Q&A: And They Lived Happily Ever After?
Hollywood loves its happy endings and will shove it down the audience’s throat no matter how implausible it may look. How many times have we seen two people who have nothing in common, fight and bicker endlessly only to get together at the end of the movie? It has always got me wondering whether these couples would make it another 6 months or a year. The question of the week is: What fictional couple appear unlikely to strike a long-term relationship after the curtain closed?
One of the most obvious one for me is from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. While the ending may be deemed as hopeful for people who want their “happy ending”, there is a tragic note to it because we know deep down that it won’t work out. Despite all the pain and despair that Joel and Clementine go through, we watch as they struggle throughout the movie to remember only the good moments. The film then goes out of its way to show the two characters giving it one more shot at the end to portray the tragic nature of doomed relationships.
Your turn! What fictional couple struck you as unlikely to happily ever after? Let it be known in the comments!
The question of the week is an opportunity for you to open up and reveal more about yourself and your movie taste. Have a question you would like us and the readers to answer? E-mail me at castor@anomalousmaterial.com
25 Comments
If it wasn’t for the epilogue of doom… Hermione and Ron. Ha!
Ahah, good one Amy. Even if it weren’t for their doomed existence, they just bicker way too much and Ron can’t seem to get over his jealousy w/ Harry.
Well, to be honest… like Encore Entertainment said – MovieRon actually improves on BookRon. So I guess it’s not really all that valid…
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I really love Love Me If You Dare, but I find it difficult for Sophie and Julien to actually make their relationship work – though, that ending is enough to give it that dark romantic twist to the film.
Are you talking about book Ron or movie Ron though? I think the two make a plausible couple – now Ginny and Ron? That’s a whole other story.
Are you talking about book Ron or movie Ron though? I think the two make a plausible couple – now Ginny and Ron? That’s a whole other story.
I get the point you’re making, though Castor – but no one’s coming to me. I wouldn’t call myself hopeful, but I could see Clementine and Joel lasting because the reason they always end up NOT lasting is not because they don’t work together, but because they can both be a little too impetuous.
Well they hurt each other so much I think it’s a little bit more than them being a bit too impetuous
Now I can think of more, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves in Speed for example. Pretty Woman was also suggested in Facebook (Peter). Plenty of them out there! 
About 30 minutes into “500 Days of Summer,” I knew that Tom (Levitt) and Summer (Deschanel) weren’t going to end up together.
One of those few romantic comedies where the two main characters don’t actually end up together and one of the reason why it’s one of the most memorable rom-com in recent memory. But what about characters who are supposed to live happily thereafter after the movie has ended?
I’ve always wanted someone to make a movie about Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith in the immediate aftermath of “Collateral”. I think that could be one of the most fascinating first dates in history.
But in answer to the question, Miles and Maya in “Sideways.” They’ll probably date for a little while but, seriously, Miles’ self destructive tendencies are eventually going to bring that courtship crashing down.
Ah indeed, that date between Jamie Foxx and Jada Pinkett Smith would be interesting. In the aftermath however, they are probably too different, dude being a blue collar taxi cab driver and her a DA
Hey me too, Nicholas. But at the end my reaction was, ‘well I think Jamie Foxx will get that limo business after all’ She’s a lawyer so she must be loaded!
I go back and forth on Kenji and Noi in Last Life in the Universe all the time. Do they really reunite with one another in Japan? Is Kenji daydreaming in that police station, or is that a moment that occurs before he’s freed and able to make it back home and meet up with Noi? I’m pretty sure that I know what’s intended but I also know what I want to happen. Kind of heartbreaking.
Maverick and Charlie are never going to make it after the events of Top Gun. He’s totally going to dump her for Iceman.
Ha!
Or how about Daniel and Ali? Obviously Daniel-san dropped the All-American girl and moved onto more exotic fare in Part II.
The implied whatever of Tom and Autumn in 500 Days of Summer. But then, this is mostly for the benefit of my ongoing JGL character theory.
Wesley and Buttercup in Princess Bride. They hardly knew each other. Plus he would get tired of saying “As you wish” to everything she wanted. I always thought she liked Andre the Giant best.
The Purple Rose of Cairo shows that not all movies need to have a happy ending to be good.
How about Deckard and Rachael? Blade Runner, baby!
Rob and Laura in High Fidelity. Nuff said.
I vote for virtually any movie featuring Sandra Bullock. In every film, she’s depicted as the complete opposite of her eventual mate. They have nothing in common, and they won’t last five years.
Examples:
The Proposal: She’s a domineering bitch and won’t get used to the idea that she can’t boss him around constantly. He’ll get tired of it and walk away.
Two Weeks Notice: She’ll like spending his money on crunchy granola stuff, but eventually, she’ll realize he’s a shallow bastard and she’ll leave if he doesn’t punt her first for being annoying.
Forces of Nature: She’s so unpredictable that blah blah blah and he’ll eventually blah blah blah.
Demolition Man: She’ll never figure out really that sex isn’t gross.
Need I continue?
Hello!! Transformers anyone? There’s no way Sam and Michela would make it in this had Autobots and world saving adventures not intervened:P
I did something like this a while back. It was fun, have a look if you’re interested:
http://www.goseetalk.com/?p=1180
For me, Reality Bites. Come on, there’s no way Ethan Hawke is going to put in the daily effort it takes to make a relationship work. Plus, no matter what she thinks, she’s going to get tired of that slacker crap real fast when the utilities keep getting shut off! I’m not saying she should of picked Ben Stiller, but I sure wasn’t happy with the end.
I’m going to go with Superman and Lois Lane.
Harry and Sally in When Harry met Sally
Mark Zuckerberg and Sean Parker in The Social Network. I see rocky times ahead for those two.
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