Redditors recently got together onr/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss which movieshad unnecessary romantic subplotsthat ultimately made the film worse. Often, movies have romances that feel awkward and shoehorned in, rather than emerging organically from the characters.
The Redditors came up with several films they felt were particularly egregious in this regard, fromThe HobbittoHarry Potter. The filmmakers clearly wanted to add a feel-good element to these movies, but the love stories just didn’t work.
10’Yesterday' (2019)
YesterdayisDanny Boyle’s whimsical film about a struggling musician named Jack (Himesh Patel) who wakes up one day to find that he’s the only person alive who recalls The Beatles. He begins passing off their timeless tunes as his own, finding fame and fortune, but also an ethical quandary. A major subplot is the will-they-won’t-they romance between Jack and his manager Ellie (Lily James) - though several Redditors could’ve gone without it, especially since the two of them worked so well as friends.
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“I think [Yesterday] has a really good premise, which is completely wasted by the second half where the entire movie is devolved into a basic romantic plot,” saidRedditor yoaver. “I think cutting Lily James' character entirely from the movie, and exploring more aspects of the idea of the changed timeline without The Beatles, would be much stronger.”
9’The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' (2012)
TheHobbitmovies are a mix of great elements (solid lead performances, amazing visuals) and weaker ones (a sillier tone, new backstories that weren’t in the novel). Several Redditors also complained about the love triangle between Legolas (Orlando Bloom), the dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner), and the elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly). The whole thing is poorly executed, without even mentioning the fact that Legolas and Tauriel don’t appear in the book at all.
“The dumbest part is the screenwriters said they added [the] love triangle because they wanted to give a reason why there was such animosity between Legolas and Gimli (a Dwarf). Such a dumb reason, especially when a reason already exists in the lore,” saiduser WastedWaffles. “One of my friends is a hardcoreTolkienfan and she was straight-up angry when she saw the movie,” addedRedditor SummSpn.
8’Pearl Harbor' (2001)
Michael Baydirected this historical drama that about the infamous Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II. The film primarily focuses on two childhood friends, Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett), who become fighter pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Both of them fall in love with nurse Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale).
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Unfortunately, the love triangle comes across as clichéd and inauthentic. “I’m sure the intent was something likeTitanic, but it’s completely incongruous,” saiduser Syn7axError. “A fan editor actually removed the romance/love triangle story pretty damn successfully. It improves the film no end,” addedRedditor uberduger.
7’Captain America: Civil War' (2016)
The Avengers are divided inCivil War, leading to a full-scale conflict, with heroes on both sides battling it out in a blockbuster showdown. There’s much to enjoy in the movie, but a few Redditors disliked the kiss between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp). Firstly, Sharon is the niece of Cap’s main love interest Peggy (Hayley Atwell). Secondly, the romance suggests that, at the time, the writers hadn’t planned that Cap would return to the past.
“Cap making out with his one true love’s niece just felt weird. I wonder if he told Peggy about it afterEndgame,” saiduser jokes_on_you_ha. “One of the most obvious moments where Marvel did not, in fact, plan ahead of time and had no idea where the character was going,” saidRedditor RFB-CACN.
6’Gangs of New York' (2002)
Gangs of New YorkisMartin Scorsese’s historical drama about feuding criminals in 19th-century New York.Leonardo DiCapriois Amsterdam, a young Irish immigrant seeking revenge for his father’s murder at the hands of the nativist gang leader Bill “The Butcher” Cutting (Daniel Day-Lewis). It’s a good movie, but some Redditors felt that the romance between Amsterdam and Jenny (Cameron Diaz) was a weak point. They accused it of feeling forced and serving no real narrative function.
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“Cameron Diaz feels so shoehorned into so much of that movie. It’s like Scorsese realized last minute he had to have at least one prominent female character,” saiduser FlameFeather86. “She’s just so terribly miscast. Diaz is amazing at very specific things and she was just able to use none of her strengths in this role,” addedRedditor themilkman42069.
5’Heat' (1995)
Michael Mann’sHeatis now rightly recognized asa ’90s crime classic, with killer performances from genre legendsAl PacinoandRobert DeNiro. However, some Redditors felt that the movie stumbled in its handling of the relationship between criminal McCauley (DeNiro) and graphic designer Eady (Amy Brenneman).
“DeNiro obviously needed someone to walk out on in the end. But that relationship always felt forced in the story and supremely awkward. They could have more believably made the character an estranged or unknown kid,” saiduser bobbytables. “Yeah, I never really bought their connection,” saidRedditor whisperingdeth.
4’Avengers: Age of Ultron' (2015)
Marvel strikes again. This time, Redditors were skewering the short-lived romance between Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) inAge of Ultron. The two flirt throughout the film, despite there being nothing romantic between them in the preceding movies. This romance was controversial, with some fans arguing that it had no basis in the comics and didn’t make much sense in the MCU either.
“Hulk and Black Widow’s fling came out of nowhere. It was never mentioned or acknowledged again,” saiduser MrThrillHouse. “It felt so forced because there was absolutely no build-up,” anotherRedditoragreed. “The ‘hide the zucchini’ line and everything about their romance was cringe as f—-,” saidRedditor Informal-Ideal-6640.
3’Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' (2017)
The Last Jediis probably the best entry in the sequel trilogy, with much to praise about it. Nevertheless, several Redditors panned the love story between Rose (Kelly Marie Tran) and Finn (John Boyega). For one, their romance unfolds at a breakneck pace, given everything else happening at the same time. Not to mention, a lot of fans would have preferred to see Finn and Rey (Daisy Ridley) together.
“I always found it ridiculous that [Rose] declares her love for him, despite meeting him for the first time that day,” oneusersaid. “The theater burst out laughing when she kissed Finn out of nowhere and then appeared to die,” said anotherRedditor. “[It’s] a symptom of a bigger problem. Disney really should have spent a few years developing the sequel trilogy. But they rushed [it] and fired it out of a cannon,” saiduser G8kpr.
2’Aquaman' (2018)
This origin story follows the half-Atlantean Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) as he is reluctantly drawn into a quest to claim his rightful place as the king of Atlantis. Aquaman sets out on this mission with help from Mera (Amber Heard), a fierce warrior and princess of another underwater realm, with whom he later strikes up a relationship.
“[Aquaman] had 2 romance plots. It didn’t need Aquaman’s romance plot,” saiduser Northern_Ontario. “Amber Heard and Jason Momoa had absolutely no romantic chemistry whatsoever. It was like watching a guy hanging out with his friend’s wife. When they got together at the end it feltsoawkward,” saidRedditor Dogbin005.
1’Harry Potter' (2001-2011)
TheHarry Pottermovies are fantastic, literally generation-defining, but it’s well-known that many fans wereunhappy with the way the romances unfolded, especially the relationship between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ginny (Bonnie Wright). For one, there was more of a spark between Harry and Cho Chang (Katie Leung).
Not to mention, Harry’s emotional rapport with Ginny is actually relatively slight. He has more substantial interactions with Hermione (Emma Watson) and even Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch). “The Ginny romance felt rushed. The actors' lack of romantic chemistry didn’t help in the movies either,” saiduser Plastic_Primary_4279. “The movie Ginnie/Harry chemistry is almost negative,” agreedRedditor SXAL.
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