13 Deceptively Happy Posters For Depressing Movies

"This film will make you laugh until your mouth hurts!" is easily a more attractive sell than "This film will make you want to go home, run a long bath and drown yourself" so quite often, those dastardly Hollywood marketing types decide to push a bleak movie as something uplifting because, you know, money and stuff.

To provide a necessary reminder of the films that won't make you smile but will actually cause your heart to weep, here are 13 examples of movies that look much sunnier on glossy paper.

Be warned, there are spoilers.

Still Alice

This Taiwanese ad for the upcoming Oscar contender Still Alice makes it look like Julianne Moore is having one hell of a great day at the beach. Truth is that she's suffering from early on-set Alzheimer's in an extremely grim, but powerful, film about a woman losing her grip on life.

Smashed

How do you sell a film about a young woman with life-ruining alcoholism? You pretend that it's a romantic comedy about a couple who may or may not be professional dancers. Obviously.

Like Crazy

Young love, isn't it great? Especially when there's an ocean between you and your other half and your relationship consists of jealousy, resentment and infidelity. 

Shame

"Crazy sexy fun" promises this willfully deceptive DVD cover for Shame, a dark drama about sexual addiction and suicide, parading as a screwball comedy, Carey Mulligan plays Michael Fassbender's sister, by the way.

Drugstore Cowboy

Wouldn't you love to be as happy as this young couple? Okay well you'll need to develop an all-consuming drug habit that tears apart your life. Cool with that?

The King Of Comedy

A film with the word 'comedy' in the title has to be a laugh riot, surely? If this French poster for the Scorsese cult classic is to be believed, it'll have you chuckling until someone politely asks you to stop. Or until the part when you find out it's about a psychopathic loner with a penchant for stalking.

My Girl

In need of a lift? Then why not try this wacky comedy about the friendship between a young boy and girl. Oh and the boy gets stung to death by bees.

Kramer vs. Kramer

Who says that a gruelling custody battle over a small child has to be depressing? Not this strangely upbeat poster for tear-jerking divorce drama Kramer vs. Kramer which promises hijinks that never ever come.

Blue Valentine

Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams being all lovable and wacky, if not slightly irresponsible, on a bridge, suggests rom and com. Not long into this devastatingly sad film about the disintegration of a marriage, you'll realise that is really really not the case

My Sister's Keeper

Cameron Diaz! That cute little girl from Little Miss Sunshine! Bubbles! Cancer! Oh, wait.

Her

This Italian poster for Her would have you believe that it's about a fun-loving free spirit played by Amy Adams. In reality, it's about the bittersweet relationship between Joaquin Phoenix and his operating system. In fact, the character played by Adams goes through the breakup of her marriage and the loneliness that comes with it. Fun!

Away From Her

This French poster for Away From Her wants you to think that it's about an older woman getting a new lease of life, not suffering from Alzheimer's while her husband struggles to take care of her,

Leaving Las Vegas

It's Pretty Woman 2! A man falls in love with a charming prostitute! Except that the man is a suicidal alcoholic intent on drinking himself to death, despite his desperate new love trying to save his life.