Certainly not a cop-out, but I wouldn't call it happy, we just didn't see the consequences of their little escape. Not to mention Birdy's obvious psychological condition.
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I agree! I thought the ending was excellent.
Contrary to what a lot of people on this board have said, I didn't think the ending was a cop-out at all.it would have been really predictable if Birdy jumped and, instead of him standing on the lower ledge of the roof, we saw him dead on the ground. The ending was like a breath of fresh air. Just because a movie's ending is happy and not tragic doesn't mean that it's a contrived Hollywood ending!
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The ending was perfect, and I was surprised the BAFTAs didn't show it in their montage before Alan Parker's lifetime achievement award (or did I miss it?).
A very intense and memorable film, that will appeal to younger people a lot - at least it's one of my favourites from my teenage years.

I loved the ending, and also thought it was true to the book while being much more concise. In the book, Birdy is starting to respond to Al and come back to 'reality', and the two go through all kinds of fantasy scenarios of what might happen next. 'What then?' asks Al, spellbound. 'Nothing, Al, just the rest of our lives,' replies Birdy. The film ending manages to convey that without any words astonishing considering Parker claimed to have hit on it almost by accident.

Count me in as one of those who loved the ending. Not so much because he lived, but more that it was a) unexpected b) the final line was delivered perfectly and really "capped" the movie. I think we've become a bit disillusioned as US movie goers and expect any type of "positive" ending to be a "Hollywood" ending and sometimes lose focus on having an "appropriate" ending. It also didn't feel gimicky like some endings (that end the way they do just for the sake of doing so), like I said, it seemed to be right in line with the story and helps to bring about some additional understanding.

Was there an
alternative
ending version released?
It's been many years since I saw it on Australian tv, but my memory is that Birdy did indeed leap to his (implied) death.

I love the ending. I don't think it is a cop-out or out-of-sync with the rest of the movie. On the contrary, I feel it was in keeping with the tone of the whole movie, which was one of incredible highs and lows: goofy comedy one minute and heartbreaking drama the next. To this day I strongly remember first seeing it in the theater in 1985, and the impact the whole ending had on me, from Al's monologue (devastating) to Birdy waking up (oh my God!) to him seemingly lapsing back into his catatonia to "I didn't have anything to say" to the chase and then the jump and the last shot. It all literally took my breath away. Very few films have had such a lasting impact on me. One of my all-time favorites.

That's more or less what I thought when watching that scene.
"You want to investigate my courage? Do you? Find out! Find out!" (Robert Ford)

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The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.
What a fantastic way to end a brilliant movie.
Life is just one damned thing after another - Elbert Hubbard

Maybe he felt better about being out of the cage?
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The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.
And immediately followed by La Bamba. I agree with you. I don't find it hard to believe that Birdy was able to snap out of his mental trauma and suddenly he's his normal self again. I'm sure there are documented hospital cases like Birdy's.
But I do understand the "it's a cop-out/letdown ending" arguments. Dark, heavy, and ambiguous endings can be pretty powerful. And Birdy's personality seemed to be so out-of-this-world that the only logical end for him is to escape permanently from it in some kind of surreal way and the movie defied the logic.
P.S. TCM just premiered the movie (and I love catching movies in their first showing on TCM) on May 30 at 1:30 AM as part of their Memorial Day Weekend marathon.
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Isnt it possible that Birdy was never really cured? Instead maybe Al was going insane. Im not 100 percent sure but I recall Birdy not talking to anyone but Al. Maybe Al thought he was talking, but he really wasnt.

The ending they used is cool. I love it when Birdy looks up at Al and asks, "What?" in that quirky Birdy way.
bushtony and his mother suffer from Congential Stupidtiy and they didn't see it coming.

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yeah, i didn't really like the ending because there's too many loose ends. did it mean that al had gone mental too? or if it meant birdy was recovered, well did he just come round there now? or had he recovered beforehand? in which case was he just acting mental?
great film though.

The novel ended, still in the cell at the hospital, with Birdy finally talking to Al and suggesting a number of wild fantasy scenarios of what might happen to them next. 'And what then?' asks Al. 'Nothing, Al, just the rest of our lives,' replies Birdy. The implication is that the two of them are starting to heal and move on from their troubles, but obliquely rather than head-on. I read in an interview with Alan Parker at the time the movie came out that he had no idea how to end the film while he was shooting it: 'the logic of the story suggested Birdy ought to die, but I wanted something more optimistic'. Almost as a joke, he suggested the existing ending to some of his crew and they were so enthusiastic he went with it. To me, it seems true to the spirit of the book, but in a more concise and cinematic form. Do read the book if you can get hold of it, it's good. Unfortunately I gave away my copy.

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I'm trying to remember the ending in the William Wharton novel, but sadly, haven't read it in years.
Thanks penny-liss, you've shown some good insight about the power of humor.

I think he should jumped, then they have the below shot of Cage looking down and cuts to black and the credits run.
Woulda been ambiguous, and real powerful. Could have made one of my favourite endings out of one of my least favourite, just by getting rid of that last 'What?' shot.

I did not like the ending, but not because it wasn't dark enough. I didn't like it because it felt like a cheap and easy way to end it. It was like the writer or director couldn't make up his mind what to do. It didn't feel "open-ended." It just felt not thought out. As a viewer, I expected more of a resolution to the problem that he is stuck in this hospital.

i think that most of you look too deeply into the events of this film. sure they went through some tough times as well as some good times together, but what the ending says to me is, there wasn't anything wrong with birdy he just didn't know what to say.