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Cantankerous
102-year-old film director Chandler Crowne wants to die, but Andrew
tells him he's got unfinished business. Enter Stevie Noonan,
twenty-something student filmmaker who's making a documentary about
the famous director who built his reputation on dark, depressing
subject matter. Stevie's task is to persuade the reclusive genius to
share why he abandoned his early comedies for the dark films which
became his trademark. In flashback, we find a young Chandler
directing his leading lady, Ruby, in an ambitious and inspirational
film called "Redemption." Besides dealing with a temperamental
leading lady, Chandler had to contend with Sid Lumsky, the head of the
studio, who fires one of his actresses for having an affair with a
member of the crew. Forced to choose from a bevy of young unknowns,
Chandler chooses Monica. Chandler then breaks off prematurely,
leaving Stevie with unanswered questions. On her way out, Stevie
lifts Chandler's pocket watch, only to return later with the pawn
ticket as a bargaining tool to get him to give her the exclusive she
needs. Chandler resumes his story as we flash back in time to the day
Chandler filmed the fateful scene which changed his career...and his
life. With Lumsky breathing down his neck to finish shooting,
Chandler films a stunt involving Ruby crashing into a tree. The stunt
goes awry and Ruby is killed. But Stevie, aware deaths during the
making of movies were not uncommon in those days, doesn't understand
how that changed his whole cinematic vision. With her deadline
approaching, Stevie returns the next day with Chandler's watch, hoping
to get the missing piece of the puzzle. Chandler explains how he
argued with Lumsky over the ending of the movie and how he snuck into
the projection booth the night of the premiere and cut the happy
ending. Lumsky was furious until he heard the enthusiastic audience
reaction. Chandler explains he cut the ending because he was mad at
Lumsky. But Stevie is still unsatisfied, having expected some sort of
epiphany. Stevie lashes out at Chandler for belittling her search for
answers, hoping to find answers for her own personal pain. Monica
then reveals herself as an angel to Chandler. She explains how God
gave him a gift, which he could have used to encourage and uplift
millions. But instead, he only used it to perpetuate his private
pain. Monica tells him it's not too late to encourage one person --
Stevie. Chandler finally confides in Stevie that he changed the
ending to his movie, not because he was mad at Lumsky, but because he
was mad at God. Not only were Ruby and Chandler married, but she had
just told him that she was carrying his child. Chandler then screens
the original unedited version of the film for Stevie, with the
restored happy ending. Stevie is moved, but remains dubious about the
real world, which doesn't always deliver happy endings. Chandler
encourages her to look again, that life is what you make it, and gives
her the original restored version of the film, before Andrew escorts
him to the hereafter.
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