It has nothing to do with a film being bad.
Bad films I dont wonder about.
The question came up again with writer/director Steve De Jarnatts 1988 apocalyptic romantic comedyMiracle Mile.
The answer was the same as it usually is.
He took the script elsewhere but it only seemed to disturb and upset most people.
If it had come out a few short years later, it would have seemed laughably outdated.
Its a very slick film.
The clothes and hair mark the era as well, but not insanely so.
They go all googly-eyed in a very wholesome manner.
There he makes the mistake of picking up a ringing pay phone thinking its Julie.
Harry, being a good hearted soul, knows he cant leave without Julie.
The question remains, are the bombs really falling or did maybe he misunderstand that call?
In many ways its reminiscent of Scorseses 1985 black comedyAfter Hours, but ultimately much darker and more terrifying.
Like that film its realistic, but with all the qualities of a nightmare.
You want to tell yourself okay, its just a damned movie, right?
A romantic comedy, even!
And thats when I start asking myself how it is a film like this ever got made.
It seems audiences preferred being comfortable and sedate to having that knife twisted in their guts.
So maybe the studios were all right after all and he shouldve tacked on an easy, happy ending.
But you ask meMiracle Miledoes have a happy ending if you put it in a larger context.
