What The End is About
The End tells the story of Sonny Lawson, a man who receives the kind of news that stops you cold: he has one year to live. Rather than accept this verdict quietly, Sonny decides he'll take matters into his own hands—he'll orchestrate his own exit, dignified and on his terms. Except nothing goes according to plan. What unfolds is a pitch-black comedy that refuses to look away from the absurdity of mortality, the ridiculousness of depression, and the way good intentions can spiral into pure chaos. It's a film that takes its darkest premise and somehow finds laughter in the wreckage.
How The End Came Together: Production, Cast, and Box Office
Director and star Burt Reynolds helmed this ambitious project in 1978, working from a screenplay by Jerry Belson with a score by Paul Williams—the same composer who'd worked on The Muppet Movie just months earlier. That tonal whiplash says something about the film's unique place in Reynolds' career. The cast surrounding Reynolds reads like a who's who of 1970s character actors: Dom DeLuise as Sonny's therapist, Sally Field in a supporting role, Strother Martin, David Steinberg, and even Joanne Woodward, along with appearances from Carl Reiner, Myrna Loy, and Robby Benson. It's a stacked ensemble—the kind of lineup that suggests Reynolds had serious clout and serious ambitions for the material.
The film grossed $44.9 million domestically, a solid return in 1978, though critics were divided. The Metascore landed at 46/100, while Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 56% rating—technically rotten, but that score masks something more interesting. IMDb users rated it 6.1/10 across 4,561 votes, suggesting the film has found a more forgiving audience in retrospect. The MPAA rated it R, and at 100 minutes, Reynolds doesn't rush the material. Movie OTT tracks where films like this end up in the streaming ecosystem, and The End's journey across multiple platforms reflects how 1970s comedies—especially ones with this much bite—have aged into cult status.
Why The End Still Works: Dark Comedy and Uncomfortable Truths
What's striking about The End is how it refuses to soften its premise. This isn't a feel-good indie film about accepting mortality. This is a film about suicidal ideation, about mental illness, about a man so convinced of his hopelessness that he can't even manage self-destruction correctly. And it's funny. Genuinely, absurdly funny—the kind of comedy that makes you uncomfortable because you're laughing at something you're not supposed to laugh at, and the film knows that and leans into it.
Reynolds' performance is the anchor here. He doesn't play Sonny as a tragic figure or a cautionary tale; he plays him as a regular guy trapped in an increasingly ridiculous spiral. The supporting cast—especially DeLuise as the well-meaning therapist who becomes entangled in Sonny's schemes—creates a kind of slapstick chaos that grounds the darker material. The film walks a tightrope between genuine pathos and absurdist humor, and while critics in 1978 weren't always sure what to make of it, that tonal complexity is exactly what makes it endure. I keep coming back to how rare it is to see a mainstream comedy from this era tackle mental illness and death this directly, without flinching or offering easy answers.
Where to Stream The End Online
The End is widely available across multiple streaming platforms. You can watch it on Amazon Prime Video with Ads or the standard Prime Video service, stream it via MGM Plus (and the MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel and MGM+ Amazon Channel), or rent it through Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Filmin, fuboTV, and Philo also carry the title. The Where-to-Watch widget at the top of this page shows real-time availability, so you can find the option that works best for your setup. Movie OTT keeps this information current across all major platforms, so you'll always know where to catch it.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed The End?
Burt Reynolds both directed and starred in The End. It was one of his few directorial efforts, and he brought a genuine creative vision to the material that went beyond his usual star power.
Q: Is The End based on a true story?
No, The End is an original screenplay written by Jerry Belson. While it tackles themes of mortality and mental illness, the story and characters are fictional.
Q: What's the runtime of The End?
The film runs 100 minutes, giving Reynolds and Belson enough space to develop Sonny's increasingly desperate schemes without feeling rushed.
Q: Why is The End rated R?
The R rating reflects the film's dark subject matter—suicide, mental illness, and adult language—rather than graphic violence or sexuality. It's a comedy that doesn't shy away from serious themes.
Q: Where can I watch The End right now?
The End is available on multiple platforms including Prime Video, MGM Plus, Apple TV, and several others listed in the Where-to-Watch widget above. Availability varies by region and subscription tier.
Final Thoughts on The End
The End doesn't fit neatly into any box, and that's precisely why it matters. It's a 1978 comedy that dares to be genuinely uncomfortable, a film about death and depression that finds real laughter in the wreckage without dismissing the pain. Burt Reynolds' performance is understated and human in ways his action films never allowed. If you're looking for something that challenges what a comedy can be—something that won't let you off easy but won't leave you depressed either—this is worth your time. Dark, strange, and oddly moving.
