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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

Favorite movie marriages

MovieMarriages_WEB
EMILY DANAHER | The Observer
EMILY DANAHER | The Observer
While many students were off celebrating “Feverween” in costume, I had a significantly tamer Thursday evening last week. Homework and preparations for meetings took precedence over kicking off the Halloween weekend early, so I found myself at home on All Hallow’s Eve Eve (or “Mischief Night” for all you New Jerseyans out there).

Still, I tried my best to stay in the spirit, and my friends and I did our part by watching one of my favorite recommendations from Netflix’s “Halloween Favorites” list, the 1991 movie “The Addams Family.” Full disclosure: this was after attempting to ironically watch the “Air Buddies” Halloween special "Spooky Buddies," which is hilarious but still entirely unbearable.

I hadn’t seen “The Addams Family” in a few years, and while I knew it wasn’t comparable to many of the horror films and thrillers on the Netflix Halloween list, I started watching with the memory of loving the film as a child for its dark and weird comedy. What I didn’t remember in my affection for the movie, however, was the absolutely wonderful marriage that is Morticia and Gomez Addams.

I watched adoringly as their perfect relationship played out on screen and began racking my brain for other movies with long-term couples who have great relationships. In a time when both comedies and dramas about dysfunctional families reign supreme, I realized it’s not easy to find a happy marriage or partnership in film. There’s also still plenty of work to be done in Hollywood before we see more diverse happy couples on screen, including same-sex partners and blended families. Still, I did my best to pick out some of the best movie marriages and partnerships on screen.

Morticia and Gomez – “The Addams Family”

As mentioned in the introduction, Morticia and Gomez (played by Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, respectively) have what may be the perfect marriage. Sure, they let their kids play with knives and are into some weird stuff themselves, but their affection for each other is unending. They’re also great parents­ who support their children unconditionally. Finally, they do everything they can to keep a spark alive. In one scene, the two of them giggle and lock eyes in conversation when the Bermuda Triangle is mentioned, only to explain to their company, “Excuse us. Second honeymoon.” The couple may be dark and spooky to everyone else, but they’re perfect for each other.

Sybil and Kelly – “The Family Stone”

While the Christmas movie “The Family Stone” centers on the crumbling relationship between Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) and boyfriend Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney), Everett is the child of a fantastic marriage. Diane Keaton and Craig T. Nelson play Sibyl and Kelly, who host their adult children for the holidays in the film, and the couple are perhaps the most stable, strong and understanding in movie history. Besides being awesome parents, emotional revelations later in the film show just how much they care for each other. 

Thad and Patrick – “The Family Stone”

The Stone parents aren’t the only heartwarming couple in “The Family Stone.” It appears that their son Thad (Tyrone Giordano) inherited the fantastic relationship gene. While it’s not entirely clear that Thad and his partner Patrick (Brian White) are married (or if they even could be), I’m including the couple on the list. Even with relatively little screen time, the two come off as loving and supportive couple thrilled to adopt a child together, and their scenes together steal the show.

Rosemary and Dill – “Easy A”

I can’t shake the feeling that Rosemary (Patricia Clarkson) and Dill (Stanley Tucci) are the funniest parents ever written for film. Though it’s clear they are easygoing and loving parents, the two characters also have the rare characteristic of being their own individual and hilarious people while also being parents. Rather than fall into a trope of anonymous, clueless parents in a teen movie, the two have distinct personalities and lives. It’s hard to choose a favorite scene, but the one in which Dill gets to pick the movie because he is the “family member of the week,” only to find out Rosemary picks him as “family member of the week” every week.  

Molly and Arthur Weasley – “Harry Potter”

For fans of Harry Potter, little explanation needs to be given for this fictional couple. Molly (Julie Walters) and Arthur (Mark Williams) not only raised an impressive number of children on a tight budget, but also opened their home to those in need and, oh yeah, spent their lives fighting evil.

Mac and Kelly – “Neighbors”

So, maybe “Neighbors” wasn’t the greatest movie of 2014, but the on-screen dynamic between new parents Kelly (Rose Byrne) and Mac (Seth Rogen) was easily the highlight of the film. When most movies about neighbor rivalries or frat bros center on men protecting their lawns or some other trope, “Neighbors” was exceptional because it brought Rose Byrne’s character fully into the picture — both Byrne and Rogen are equally invested in taking down their annoying neighborhood frat house. The two are hilarious whether or not they’re plotting against their neighbors; they make an excellent pair and aren’t afraid to joke around, make fun of each other or have a good time.