Every couple in a romance has a different journey. No two are the same, and no two are always truly destined to be together. Some stories explore the one-in-a-million chance and praise the narrative of a woman finding her prince charming, or the stereotypical manic pixie dream girl completing a man’s vision of what he wants. However, some films choose to tell stories grounded in harsh realities. While both of these plot structures are vastly different, unconventional romances focus on what happens when love doesn’t win, but also never fades.
The meat and bones of a traditional rom-com movie is the basis of two people meeting (referred to as a meet-cute), falling in love, having a conflict, and then resolving said conflict. Significantly, the rom-com always ends in the desired happily ever after. There is, of course, another breed of film that offers something with much more stock: unconventional romances tell a similar story, however, the conflict is much harder to fix with a mere apology or having someone show up at your door and performing a grand, romantic gesture. Couples in these films are faced with real-life questions, and the essence of wondering what happens after the conflict is always present. Here are five unconventional romance movie couples that were, weren’t, and should never be.
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5 Annie Hall
Rollins-Joffe Production
Aside from being a film debuting fantastic hats worn by Diane Keaton, Annie Hall depicts two people who are involved with each other but on much different individual levels. Alvy, an overly anxious stand-up comedian who is absolutely in love with New York City, meets Annie, a go-with-the-flow free spirit who is from the Midwest. Their origin locations are not a mistake and, in fact, stand as one of the surface level differences between the two. Alvy believes that he has worked out all of his problems in therapy, and this is prefaced through his consistent self-defacing humor. Annie, struggling to find her place in the city and who she is, is constantly put down by Alvy as he tries to mold her into whom he wants her to be. After the couple inevitably breaks up, it is revealed that Alvy has written a play based on their time together. Breaking the fourth wall, he addresses the audience by monologue while a montage of their greatest moments plays.
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4 One Day
Film 4 Productions
Love, tragedy, and the essence of timing are a few of the themes most relevant in One Day. The film follows Emma and Dexter — played by Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, respectively — two college classmates who attempt to sleep together on their graduation day, but remain friends instead, vowing to reunite on the 15th of July each year. The two embark on a journey of trouble and triumph over the course of the years. Dexter’s need for validation through fame, a budding drug problem, and the death of his mother send him spiraling into a realm of disaster, eventually causing a brief rift between Emma and him. Emma, meanwhile, struggles to find a job that she is passionate about and works as a waitress before eventually breaking into teaching and writing her own children’s book. The two share chemistry throughout the film, and it is clear that Emma is in love with Dexter, but it just takes him longer to catch up. When they finally get together, the relationship isn’t without flaws, but they make it work because underneath it all, they are best friends. When Emma is killed in a tragic biking accident, Dexter spirals yet again. Although the couple only ends up together for a brief time, their friendship throughout the movie is what sells the believability of a romantic pairing between the two, making One Day a certified tearjerker.
3 Celeste and Jesse Forever
Envision Media Arts
Celeste and Jesse Forever stars Andy Samberg and Rashida Jones, two actors known for their roles in successful sitcoms, and is hands down one of the saddest movies made to date. There is no outside tragedy that impacts the couple; it is all from within. Celeste and Jesse have been together since high school and are absolute best friends. The two know each other better than anyone, and have called the other home for many years. However, Celeste begins to grow tired of Jesse’s slacker mentality as she starts to progress in her career. Jesse moves out into the guest room, and the two hangout as friends, both appearing seemingly cool about their divorce. Jesse eventually gets into a new relationship, and Celeste realizes that moving on from Jesse is much more difficult than she thought it would be. Jesse reveals to Celeste that his new girlfriend Veronica is pregnant with his child. The two part ways in an amicably heartbreaking scene. Throughout the film, it is impossible not to want these two to get back together. However, rather than tie up a very real premise with a pretty bow, Celeste and Jesse Forever taps into the logic that sometimes people grow apart even if there is still a lot of love between them.
2 La La Land
Summit Entertainment
La La Land depicts a love story that flickers as fast as a candle before it goes out. Sebastian and Mia, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, respectively, are drawn to one another due to their desire and drive to achieve their dreams. Mia is an aspiring actress and Sebastian is a remarkable jazz pianist who longs to open his own jazz club. The two encourage each other to grow and follow their dreams despite how vast they are, while living in a city full of similar talents. As their success heightens, their romance begins to fade, and although the two achieve their dreams, they must fall away from one another. One would think that this was all a waste, but in the end the two share a glance in a jazz club, years after they break up. While their eyes meet, it is clear that there is a sense of pride, sadness, and love that still exists between the two as they acknowledge that they received everything that they ever dreamed of at the expense of sacrificing a future, beautifully shown in the movie’s Epilogue, with the other.
1 (500) Days of Summer
Searchlight Pictures
(500) Days of Summer is often considered the most misinterpreted romance of its time. More likely than not, Summer (Zooey Deschanel) is often characterized as the villain of this movie for breaking Tom’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) heart and then getting married. That couldn’t be any further from the truth. Tom, an over-reactive romantic meets Summer, his company’s newest receptionist. After Summer comments that she loves the same band as him, he believes the two are written in the stars and an intense kiss initiated by Summer near the copy machine only solidifies this further. No, Summer is not completely at blame for some of the misinterpretations on Tom’s part. However, she does make it very clear to Tom that she doesn’t want a serious relationship, or to be anyone’s girlfriend. Tom simply ignores this, and when he becomes too clingy for Summer, she breaks off their brief fling. Naturally Tom spirals, but the true shock to him is when he finds out that Summer is engaged to someone else. Although the two get one last conversation together on a park bench, there is more dialogue in what the movie chooses not to say.
