Rico is dead which is sad of course, but at least he taught Joe some of the most important lessons in life so despite his sense of failure when he visits his father's grave, it's apparent that his short life was not a complete waste.
Although it is unclear what is exactly in store for Joe, if his goal is to live a happy, normal life, then the future seems promising for him as he has his whole life ahead of him.
I never felt really sad at that ending. Ratso dies but he is free of the crippled body and diseased lungs,it is more of a relief for him.
I don't feel sad for Joe either,his last words about getting some outdoors work made me think he is finally matured and I was hopeful he can finally find success and happiness.
True but don't you think Ratso could have learned a thing or two from Joe had he lived?
shareRatso was very set in my ways,but it's possible. He did feel bad for cheating Joe out of his money and invited him to stay at his place. Though he may have been thinking of a way to get more money out of him,by becoming his "manager"
shareThe whole movie was noir so the ending didn't make me feel one way or the other, it was just the end.
shareI don't think Rizzo could have ever made it living outside the city; likewise, I don't think Joe would have ever made it inside it.
shareI wanted to know more.
shareThe only time we saw Rizzo's point of view was that fantasy he had of getting rich managing Joe in Florida. That reality was gone because Joe chucked his outfit and shed that lifestyle. The Joe he knew was gone, so there was nothing left for Rizzo to live for. I honestly don't think Rizzo was a real character -- he was a symbolic character -- a symbol of Joe's more twisted and mercenary intentions to sell himself for money. Didn't make me too sad that he died; it had been a long time coming.
shareJoe tried to go and get Rizzo a doctor for his TB, but Rizzo refused to let Joe get a doctor for him. Had Rizzo allowed Joe to go and get him a doctor, Rizzo would've more than likely lived.
share..great question
I'd call it "bittersweet"
[deleted]
I always thought it was a happy ending for Rico and a sad one for Joe! Rico is finally out of his misery, and though we know Joe is going to pick up his life, he's ALONE. Isolation followed him throughout the film, and you could tell it depressed and frightened him. Now he's REALLY alone that his best friend died.
But I thought he has the potential to get his life on track so I'm not worried for him. It's just sad though...he's all by himself.
www.simplydustinhoffman.com
-#1 site for Dustin Hoffman fans-
I think this is really Joe's story. Joe was a completely naive person who had by the end of the film finally taken that first step away from naivete. It is obvious that the good-natured Joe will always be somewhat out of step with the rest of society. Someone mentioned the scene as bittersweet, but the resonance and the scope of this movie is too powerful for that. I'd say "The Last Picture Show" is bittersweet, but "Midnight Cowboy" is haunted. The scene that shows Joe, all bundled up in the cold, trying to score in Times Square, with all the street life going on around him, those lost souls.
The relationship between Rico and Joe was touching, but I don't think I'd call anything in the movie happy. As a person, Joe was happy, but that was only because he was living in a state of ignorant bliss.
Isolation followed him throughout the film, and you could tell it depressed and frightened him. Now he's REALLY alone that his best friend died.
I felt awful for Rico, and yet....
He made it to Florida, one way or the other. He didn't die alone in that horrible freezing cold apartment but with the sun in his face and Joe calling him Rico.
I wish the poor guy had lived, but there are worse ways to check out.
"We want the finest wines available to humanity. We want them here and we want them now."
'I always thought it was a happy ending for Rico '
----------------------
Rico didn't wish to die; he may have found his ending very unhappy
That is a good point IY, and Rico was suffering even more and had no real cathartic release by the time he was on his way to Florida with Joe. He got his dream and it came with a price.
Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩
I found it bittersweet. Yes it was sad rizzo died, but at least he died in sunny Florida in the company of a true friend, and it was hinted that Joe would find a living and company using some of rizzo's teachings as well. One of the key hints is him abandoning his cowboy outfit.
shareI always wondered if Joe's happy days were numbered. Did he or didn't he murder Townie in NY? Will the police catch up with him?
share'I always wondered if Joe's happy days were numbered. Did he or didn't he murder Townie in NY? Will the police catch up with him?'
-------------------------
I agree that it's not some big sunny future for Joe because he threw away his cowboy outfit (the ole "subtext"). Some posters think that's the tidal wave of things to come.
People don't change just like that unless there was never really wrong with them. And I'd venture to say that Joe was not emotionally-disturbed like it's played out, only unsure of his life goals. I know that's not deep enough for some viewers, who interpret the film to be about Joe's supposed pathology, INSTEAD of 2 men who find something meaningful by crossing paths.
We don't really know if Joe killed Townie unless there is a specific line that says he did. You can stuff a phone in a person's mouth to assault them, without being fatal.
It is easy to loose a bit of sympathy for Joe and his actions here. Like you have mentioned, the film doesn't show us if he actually killed Townie either. If Townie was just assaulted by Joe, then did he report it, or if he was killed by Joe, would the police have bothered to follow up an extensive investigation? Either way, these are actions that Joe would have to live with, so be it legal, personal or both, there would still have been a consequence for him to contend with.
Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩
I would simply call the ending poignant.
I think that sums it up pretty well.
Most 70's movie's had a bad or sad ending. It was a sign of the times.
share'Most 70's movie's had a bad or sad ending. It was a sign of the times.'
----------------------------
A sign of the times? And most did? What is "most"?
I agree with you. Late 60s/70s movies with a bad/sad/dark ending.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
The Graduate
Bonnie and Clyde
Rosemary's Baby
Midnight Cowboy
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Women in Love
Bob, Carol, Ted and Alice
McCabe and Mrs. Miller
The Boys in the Band
Five Easy Pieces
The Last Picture Show
The Way We Were
Cabaret
The Exorcist
The Godfather
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Chinatown
Five Easy Pieces
Sometimes a Great Notion
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
The King of Marvin Gardens
Deep End
Dog Day Afternoon
Panic in Needle Park
Badlands
The Honeymoon Killers
Bless the Beasts and the Children
The Pyx
The Baby (low budget chiller with very disturbing ending)
Last House on the Left
Don't Look Now
Pretty Poison
Lenny
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Last Tango in Paris
The Conversation
The Killing Kind (one of the first movies to deal with post-Vietnam trauma)
Save the Tiger
I'm sure there are a lot more.
Other bad\sad\dark endings:
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
The Deer Hunter
007-On Her Majesty's Secret Service
The Rose
Electra Glide In Blue
A Man For All Seasons
Carrie
3 Women
The Devils
I Spit On Your Grave\Day Of The Woman
The Man Who Fell To Earth
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid
Race With The Devil
Easy Rider
Planet Of The Apes
Night Of The Living Dead
Exorcist: Christ's power compels you. Cast out, unclean spirit.
Destinata:💩
A good list. I almost put The Devils on my list. I can't really say why I didn't. And I don't know Carrie completely escaped my mind.
shareIt certainly wasn't happy, but from what I recall, the final thing Rico experienced was seeing Joe care for him and wipe his brow while he was on his way to FLorida. He looked fairly content with that and it final words were 'Thanks, Joe'.
I think he realised then that he'd finally found a friend.
Its just a very real ending. Harry and Tonto with Art Carney is a very similar movie that I like.
"A real man would rather bow down to a strong woman than dominate a weak one"
Completely sad.
share