More than 30 (15 full, more than 15 extended) scenes were deleted, now you have a bigger faster paced laugh salvo in this final cut because that all got removed. Helen and Ernest and even Madeline all had deeper characterization in the original cut. The final cut is like an abridged scrappier version which was only decided on in the few weeks before the release. The sex and greed was cut from the film. The original ending wasn't as out of place as it seems as the movie was more substantial. That ending was softer yeah but a bit more haunting... and it did have some digital special effects at the end. The women's faces turned to skulls during the slow fade to black. I think I like the final cuts ghoulish ending a bit more also but that did result in way too many cut scenes. If only they realised they could cut everything together (with some minor cgi and editing) and release that. They can choose either ending (heck they could make 2 extended versions).

I'd say read the script... I think the Toni scenes are fine up til the 27 years later ending (plus there is one more death at the bar in the third act... there were 4 male deaths originally in the film). I just don't like Ernest ending up with Toni cause we spend so very little time with her and it doesn't really make sense because of what he says to Helen in other deleted scenes that were part of the original cut. In an assembly cut Toni could just be helping him cause she is a good person... The two never have a real hint of romance/ kiss scene or anything before the '27 years later' time jump and in her first scene with him at the bar she even says "You still love HER" implying Ernest is regretting marrying Madeline and he still loves Helen. Ernest even has a deleted scene with Helen at the Beverly Hill hotel and he tells her he is so sorry for leaving her and he still loves her and always will but that he has a duty to help Madeline now. This would all still tie in with the final cuts ending and make it so much better. Now it's just super jumpy, off and way too condensed. You can't cut a film into something that it originally never was intended to be. It was never a scrappy jumpy movie. Zemeckis tried to cut it into that but did not really fully succeed. It had more elan between all the crazy bits. All of Madeline & Helen's dead body antics were concentrated more in the middle of the film. The deleted scenes give the movie more time to breath in other places and gives the characters a bit more depth and adds way more jokes. The film now... imo... is very scrappy and uneven. We are on this path with these characters... even if they are vile... why rid them of any depth. The loss of a big part of the third act (Toni, the bar, Ernest faked death) caused the movie to be extremely trimmed down... not necessarily the ending itself. Having read the script 20 times I think they could actually cut everything together if they add a little cgi peeling on the women in the third act (originally they never peel), slide the peeling scene inbetween the two original search scenes (where they do find out where Ernest has gone cause they notice the liquor cart) and then just leave the original ending out and put it on as an extra. All the other deleted scenes and third act work this way... cause Ernest still has the 'redemption' arc in the final cuts ending and Helen still is sad that he has died (eventhough she doesn't admit it). Zemeckis finds the film problematic and mean spirited. He says the women should never have reconciled and should have fought to the death. He made the entire film and it was ready to go. Then he got cold feet (probably studio intervention) about the themes (Ernest being a wife killer getting the redemption arc)... but the film originally was more drama dark comedy than scrappy ghoul comedy. I think the film is imperfect because there is NO one to actually root for... although some people do for Ernest or Helen. I thought up this because I was trying to make a comic version of the film. The maid had 3 more scenes (she was a slave to these people and she loved it) and she gets fired by Ernest after she finds Madeline in the fridge(deleted scene). They should have thought about this during the rewrite ... maybe they did but were not able to make it work. I think she should have popped up in the third act after Madeline and Helen have retreived the potion bottle from Toni.. Madeline rehires her and informs her Ernest has died, gives her the potion to hold but Rose doesn't want to work just for Madeline alone so she sneakly takes off with the potion. Then when the 37 years later ending happens and the women have tumbled to pieces Rose comes walking down the stairs and lifts her veil... and looks stunning and smiles.

@XanArt21 Really interesting! I definitely need to read the script. I guess in terms of the original ending in Switzerland, my thought is that they could have simply shown an elderly happy Ernest with his loving wife, but we didn't need to know who she was or their backstory, but I understand what you're saying. Wouldn't it have been funny if he and Rose the maid had ended up together? They seemed to like each other. "Is this an angel I see before me?" "Dr. Menville you're so cute."

​@@mizzmaria5215 Haha yeah, she liked him a lot more than Madeline that's for sure lol. She had a great scene with Madeline on the stairs (before the bookparty) where she mouths along the words with Madeline because Madeline is going off on one of her sobstories about her sad youth. Too bad it was also cut. She now just disappears after bringing them breakfast.

The body being dead is a bummer but living forever while everyone does around you is good for me. Almost like waiting to open your new Christmas gift.

She was also originally in the movie as another character who accompanies Lisle when she arrives at the Spring Party. Sadly that was cut.

Have you seen her weird sex education KZbin videos?

Of course it's a great ending and message BUT... It was not intended this way however... the message was in death the women became beautiful again (and they even kiss & make up) and eventually Goldie realises what life's meaning is at the end. It still showed the women rotted in a way but just for a glimpse during the fade out at the end. Goldie neglects to tell us this... there were skulls superimposed over their faces. Meryl looked creepy like a zombie with sunglasses on lol.

Read the shooting script and see if you still say that ;-)

Yeah it would have been better perhaps if Ernest actually drank the potion when he is hanging on the gutter... or after he fell in the pool... he got hurt bad and just wants that to be over so he drinks it. This way all three of them become just a very dysfunctional undead threesome lol. The maid had 3 more scenes until she gets fired (that got deleted)... she should have popped back up at the end and have the last laugh.

I think they would find it to be a bit embarrassing with so many scenes cut it could give off this problematic vibe tainting their professionalism. But they could have at least added like 10 deleted scenes or so. People would even love that.

It might seem that way but they removed 1/3 of the original movie... not just this ending.