Amazon Blogs: Armchair Commentary Daily Digest

Check out these Updates from Armchair Commentary for February 12, 2010.

Movie Couples Who Flunked Chemistry 101 February 12, 2010 Nothing can spoil the mood of a good romance movie like an awkwardly mismatched couple. Still scratching your head over Kate Winslet and Jack Black in The Holiday? Same here. Well, not every onscreen duo can create a spark like Tracy and Hepburn. Here are a few movie mates that flunked Chemistry 101.  I Love Trouble: Julia Roberts was still riding the crest of her “America’s Sweetheart” wave in 1994 when she was paired with Nick Nolte in this romantic comedy about two bickering newspaper reporters who fall in love. Critics and moviegoers had a hard time believing a sizzling romance could bloom between the unlikely couple ­– and this was before Nolte’s infamous 2004 arrest mug shot. Bewitched: There were many reasons this 2005 remake didn’t work its magic at the box office and topping the list was the attempt to create a cuddly “Samantha and Darrin” romance between Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. Both actors can hold their own admirably when they’re in their element. But even a spell from Aunt Clara couldn’t conjure up a believable romance between these two. Think The Hours and  Semi-Pro: Night and day, eh? A Perfect Murder:  Is it just me, but did anyone like Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow as this sterile, drab, before-Prada-was-fun couple? As a pair of stiff-lipped ultra-successful Manhattanites, it’s no surprise when she has an affair and he steps into the spying-spouse shtick. The plot of this 1998 thriller is full of interesting twists, but at no point did I find myself saying, “Wow, what a shame – wish they’d patch things up and get back together. Settle down, move out to the country . . .”   Seven Days, Six Nights:  Here’s the “Desert Island” test at work: Anne Heche is a big-city magazine editor and Harrison Ford is a cranky airplane pilot who are stranded on a Pacific isle. This 1998 rom-com is fairly entertaining while these characters are squabbling and trading insults, but they had to go and spoil it all by saying somethin’ stupid like “I love you.”  A few more from our “What Were They Thinking?” Department: Continental Divide:  John Belushi cleaned up nicely for co-star Blair Brown in this 1981 romantic comedy. But the roaring success of Animal House and the pop-culture imprint of Belushi’s Bluto had audiences expecting him to pop “a zit” during the awkward love scenes with Brown. Exit to Eden:  Rosie O'Donnell and Dan Aykroyd were horribly miscast in this 1994 un-funny comedy which finds both of them in S&M gear. Who’s That Girl?  A squeaky-voiced Madonna and Griffin Dunne as an uptight yuppie did not make for a good match in this irritating, 1987 attempt at madcap comedy. One of my cynical friends scoffed, “Madonna didn’t pair well with ANY of her leading men.” Oooh, harsh! But true. Head Above Water:  Cameron Diaz and Harvey Keitel? Another good example of perfectly fine actors when performing to their respective strengths. But not as a couple. Who else are we missing from this list of miscast mates? --Francine

We hope you enjoyed receiving this message. However, if you'd rather not receive future e-mails of this sort from Amazon.com, please visit the opt-out link here.