the last laugh

They say a great opening to a book is crucial in selling that book, but the ending is what sells the next book. I believe it, and I have always thought the same goes for movies.

Take Dirty Dancing, Strictly Ballroom et al? End a movie with a dance number and you go away thiking it's the best movie ever. Then there's the Sixth Sense/Usual Suspects method - twist your final twist so spectactularly the audience can barely remember that the rest of the movie took a long time in getting there.

I've watched a couple of great romantic comedy movies over the past few days in my blissful post revision haze. Marley and Me and Ghost Town.

Marley and Me is a beautiful, poignant, funny, real story that grabs me right through the heart and doesn't let go. It's a dog owner thing. The editing is brilliant, the writing spot on, Jen and Owen absolutely crazy real. I love, love, love that movie.

But you know what, the very final line of voice over never feels like it ties things up exactly right and I'm left feeling like I'm waiting for more. That happens to me a lot with movies, I wish the writer had given the very last line just one more shot to get it right.

Then there's Ghost Town. Whoever thought of making a romantic comedy about a hateful, suicidal dentist and sticking Ricky Gervais in the lead is some kind of mad genius.

It took for my husband to practically chain me to the couch to get me to watch the thing, and boy am I glad he did. It's funny. FUNNY. And clever. And easy to watch. And Tea Leoni is, as always, a crack up. And somehow the depressing, people-phobic hero actually is redeemed, and in the end lovable.

As for the final line? I bawled. Bawled my eyes out. the entire film may well have been written from the last two lines back they were so PERFECT. Sad, romantic, clever and appropriate as all get out. Don't take my word for it - rent it. Expect nothing more than a nice couple of hours. See if it grabs you too.

As for me I suddenly have a pressing need to head over to my latest book and see if the final line is as good as it could possibly be!