As excited as I am to finally see "Blue Valentine" (in limited release today), I know it will come at a price to watch two of my favorite stars, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. After all, the movie is a heartbreaking portrait of a not-so-fairytale love story, so I know I'm in for some emotional wallops. Of course, this isn't the first time moviegoers have watched the trials and tribulations of ultimately doomed couples. In fact, some of the best movies over the past 20 years have been love stories without a happy ending. The pairing of Ryan and Michelle and their on-screen estrangement in "Blue Valentine" got us to thinking about other flicks in which the characters, unfortunately, have their hearts trampled.
"Romeo + Juliet" (1996): It's the tragic love story to end all tragic love stories (not to mention the one that started it all), but it's still too painful for us to swallow those moments in which Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes), faced with the idea of not being together, off themselves. The worst part of it all? Had they waited just a few more seconds, they could have lived happily ever after. Of course, then they'd never really be Romeo and Juliet...
"Titanic" (1997): Going in to this movie, you know there's definitely no such thing as a happy ending in store. But our hearts sank like that ship when we watched Rose (Kate Winslet) let go of her love Jack (Leo, again) into the icy waters. We're sure it made their love story more profound, but couldn't they have found some way to both fit on that floating debris?! Our hearts may have gone on, but they definitely haven't recovered from that one.
"Moulin Rouge! (2001): Christian (Ewan McGregor) tells us within the first few moments about the fate of his beloved Satine (Nicole Kidman) but it's hard not to hold on to the hope that their love (and amazing duets) will help them overcome her illness and tragic, untimely demise. We continued to be awed by the lavish sets and numbers in this musical classic, but when Christian cries out for his fallen love, you almost wish for the poor guy's sake, that there had never been that mix-up between he and the Duke at all.
"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004): This trippy dramedy (which just so happens to be my all-time favorite) made us think about a lot of things, but we still can't shake the idea of the possibility of erasing your ex from your memory. When Joel (Jim Carrey) and Clementine (Kate, again!) do that to one another and then, in turn, desperately try to hold on to the memories and make things right again, anyone who's ever been in a difficult relationship held on right along with them.
"Brokeback Mountain" (2005): It's hard to find a film more steeped in heartbreak than this one. The stunning Oscar-winner not only reminds us of the staggering loss of talent that was Heath Ledger, but also gives us a devastating tale of love that could not be, and all those affected by it. There's no way to not get choked up watching Heath, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams all try to navigate the complicated love between Jack and Enis. Oh, and that very last scene? We can't even think about it without tearing up.
"The Break-Up" (2007): By far the most lighthearted fare on our list, this comedy, starring former real-life couple Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, doesn't pull any surprises (hey, it's right there in the title!). From their characters Gary and Brooke's hilarious and petty arguments to those all-too-familiar moments of letting go of someone who has hurt you and/or realizing you hurt someone, this is the rare case in which we wish the title of a movie deceived us.
"Revolutionary Road" (2009): Okay, Leo and Kate, what are you doing to us? We don't know what it is we did or said, but we hope you'll make a movie where a couple doesn't spectacularly and shockingly fall apart like unhappy suburbanites Frank and April Wheeler. This adaptation has some heavy-duty stuff that, not unlike "Blue Valentine," watches a marriage slowly and painfully dissolve.
"(500) Days of Summer" (2009): Is there anything worse than being in love with someone who doesn't love you back the same way? There isn't for Tom (the ever-adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt) when he falls for Summer (Zooey Deschanel) in this well-written, true-to-life comedy. They might not have a happy ending together, but the flick was a bittersweet reminder that sometimes we have to have our hearts smashed to make them full again.
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