10 Movie Endings Way Darker Than You Realise
6. Matilda's Brother Is Destined For An Awful Life - Matilda
The 1996 Danny DeVito-directed version of Matilda ends with the title character (Mara Wilson) being adopted by her kindly teacher Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz), all while her parents (DeVito and Rhea Perlman) flee to Guam with Matilda's brother Michael (Brian Levinson) to avoid the FBI.
On the face of it this seems like a joyously happy ending for Matilda, who is finally set free from her negligent, uncaring parents and taken in by someone who will nurture her curiosity and creativity.
And while Matilda's parents are undeniably awful people who deserve whatever's coming to them in the future, what about Michael?
As much as he often tormented his younger sister, what was Michael if not a product of an environment where he never stood a chance to become a productive member of society?
Given that he's going along for the ride with his fugitive parents, he seems destined for an awful life defined by constantly moving around to avoid the cops and, more likely than not, resorting to petty crime.
With Michael being taught dirty tricks by his used car salesman father from a young age, it's hard to see a happy, safe, and prosperous future for him.
Sure he was a dick, but did he deserve this?