Comments on: Do Mulder and Scully count?

Question: Do Mulder and Scully count?

coizero — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:07:06 -0800

I'm looking for movies and television shows that featured memorable, star-crossed heterosexual couples. The man and woman must either: a) never get together, or b) get together only to have everything go horribly. No long-term relationships or on-and-off again romances, please. Bonus points for obscurity, but well-known examples are also appreciated. Examples: - Red (K. Kieslowski) - Titanic Thanks for your help! :-)

By: fairytale of los angeles

fairytale of los angeles — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:17:12 -0800

Austin James and Michelle Castle in Probe.

By: briank

briank — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:20:51 -0800

"The Ghost And Mrs. Muir" (movie and TV show)

By: smorange

smorange — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:21:15 -0800

Seasons 1-2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

By: fairytale of los angeles

fairytale of los angeles — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:23:01 -0800

Also, almost the entire 1980s TV career of Glen Gordon Caron features this, as he came up with both Remington Steele (Laura Holt and the titular character) and Moonlighting (Maddie Hayes and David Addison).

By: JujuB

JujuB — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:29:00 -0800

The movie "Gone with the wind", Scarlett and Rhett.

By: Clyde Mnestra

Clyde Mnestra — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:33:10 -0800

Coppola's Dracula: Mina finally meets up with Dracula, but misunderstands the term "giving head," with tragic results.

P.S. However, if you buy that Mina is simply the reincarnation of Dracula's long-lost lover, this might count as a long-term relationship.

By: pxe2000

pxe2000 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:40:48 -0800

Would Trust count? Explaining this would involve spoilers.

By: desuetude

desuetude — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:41:22 -0800

If sexual tension counts as star-crossed, then whoo, there's a lot here. But just off the top of my head, I think Eastern Promises would count.

For TV shows, how is possible no-one has yet mentioned The Avengers?

By: elfgirl

elfgirl — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:43:12 -0800

Moonlighting

By: hortense

hortense — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:43:43 -0800

The Marriage Of Maria Braun. . . the marriage lasted no longer than half a day and a full night.

By: Iosephus

Iosephus — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:47:22 -0800

How about Robotech? Many of the couples there spent endless stretches of I-love-you/I-hate-you going-nowhere's, usually ended in some nasty alien blowing one or the two of them into space debris or craters just as they ended up the hysterics.

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:49:14 -0800

Captain Kangaroo's Maudlin Violin?

By: rtha

rtha — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:52:50 -0800

Dark Victory

By: Clyde Mnestra

Clyde Mnestra — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:54:44 -0800

Leaving Las Vegas. I think they wind up sleeping together, but I can't remember.

Damn blackouts.

By: cjets

cjets — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:56:35 -0800

The English Patient
Frasier Crane and Diane Chambers in Cheers

By: boltman

boltman — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 18:58:22 -0800

In The Mood For Love

By: Green Eyed Monster

Green Eyed Monster — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:00:31 -0800

Romeo and Juliet? Too obvious?

By: jadepearl

jadepearl — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:04:20 -0800

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Man, there are more thank a few Asian films where it just does not work out.

Heh, if you want obscure then my friend, a good chunk of Japanese literature is for you. Multiple film adaptions of the Tale of Genji and Chikamatsu. There is a reason why when Harlequin hit Japan's shores it was a revelation with the love couple staying alive at the end and not die in some double suicide, conflagration or just downer moment.

By: hooray

hooray — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:05:23 -0800

Becoming Jane

By: ODiV

ODiV — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:06:01 -0800

TV shows are almost too easy. They pretty much rely on the tension of not having "the couple" get together. Until about the 3rd or 4th season when they need a twist (earlier if it looks like the show is going to get canceled).

Casablanca is all I've got right now. I'll try to think of more.

By: CrazyJoel

CrazyJoel — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:08:48 -0800

Lancelot and Guinevere

By: unmake

unmake — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:11:09 -0800

Lovers of the Arctic Circle (d. Julio Medem), and a couple other Hal Hartley films pxe2000 didn't mention: Simple Men and Amateur.

Lovers is by far the most romantic, magical, and emotional of those titles..

By: ODiV

ODiV — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:14:24 -0800

Okay, I say TV shows are almost too easy and then don't give any examples.
Smallville, Bones, CSI, House, etc

And another couple for film: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Heathers.

By: Iosephus

Iosephus — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:17:43 -0800

I thought about Lovers too, but doesn't it break the asking person's "no off-and-on again" condition? (Not that it makes it any less of an excellent movie.)

By: Solon and Thanks

Solon and Thanks — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:18:10 -0800

Lost in Translation and Once both do this in a similar (and in my opinion very realistic way.) They both involve two people meeting and a possibility for romance that is never fulfilled because both people are in different "places", so to speak, in life.

By: Clyde Mnestra

Clyde Mnestra — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:22:04 -0800

The Remains of the Day: they never get together.

By: kidsleepy

kidsleepy — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:48:36 -0800

Came in here all excited to recommend Once and Solon beat me to it.

By: saffry

saffry — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:49:10 -0800

Vertigo It goes horribly wrong twice.

By: scody

scody — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:56:33 -0800

Atonement.

By: tracicle

tracicle — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:12:40 -0800

Closer.

By: lovermont

lovermont — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:18:16 -0800

Broadcast News fits the bill...

By: veronicacorningstone

veronicacorningstone — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:18:52 -0800

Moulin Rouge is one of the best examples I can think of. Powerful love story, but it really couldn't go more horribly wrong... Plus, its a fantastic movie.

By: Brocktoon

Brocktoon — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:29:54 -0800

Big Trouble in Little China.

By: tfmm

tfmm — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:33:44 -0800

"Back to the Future" had an interesting twist.

By: notquitemaryann

notquitemaryann — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:41:41 -0800

As always, it depends on your definitions, but these come to mind:

Ask the Dust
Broken Blossoms
City of Angels
The Luzhin Defence
Once Upon a Time in America
Turtles Can Fly
Water
Zelary

If I think of others, I'll add them?

By: lunasol

lunasol — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:55:33 -0800

More TV - Josh and Donna on The West Wing. Lee and Kara on Battlestar Galactica (hooked up often and disastrously but never were "together").

Also - "Summer and Smoke," Tennessee Williams (IIRC). "Sophie's Choice." "The Good Girl"

Also

By: kuujjuarapik

kuujjuarapik — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:55:35 -0800

Miracle Mile

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:03:14 -0800

Two oldies with the wonderful Olivia de Havilland, The Heiress with Montgomery Clift and My Cousin Rachel with Richard Burton.

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:04:48 -0800

Oh, and Dr. Zhivago.

By: kirstk

kirstk — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:08:56 -0800

Would Shakespeare in Love count?

How about Nancy and Peter on Weeds?

By: kirstk

kirstk — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:11:34 -0800

If you're going to pull two characters from West Wing - Josh and Donna don't fit your criteria since they got together in the 7th season.

Toby and Andie would fit though. (Most especially the end of season 4.)

By: orange swan

orange swan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:27:40 -0800

Solomon and Gaenor
The Age of Innocence
Cold Mountain

By: haplesschild

haplesschild — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:43:42 -0800

Dangerous Liasons and every variation.

By: Bonzai

Bonzai — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:45:15 -0800

Buffy and Angel were already mentioned but Whedon loves doing this.

You got Mal and Inara from Firefly, also Kaylee and Simon if you don't count the movie.

From Angel you got Wesley and Fred plus Angel and Cordelia (poor Angel)

I can't think of any more from Buffy though unless you count Xander's crush on Buffy which I don't.

By: pushing paper and bottoming chairs

pushing paper and bottoming chairs — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:53:11 -0800

Tampopo.

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:55:54 -0800

Breaking the Waves
Funny Girl
McCabe and Mrs Miller
The People vs Larry Flynt
Splendor In The Grass
Camille
The Way We Were
Days Of Heaven
Chinatown
Tess
Reds

By: ODiV

ODiV — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:02:23 -0800

Pretty much any noir, might count, actually. Everything from Double Indemnity to Blood Simple really (I see marsha56's already listed Chinatown).

By: ethnomethodologist

ethnomethodologist — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:14:20 -0800

Seconding Splendor in the Grass. Sooooooooo sad. There was also a made-for-tv movie version of it in 1981 with Melissa Gilbert that slew me.

By: ethnomethodologist

ethnomethodologist — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:16:39 -0800

Oh my God how could I forget:

The Unbrellas of Cherbourg

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:20:47 -0800

Damage
Legends Of The Fall

By: ethnomethodologist

ethnomethodologist — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:27:42 -0800

Umbrellas, not Unbrellas.

By: Class Goat

Class Goat — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:32:30 -0800

Cyrano de Bergerac

By: marsha56

marsha56 — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:14:11 -0800

Sorry, I got a little carried away, and realized that many of my suggestions don't meet criteria #2. Many of these movies do involve very long-term relationships.

Of the movies I've posted, the ones that revolve around somewhat brief relationships (no more than a year or two):

My Cousin Rachel (they never really get together)
Chinatown (several weeks)
Damage (less than a year, I think)
Breaking the Waves (year or two, I think)
Days Of Heaven (year or two)

The Heiress (relationship is fairly brief, no more than a few weeks, but the doomed affair reverberates over many years to a chilling denouement.)

By: desuetude

desuetude — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 23:21:15 -0800

We need some clarification on "longterm" and "all goes wrong" methinks.

By: messiahwannabe

messiahwannabe — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:03:39 -0800

i can't believe no one's mentioned gregory peck and audrey hepburn in "roman holday".

fo tv, there's the britcom "spaced".

By: millipede

millipede — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 00:31:50 -0800

it's weird that this was my first thought--or maybe not, since i was thinking of the movie today--but "little children."

By: ceri richard

ceri richard — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 01:53:58 -0800

Like water for chocolate might fit the bill.

By: Gungho

Gungho — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 05:10:31 -0800

Bladerunner

By: aleahey

aleahey — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:54:17 -0800

Elaine and Jerry - Seinfeld.

By: gudrun

gudrun — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:47:46 -0800

The English Patient
Wuthering Heights

By: PhoBWanKenobi

PhoBWanKenobi — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 10:03:00 -0800

Don't know if it counts, because it was really just a send-up of Casablance, but the Deep Space Nine episode "Profit and Loss" fits the bill.

By: phrayzee

phrayzee — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 11:37:58 -0800

The JD/Elliot relationship on Scrubs sort of fits your description, however they were on-again/off-again for the first three seasons, each time with disastrous results. As of the end of last season, things seem to point to them getting back together.

By: ebellicosa

ebellicosa — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:58:42 -0800

The Age of Innocence based on the novel by Edith Wharton and starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. She was a sophisticated divorcee given the cold shoulder by upper-crust New York society. He was a dashing young man already betrothed to a blushing maid in a very suitable match.

By: lunasol

lunasol — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:21:34 -0800

kirstk - did they really? My bad, but ugh. I stopped watching after it went off the rails in the 5th-6th seasons