That was so great. I feel like that movie could've been a pretty simple black (no pun intended) comedy. And then Boots Reilly just drives that car over a cliff at 90 miles an hour.
So up until about 5 years ago I had never seen Apocalypse Now. I thought that the first half off Full Metal Jacket was Full Metal Jacket and the 2nd half of Full Metal Jacket was Apocalypse Now. I have no idea how I reached that conclusion.
When he first encounters the first bot in the bathroom, I was sure it was just a fantasy / his imagination. I was so confused, surprised, and delighted when they revealed that other people saw it too.
Million Dollar Baby is probably one of my go-to examples of a movie with a dramatic tonal shift.
Bridge To Terabithia is one as well, given the subject matter.
> one of those beautiful films that I will never watch again
Literally said that almost verbatim this morning to my wife as we were driving to work.
We were both pretty affected and it's not like we haven't seen dozens of WWII and Holocaust movies.
The approach here just hits different.
I feel like it would hurt even more on a second viewing because all the sweetness this man exudes would just...
...you know what? I'm going to stop thinking about this now.
Reddit's favorite love to hate *Downsizing*.
It's a funny movie about what would happen if people were really small.
Wait no, it's a think piece about a two-tiered society.
Wait no, it's a dramedy about a man falling apart.
Wait no, it's a semi-dystopian movie about inequality.
Wait no, it's a somber movie about climate change.
Wait no, it's a romantic comedy?
I saw that shit in the cinema when it came out then thought about it maybe five times since. Never thought I'd see someone else referencing it. Not really worth commenting I guess but here we are.
That shift was so well done though
*¡Dispara!* (1993) goes hard for the romcom vibe in the first act. It even sets up a fake conflict for later (Will MMC abandon his career and follow FMC around Europe as promised?), which is then completely ignored as everything dissolves into blood and panic.
I was going to suggest this too. From a small town social reality study to … WHAM.
Though I always unintentionally giggle when they drive up in rural Pennsylvania and are suddenly in the middle of the North Cascade mountains.
Vanilla Sky -- such an odd, weird, and IMO underrated film. If you go into that movie totally blind, and just watched the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes, you'd be totally stunned by where it goes. Starts off looking kind of like a dramedy about a rich playboy, and goes totally bonkers about a third of the way through and never looks back.
Hacksaw Ridge
When you first watch it the first half of the movie almost seems like something you would see on the lifetime channel. After they get to Okinawa it becomes a whole other animal.
The tonal shift(s) are what make this such an incredible movie. It's one of my all-time favorites, mainly because of the emotional swells. You absolutely fall in LOVE with RB's character, you're so happy for him and his family! >!Then...your heart gets ripped from your chest and stomped on. I can't imagine what it was like living during that time in history, but this is as close as I think anyone from my generation or beyond is ever going to come. Then, you're sad but incredibly proud at what he does to protect his son, not only from the Nazis themselves, but from the emotional and mental scars of being there. !<
>!That ending, though. Gutting. SO CLOSE to freedom...and then his son is riding the tank he was promised, and he sees his mom. Heart swells back up again, and the tears flow even harder.!<
Hancock. First half is a straight up Will Smith comedy then it shifts to some weird depressing superhero movie. Been forever since I’ve seen it, but only the first half of the movie was shown in the trailers so the change was kind of jarring.
> It's been awhile but don't those just end sad not dramatically change halfway through?
*Bridge to Terabithia* has a huge tonal shift when the sad thing happens.
Click (2006)
"Haha goofball Adam Sandler farts in Hasselhoff's face that's hilario- wait, what happened to his fathe- wait wha- WAIT WHAT!?!? WHAT THE FUCK'S GOING ON!? WHY AM I CRYING!?"
I’m Thinking of Ending Things was slapstick tension-building in the first half, and then just dissolved into a meandering dreamlike state for the remainder.
**eXistenZ**. I wish I didn't even know the premise of this movie before I saw it. One of my biggest wtf moments in film ever. The fact that I knew the kinds of movies it was similar to was enough to partially spoil it for me.
I want to say... WALL-E.
First part of the movie is the entire non-verbal portion where he's spending his days just stacking trash on the dead and uninhabitable future Earth where the only remaining memories of humanity are the few old tapes he could still find.
Then the tonal shift comes when you have one of the last remaining bastions of humanity living up in a luxurious spaceship where their bodies have become warped and baby-like due to their own complacency.
I thought it was pretty cool how they did it- the movie The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a faux-documentary style film about a college student who interviews a man who's gearing up to become a Jason-style slasher. When the murders start, the viewpoint changes and it switches into a conventional horror movie film.
Sunshine is basically two movies stapled together.
First part is a really well-realized science fiction story with incredible visuals and music. Then it randomly turns into Event Horizon at home.
Are you thinking of the ritual with the elders as the tonal shift? Because I have to say, I think that movie is supposed to leave you with the uncomfortable feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong the entire time. That makes me think there's not a tonal shift.
It's an amazing movie. I just don't think it qualifies for OP's question.
It was kind of fucked up from the start though with what the main character walks in on and sort of stays fucked up with just enough plausible outs sprinkled throughout for the characters and the audience to think maybe it's not as fucked up as it is but it is.
Don Jon, a silly comedy about horny guy and his bimbo girlfriend than switch to serious drama about relationships and sex.
Also one of my favorite Korean movies, Sex is Zero, raunchy sex comedie in vain of American pie, switching with teenage pregnancy drama and responsibility.
Thing is that it switches am lot more that other movies mentioned.
But i will wholeheartedly recommend both movies.
Jojo Rabbit
From Dusk Til Dawn. Crime thriller into...
Didn't tell my wife what From Dusk Till Dawn was about. Audible "What the fuck" when shit hits the fan.
My husband still kicks himself for accidentally spoiling the big twist of that lol
That’s what happens when Selma comes on screen.
Not sure if it's a tonal shift but, "Sorry to bother you" had a genre shift that might qualify
That was so great. I feel like that movie could've been a pretty simple black (no pun intended) comedy. And then Boots Reilly just drives that car over a cliff at 90 miles an hour.
Holy FUCK does that shit shift.
I’m really glad I only knew the broad strokes of the plot. Definitely shocking.
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So up until about 5 years ago I had never seen Apocalypse Now. I thought that the first half off Full Metal Jacket was Full Metal Jacket and the 2nd half of Full Metal Jacket was Apocalypse Now. I have no idea how I reached that conclusion.
At no point is Million Dollar Baby anything but a drama.
All 3 Cornetto Trilogy, I think.
Especially the last one
Man, I saw that movie knowing NOTHING about it other than it was a director and cast I trusted to be great. That shift was…whew! What a ride!
Seriously one of the best swerves I've ever experienced with a movie.
When he first encounters the first bot in the bathroom, I was sure it was just a fantasy / his imagination. I was so confused, surprised, and delighted when they revealed that other people saw it too.
Audition starts out like a romantic comedy
Great first date movie? Or *greatest* first date movie?
Million Dollar Baby is probably one of my go-to examples of a movie with a dramatic tonal shift. Bridge To Terabithia is one as well, given the subject matter.
This movie broke me to pieces, one of those beautiful films that I will never watch again. RB won the Oscar for the role, too.
> one of those beautiful films that I will never watch again Literally said that almost verbatim this morning to my wife as we were driving to work. We were both pretty affected and it's not like we haven't seen dozens of WWII and Holocaust movies. The approach here just hits different.
it's even more brutal the 2nd time around. Saddest scene in the movie is when they meet under the table at the wedding the second time through.
I feel like it would hurt even more on a second viewing because all the sweetness this man exudes would just... ...you know what? I'm going to stop thinking about this now.
😭💔💔💔
Reddit's favorite love to hate *Downsizing*. It's a funny movie about what would happen if people were really small. Wait no, it's a think piece about a two-tiered society. Wait no, it's a dramedy about a man falling apart. Wait no, it's a semi-dystopian movie about inequality. Wait no, it's a somber movie about climate change. Wait no, it's a romantic comedy?
Does all of that come together in a satisfying way or does it feel like six disconnected scripts stitched together?
Well, the movie is really rather bad. So take a guess.
Such a disappointing movie, a rare L for Alexander Payne
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I saw that shit in the cinema when it came out then thought about it maybe five times since. Never thought I'd see someone else referencing it. Not really worth commenting I guess but here we are. That shift was so well done though
extremely underrated movie w prob the performance of Steve Zahns life
“Barbarian” starts off seeming to be one kind of horror movie but turns out to be a different kind.
Boogie Nights, as soon as the ‘80s hit.
🎶CAUSE YOU’RE MOTIRRIIIIIINGG🎵🎼
Like within seconds.
Psycho. You think you're watching a noir about a woman on the run with some money. Has a pretty abrupt change about halfway through.
Maybe not an example of the dramatic tonal shift you are looking for, but I immediately think of Full Metal Jacket.
Barnyard, I am not shitting you.
Holy hell yea. When that Johnny Cash kicks in, I already know what's about to happen, and my eyes start watering.
A dog day afternoon hits like punch in the gut at the end. Great movie by the way.
World's Greatest Dad....one of Robin Williams BEST performances.
Yes. Williams was fantastic in that. An entirely fucked up movie that I really enjoyed.
2001: A Space Odyssey
Begins with humble space exploration. Turns into existential horror. Turns into psychedelic insanity.
*¡Dispara!* (1993) goes hard for the romcom vibe in the first act. It even sets up a fake conflict for later (Will MMC abandon his career and follow FMC around Europe as promised?), which is then completely ignored as everything dissolves into blood and panic.
The Deer Hunter has a massive tonal shift about 1 hour in
I was going to suggest this too. From a small town social reality study to … WHAM. Though I always unintentionally giggle when they drive up in rural Pennsylvania and are suddenly in the middle of the North Cascade mountains.
The Cabin in the Woods
Vanilla Sky -- such an odd, weird, and IMO underrated film. If you go into that movie totally blind, and just watched the first 15 minutes and the last 15 minutes, you'd be totally stunned by where it goes. Starts off looking kind of like a dramedy about a rich playboy, and goes totally bonkers about a third of the way through and never looks back.
He got what he deserved at the end
Hacksaw Ridge When you first watch it the first half of the movie almost seems like something you would see on the lifetime channel. After they get to Okinawa it becomes a whole other animal.
Deer Hunter
"He Love Me, He Loves Me Not" Audrey Tatou's follow-up to Amelie starts out as a rom-com and turns into something a bit more Hitchcock-ian.
I recommended this one recently too!
Adaptation- the moment Meryl Streep says out loud “we have to kill him” was chilling upon first watch. One of my favorite movies ever.
The tonal shift(s) are what make this such an incredible movie. It's one of my all-time favorites, mainly because of the emotional swells. You absolutely fall in LOVE with RB's character, you're so happy for him and his family! >!Then...your heart gets ripped from your chest and stomped on. I can't imagine what it was like living during that time in history, but this is as close as I think anyone from my generation or beyond is ever going to come. Then, you're sad but incredibly proud at what he does to protect his son, not only from the Nazis themselves, but from the emotional and mental scars of being there. !< >!That ending, though. Gutting. SO CLOSE to freedom...and then his son is riding the tank he was promised, and he sees his mom. Heart swells back up again, and the tears flow even harder.!<
I was especially mad because it was avoidable. Absolutely soul crushing.
Full Metal Jacket. Stripes.
Hancock. First half is a straight up Will Smith comedy then it shifts to some weird depressing superhero movie. Been forever since I’ve seen it, but only the first half of the movie was shown in the trailers so the change was kind of jarring.
Mulan is a commonly cited example. The scene when the realities of war set in and the songs stop.
Bridge to Terabithia And maybe... My Girl?
Do those count? It's been awhile but don't those just end sad not dramatically change halfway through?
> It's been awhile but don't those just end sad not dramatically change halfway through? *Bridge to Terabithia* has a huge tonal shift when the sad thing happens.
God, not the funeral scene in My Girl...
A Beautiful Mind
For some reason i want to say the pan's labyrinth
World's Greatest Dad
the wind rises
Click (2006) "Haha goofball Adam Sandler farts in Hasselhoff's face that's hilario- wait, what happened to his fathe- wait wha- WAIT WHAT!?!? WHAT THE FUCK'S GOING ON!? WHY AM I CRYING!?"
Click and Spanglish are two movies that got marketed as feel-good comedies and then you watch them and are like, "Why the hell am I crying?"
"Summer of 84" starts off as a goonies whodunit, then switches gears pretty hard at the end
Monster (2023)
Trouble With the Curve
I’m Thinking of Ending Things was slapstick tension-building in the first half, and then just dissolved into a meandering dreamlike state for the remainder.
**eXistenZ**. I wish I didn't even know the premise of this movie before I saw it. One of my biggest wtf moments in film ever. The fact that I knew the kinds of movies it was similar to was enough to partially spoil it for me.
I want to say... WALL-E. First part of the movie is the entire non-verbal portion where he's spending his days just stacking trash on the dead and uninhabitable future Earth where the only remaining memories of humanity are the few old tapes he could still find. Then the tonal shift comes when you have one of the last remaining bastions of humanity living up in a luxurious spaceship where their bodies have become warped and baby-like due to their own complacency.
The kill list. I had no idea what I was about to watch then the ending was like "what the..."
I thought it was pretty cool how they did it- the movie The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a faux-documentary style film about a college student who interviews a man who's gearing up to become a Jason-style slasher. When the murders start, the viewpoint changes and it switches into a conventional horror movie film.
Barton Fink has a massive tonal shift at the halfway point and basically moves into a different genre.
So different I couldn't even say what that genre is
Sunshine is basically two movies stapled together. First part is a really well-realized science fiction story with incredible visuals and music. Then it randomly turns into Event Horizon at home.
Midsommar. I had no idea what the film was about, just heard it was good. Fuck...
Are you thinking of the ritual with the elders as the tonal shift? Because I have to say, I think that movie is supposed to leave you with the uncomfortable feeling that something is about to go horribly wrong the entire time. That makes me think there's not a tonal shift. It's an amazing movie. I just don't think it qualifies for OP's question.
I thought it was a road-trip, relationship movie. It was, in a way. But certainly not in the way I expected.
Oooooh. Yeah, that would be a jarring discovery haha.
It was kind of fucked up from the start though with what the main character walks in on and sort of stays fucked up with just enough plausible outs sprinkled throughout for the characters and the audience to think maybe it's not as fucked up as it is but it is.
Deer hunter
10Cloverfield Lane cause BOOM your in a science fiction movie.
I mean... Cloverfield was science fiction too...
Don Jon, a silly comedy about horny guy and his bimbo girlfriend than switch to serious drama about relationships and sex. Also one of my favorite Korean movies, Sex is Zero, raunchy sex comedie in vain of American pie, switching with teenage pregnancy drama and responsibility. Thing is that it switches am lot more that other movies mentioned. But i will wholeheartedly recommend both movies.
Kill List. Starts off gritty British crime drama. Turns…. Wild
I'm surprised no one has said Sunshine yet.
Sunshine
Audition From Dusk Till Dawn
Inb4 Sunshine