7. Argo (2012)
The Happy Ending... Having returned the American hostages from Iran by disguising them as Canadians (don't ask), CIA man Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck) - who has spent much of his life embedded in an organisation that alienates him from his wife and child - returns home to his family and decides that, yeah, he's gonna spend a bit more time with them after all, 'cause man that job is a real ball buster, huh?
What We Really Needed... I like the idea that the CIA operatives in
Argo are tortured souls, totally and utterly restricted by their professions: the fact that Mendez masterminds this incredible plan to save the hostages (using a naff sci-fi film project) and can't even take credit for it in the end is a horribly tragic part of his job, and one that the movie paints well throughout. And then we get this schmalzy ending that compromises that notion completely. And for the the sake of... well, what? I mean, fair enough if Tony wants to spend a bit more time with the family, but I think the ending would've worked far better if we would've been able to feel that the man's personal issues still had to come second to the sacrifices that he made. In fact, I kind of felt like that's what the whole movie was about. The sentimental return to his homestead just doesn't gel with the rest of the movie, and I would've preferred to come out of
Argo feeling downbeat (instead of puking up at its calculated cheesiness).