12 Movies That Wasted Great Twist Ideas

This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman is often criticized in his television writing for devoting as much attention to convoluted, clever plot twists as actual character development, and this unfortunate imbalance has never been more obvious than in 2018's maudlin melodrama Life Itself.

Featuring an entirely wasted stellar ensemble cast, this sprawling story of intersecting generations is filled with jaw-dropping twists and some truly atrocious writing, with its knotty and endlessly depressing plot line being branded "demented and morbid" upon release.

But...

The thing is, the surprise reveal featured at the close of the film's first act is legitimately great.

Throughout the opening third, there are subtle hints dropped that our until-now hero Oscar Isaacs is depressed thanks to the dissolution of his romance with Olivia Wilde's character. However, the reason why he's so troubled comes into sharp focus when the viewer finds out that his entire retelling of their relationship has elided her accidental death and his subsequent guilt-wracked turmoil.

It's a genius reveal, particularly when it prompts his sudden bombshell of a suicide scene.

And then the movie continues for two hours and delves into the lives of countless characters no one could care less about. Where's a good editor when you need one?