I recently rewatched Doc Hollywood (1991). Not to brag but I have seen this movie a lot. I can’t give you an exact number but I can say I know it fairly well. It’s in that sweet zone of familiarity but not overly familiar that I can’t watch it again. Obviously, I am not the same person I was when I first saw it 32 years ago. Life experience has given me new lens to see with. So now, watching these characters who are now younger than me muddle through their meet-cute I have to ask the one question that haunts me from any old movie, “Would these characters still be together today?”

I blame the whole Star Wars saga for this question. Before the new installments I was quite the fan. The whole Han and Leia storyline though really got to me. Now I know they are fictional characters but man, their whole fate was a bit harsh. What? I would have rather not caught up with them then to find out how their story ended. Real life is full of those kind of heart-breaking stories. I prefer my movies to end happy. And then not take away that happiness decades later.

Needless to say, Star Wars has given me some trust issues in my old favorite movies. Just because they end up together before the credit roll would they still be together when the credits are done?

For the characters Ben and Lou in Doc Hollywood, I like to think the answer is yes. Ben moved to Grady and became the town doctor. Doc Hogue obviously passes away shortly after. The Stones have a couple of kids and raise their family amongst the small town quirky characters. Ben, however, does not get early onset Parkinson’s. The Stones still live in Grady, SC and are pillars of the community.

Nancy Lee moved to California and realized it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. After a few years of the big city life, her and her California husband move back to Grady when her dad dies and they inherit the family home. Their kids are frenemies of the Stones.

Hank found his calling selling insurance in California. He and his wife still live there with their kids living nearby. They try to visit Grady once a year but since he just retired they have been traveling more extensively.

That’s how movies are supposed to end. Please don’t revisit the characters and take away their happy endings. That is just rude and unnecessary. The resounding answer to the question (no one actually asked but I am still answering) is yes. Yes, they are still together.