Love at first sight is obviously a great movie trope. Who doesn’t enjoy seeing two people connect instantly and have no doubts about their compatibility and the future? But the reason these movies are so appealing is that that doesn’t usually happen. Although people can love just as fiercely as in fiction, in reality not everything is so easy.
The movies on this list address an embarrassing but perfectly normal problem that people all over the world face: problems with commitment. Whether it’s because of fear, caution, or past bad experiences, most people have experienced times when commitment scared them.
8 Bet on the bride
In Bet on the bride, Karissa Lee Staples stars as Melanie, a health fanatic who, after giving up on three engagements, has decided to give up her relationships and focus solely on her career. Of course there wouldn’t be a movie if she had gone ahead. Shortly after making this important decision, Damon enters her life. This man is a bachelor who has no interest in settling down. In fact, he mocks everyone in his life who is interested in family life, convinced that being a husband and father is actually easy. So he makes a complicated bet, thinking it will be a piece of cake. His boss challenges him to find a woman, seduce her, and make her accept a marriage proposal within 30 days. He involves Melanie in this game, which only gets more complicated when they both realize that despite knowing better, they have developed genuine feelings for each other. And once Melanie finds out that Damon initially only dated her because of a bet, things naturally take a turn for the worse. This 2017 movie didn’t do very well both critically and commercially, but it’s the perfect example of different commitment issues within a relationship.
While most people don’t plan their weddings through betting, this story about a woman who has fallen in love too many times only to withdraw and a man who is completely against the idea shows the kind of internal dilemma that plagues people who that are daily in more conventional relationships.
7 It’s complicated
Before diving into the plot, viewers should know that Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin are starring It’s complicated. That alone should be reason enough to check it out. They play Jane and Jake, a divorced couple who have come a long way since their unsavory divorce. Jake is married to another woman (with whom he cheated on Jane) and is trying to have a child. Jane’s career is really taking off and she’s met a wonderful man who is redecorating her house. Really, there shouldn’t be any hard feelings or tension between them. But one night after traveling out of town for their son’s graduation, they get drunk and sleep together, eventually starting another affair.
Throughout the film, it becomes clear that Jake is not ready for the life he’s signing up for with his new, much younger wife. And it is clear that Jane is still not completely healed from her divorce and will not allow herself to trust a new person.
6 Silver Linings Playbook
Sometimes commitment problems stem from much deeper issues than just cold feet about big life changes. Silver Linings Playbook, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, follows the story of Pat, a man who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a violent episode in which he assaulted the love of the ex of his life. He spent 8 months in a mental health facility before moving back in with his parents. He finds it hard to rejoin society, and relationships even harder, which is why it’s so good for him to meet Tiffany. She has dealt with her own mental health issues and can understand where Pat is coming from.
They become quite close and while their relationship isn’t always easy to navigate, they find comfort and support in each other and discover that working together makes achieving their self-improvement goals easier. And who knows, maybe bonding with someone isn’t always bad news if you learn to heal yourself first.
5 No obligations
No obligations has become a classic, there is no doubt about it. Starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, it’s become a cautionary tale about casual relationships and ignoring true feelings for fear of change. Adam and Emma are friends, but not very close. They met when they were young and occasionally kept in touch and met to catch up, but their relationship was not too deep.
It’s not until Adam calls Emma while drunk and heartbroken that things change. The two begin a purely sexual relationship, but things gradually change when Adam develops feelings for her. He soon realizes he can’t just stay friends with benefits and confesses his feelings, so they go their separate ways. That is, until Emma comes to terms with what Adam really means to her and realizes there’s no point in turning your back on something good out of fear.
4 With you or with me
With you or with me only came out this year, but starring Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon, how could it be anything but awesome? Debbie and Peter met when they were young and dated once, but then decided not to get into a relationship. Instead, they became best friends and lived parallel lives for years while still maintaining a healthy friendship. They both get into meaningful relationships that eventually come to an end and that’s when their platonic love completely changes. Debbie has to travel for work and Peter offers to look after her son Jack. During this time, they discover new sides to each other, and as Peter bonds with Jack, the fact that they are perfect together becomes too obvious. Unfortunately, Debbie isn’t sure as going from best friends to lovers is a huge opportunity, so it’s up to Peter to convince her to give them a chance.
3 Rumor has it
Yet another movie about A-list actors with commitment issues. Rumor has it follows Sarah (Jennifer Aniston), a young woman who is engaged to Jeff (Mark Ruffalo). They are in love, but during her sister’s wedding, she has second thoughts about her decision. While sharing her doubts with her grandmother, she stumbles upon a family secret: her mother eloped for a short time with another man named Beau (Kevin Costner), and when she does the math, she realizes that he could very well be her father. can be. .
She goes to look for him and is shocked to discover that the man was not just having an affair with her mother. He also slept with her grandmother. It gives her some peace of mind to learn that Beau is barren and therefore not her father, and though fragile with relief, she gets drunk and sleeps with him. They begin a brief fling that nearly breaks off her engagement, but eventually Sarah realizes she was using the family secrets as an excuse to act out instead of talking to her fiancé about her fear of commitment. Having come to this, Sarah does everything she can to make her relationship with Jeff work.
2 Friends with benefits
In Friends with benefits, Jamie, the character of Mila Kunis, is a headhunter who recruits Dylan (Justin Timberlake) for a position in GQ magazine. Despite only having a professional relationship at first, the two become good friends, until one night they decided they could also have sex without it affecting their friendship. It works for a while. They hook up and off and stop when one of them is in a relationship. The thing is, if they’re both single, they practically act like a couple.
On one occasion, at Dylan’s family’s house, Jamie overhears him denying that they had an adamant relationship, even going so far as to say he would never date her. Understandably upset, she leaves the house and limits their relationship. Fortunately, Dylan gets good advice from his father not to turn his back on true love despite doubt or fear.
1 The ugly truth
Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler joined forces The ugly truth, and while the movie wasn’t particularly successful, it sure is entertaining. Abby is a morning show producer who is going through a bad time in her career and, despite being a hopeless romantic, also in her love life. The TV station that broadcasts her show puts Mike, a cynical news producer he despises, on her show, in an effort to boost her ratings, and the two just don’t get along. So, as a way to compromise, they make a bet. If Mike’s cynical ways can help Abby find the man of her dreams, she’d welcome him to her show with open arms. If his advice fails, he leaves him alone. As many readers can imagine, this plan does not have the desired effects.
As they get closer to each other, they are both plagued with jealousy, but they are still too stubborn to accept their feelings for each other. Especially Dylan, who has never been one to accept romance easily. But life has a way of surprising everyone.