Romance in movies is all about chemistry, the sexual tension between two unfairly attractive humans. It usually isn't, however, about the realism. Screenwriters sometimes seem like they have a connect the dots mentally when it comes to on-screen relationships, where they need to get from point A to point B to point C, but it doesn't really matter how it happens. Or if it is even remotely believable. In the movies, the couple always manages to find their way back to one another in the third act, where theyll live happily ever after. But most of the time, you know its not going to last. Are they compatible at all, or were they just haphazardly thrown together to pander to the audiences? There's a sense that if the characters can make it to the very end of the film still together, that's all that matters. But we can't help but wonder what happens to them after the credits role. Inevitably, the issues that are casually swept under the rug for the movie's run time are going to rear their ugly heads again, and that wonderful sexy romantic couple is going to self-destruct in spectacular fashion. Six months down the line, theyre just going to be a pair of bitter exes, and we all know it.
10. Baby And Johnny - Dirty Dancing
Baby and Johnny have a lot of sexual chemistry, that's for sure. But really, that, a love of dance, and a mutual admiration for each other is all they really have in common. One of the first things we learn about Baby is that she's very politically minded, and wants to join the Peace Corps after graduating from college. Johnny's a nice guy, but he works as a dancer at a resort. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but how exactly are these two going to make things work? Will Baby spend her summer and Christmas break at the lodge with Johnny, grasping for the connection that seems to be slipping away? Or will Johnny give up dancing and get a job in a factory or busing tables to be closer to her? All we can picture is them sitting down to dinner together, both of them facing the crushing realisation that they have nothing to say that will interest the other, and resenting each other for it. However you cut it, the relationship between Baby and Johnny is sweet, but it has summer fling written all over it.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
