in the Time of Cholera
- Blood Meridian
- Portnoy’s Complaint
- A Handful of Dust
Television:
- The Howdy Doody Show
- Six Feet Under
- St. Elsewhere
- Newhart
- Mary Tyler Moore Show
WORST ENDINGS:
Movies:
- The Village
- Signs
- Clue
- Eyes Wide Shut
- Planet of the Apes [the remake]
- Blade Runner [theatrical release]
- Wedding Crashers
- Rosemary’s Baby
- Godfather III
Books:
- Huckleberry Finn
- Portrait of a Lady
- Great Expectations
- Atlas Shrugged
- It
Television:
- Twin Peaks
- The X-Files
- Seinfeld
- 24 [this season’s final episode]
I’m unfamiliar with a lot of these, but I have to agree with the best endings of "The Usual Suspects", "Bambi Meets Godzilla" (youtube’d below), and TV’s "Newhart" show (the ending to end all endings).
By the way, the best ending in music? The Beatles’ "A Day In The Life".
Got any to add?