10 Great Films Featuring Super Awkward Kissing Scenes
Prepare to cringe: these mushy make-out scenes are more tacky than tantalising.
Movie romances are hard to get exactly right: the dialogue must be convincing, the chemistry between actors needs to sizzle, and their relationship has to be believable. However, there is nothing more satisfying than a well crafted, swoon-worthy kiss scene.
If all goes to plan, these movie make-outs can tantalize audiences and ultimately convince us that these characters are truly meant to be. Think Jack and Rose's dramatic first kiss in Titanic, or Allie and Noah's passionate peck in The Notebook.
However, not all kissing scenes are created equal: some lack chemistry, others are underwhelming, and then there are those which are just plain bad. This list will be looking at pretty great movies which unfortunately contain pretty cringey, awkward, or terrible kisses.
The films here were otherwise warmly received amongst critics and audiences, so don't expect to see Howard The Duck or The Room on this list, regardless of how awful (and potentially illegal?) their kissing scenes may be.
10. Planet of the Apes
This landmark science-fiction film remains a highly-regarded piece of cinema, besmirched only by increasingly weak sequels and the abysmal 2001 remake. The film examines the fates of three astronauts, including George Taylor (Charlton Heston), who land on a planet inhabited by highly intelligent, humanoid apes.
Famous for its gut-wrenching twist, wherein Taylor discovers that this seemingly alien planet is actually a futuristic, dystopian version of Earth, Planet of the Apes has certainly stood the test of time, spawning several sequels, remakes, and reboots, and retaining a palpable cultural legacy.
However, the otherwise exceptional film also features an uncomfortable, inter-species peck between man and (human-ish) ape. Although not explicitly romantic, the good-bye kiss between Taylor and Dr. Zira (Kim Hunter) is certainly awkward, and the differences between their species is made abundantly clear when the latter remarks, 'But, you're so damned ugly.'
Worse still, the scene is somewhat recreated in the Tim Burton remake, with Mark Wahlberg's Leo Davidson sharing a bizarrely tender kiss with a female ape.