Happy Thursday everyone! I’ve been seeing posts on the weekly Thursday Movie Picks that’s spearheaded by Wandering Through the Shelves Blog, but I haven’t been able to participate. Well until now that is.
The rules are simple simple: Each week there is a topic for you to create a list of three movies. Your picks can either be favourites/best, worst, hidden gems, or if you’re up to it one of each. Every last Thursday for the first nine months of 2015 I’m running the All in the Family Edition and today is the the first theme for the edition…
Married Couples
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Well, for this edition, I decided to pick three movies that feature married couples in three very different marital circumstances. Having been married for 11 years, I consider marriage a blessing I don’t take for granted, but it’s also not a walk in the park. For this blogathon, I deliberately picked three different genres just to mix things up, so here goes:
Julie & Julia
Movies depicting a positive marriage is rare in Hollywood, perhaps they think it just doesn’t make for an interesting story. Well, I always go back to this movie as a good example of a healthy marriage as it actually features TWO loving married couples. People may only remember this movie for all the food/cooking scenes, and they certainly are scrumptious. But for me I always remember the relationship between Julie & Paul Child (Meryl Streep & Stanley Tucci), as well as Julie & Eric Powell (Amy Adams & Chris Messina). Both husbands are so supportive of their wives, and they’re depicted in such a real and sincere ways by all the actors. In fact, Paul Child made my list of Best Movie Husbands that I did for my 9th wedding anniversary.
Indecent Proposal
I saw this film ages ago with my brother, I think I might’ve been in high school at the time. I thought that the pairing of Demi Moore & Woody Harrelson worked well here and there’s a real chemistry between the two. The film shows how temptation and desire can quickly tear apart even the strongest bond between two people, and their marriage crumbles as a result. But the film doesn’t just show the fragility of marriage, but also the power of love that can piece things back together again, no matter how shattered the bond may have been. The story made such a big impression on me and to this day, the beautiful finale scene by the beach never fails to bring tears to my eyes. The heart-wrenching theme song by John Barry is one of my all time favorite.
Mr & Mrs Smith
This is the infamous film that serves as the origin story of Hollywood’s golden couple. Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie fell in love during filming and their scorching chemistry is palpable on screen. Playing two skilled assassins who kept their secret identity from each other, it’s perhaps the most preposterous portrayal of marriage, but it sure was fun to watch. The real-life couple could barely fake their disdain for each other in the opening scene at a marriage counseling session:
What do you think of my picks? Have you seen these films?
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FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Wow Ruth, you and I often seem to be thinking on the same wavelength when it comes to movies. For a couple of months I have been chipping away at a Phenomenal 5 centered around movie marriages. I had to smile when I saw your topic.
I love the wild variety of movies in your three picks. Very, very cool!
Hey Keith! So is that the topic for your next Phenomenal 5? Can’t wait to see your picks.
Have you seen any of these three? Indecent Proposal might seem a bit risque for me, esp back in high school, but there’s actually a beautiful message there about love.
It won’t be the next Phenomenal 5. I have four or five already written ahead of it. But it is definitely on the way soon. 🙂
I have seen all three of the movies. That’s why they struck me as such wonderfully diverse additions to your list. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Indecent Proposal.
You are so diligent in getting so many posts done and ready to go, Keith. I wish I had that discipline 😉
I was gonna include Date Night in place of Mr & Mrs Smith but I thought that the Pitt/Jolie movie is more amusing given that they’ve become an enduring real-life couple, well for now anyway.
No Clark and Ellen Griswold? 😉
Um, I’m not sure I know who they are. I might be having a brain freeze, pls enlighten me 😛
The Vacation movies!
Some food for thought Keith: http://www.top10films.co.uk/archives/15032
Great picks across the board, and I love that you went with three very different moments in a marriage.
Hi Drew! I just wanted to highlight how different marriage is for each couple, and there’s no such thing as a perfect union 🙂
Great choices! Pitt and Jolie really made Mr and Mrs Smith watchable, even though it had pretty terrible script
Thanks Sati! Yep, Mr & Mrs Smith is far from being a great movie but it was entertaining, or I should say amusing to see those two fall in love before our eyes.
Nice picks. I’m a big fan of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I also enjoyed the other two. Time for a rewatch of Indecent Proposal. Haven’t seen it in years.
I haven’t rewatched the entire thing, mostly just clips of it on youtube but that ending KILLS me every time. It’s actually my fave part of the film.
Nice picks! Julie and Julia is a nice addition. I don’t think I saw all of that movie, but I did see parts.
Hi Brittani! Julie & Julia is not a perfect movie but it’s worth a look. I actually think Meryl’s performance was Oscar worthy, unlike her latest one in Into the Woods.
Julie & Julia was a perfect pick, I loved Amy Adams here, though I didn’t recognize her back then. But, Meryl Streep’s always amazing (on kitchen)!
Hi Paskalis! Yeah Amy looked pretty different w/ short hair in that movie. Streep was good in that role I have to admit.
I only saw Mr. and Mrs. Smith, I enjoyed it but it could’ve been a lot better. The movie fell apart for me after they found out about their true identities and then it’s about them saving their own butts. It could’ve been better if somehow those two became some kind of heroes and saved the world, then it would’ve been a fun spy movie. Of course the film was famous for brining Pitt and Jolie together but no hardly knew about the fight on the set between Jolie and director Liman. Apparently halfway through the shoot, both Jolie and Liman couldn’t even look at each other and Pitt had direct scenes involved Jolie.
Oh yeah the script was pretty bad, they only relied on the charisma of the two movie stars. I think they should stick to a simpler, less ambitious plot and it’d have worked better.
Great picks! Paul Child was wonderful.
Thanks Irene, yes he is indeed!
Nice mix of titles. I’ve seen all three, though it’s been many years for Indecent Proposal. Julie & Julia was okay though my disdain for Amy Adams kept me from liking it more. Really like the other three actors however. Mr & Mrs Smith is a fun, mindless ride but the charisma of Pitt/Jolie makes it more pleasurable than it would have been otherwise.
Hi Joel, welcome to FC! Not a fan of Amy Adams eh? Well in that film the standout is really Meryl and Stanley Tucci, but Amy was ok. Messina is quite an underrated actor IMO. Yep, agreed w/ what you said about Mr & Mrs Smith. Interesting how both of them have gone so high brow now w/ their careers.
Nice choices Ruth. Indecent Proposal is not a film I’ve seen for years, although I remember enjoying it’s high concept hokiness. I would add Mike Leigh’s Another Year to that list; a quite lovely film about a marriage.
Thanks Mark! I didn’t think I would like Indecent Proposal as much as I did, but surprisingly it’s a heartfelt story. Y’know, I did see Another Year but it really bored me, sorry!
Nice picks! I liked Julie and Julia so cute.
Thanks dahling! Hey have you seen Indecent Proposal? I saw that years ago but it always stuck w/ me for some reason.
There’s some great films about married couples and marriage as a concept. Your selections Ruth aren’t my favorites but they do show how marriage has been depicted in cinema in many different ways. One of my favorites is On Golden Pond, an incredibly moving film with Katherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda playing husband and wife – well worth checking out Ruth. Also, check out Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolfe for the dark side of marriage or, alternatively, Mike Leigh’s brilliant Another Year for a very uplifting look at a happy marriage.
I haven’t seen the two you mentioned Dan, but as I said to Mark above, I found Another Year to be utterly boring. I guess I missed the part of it being uplifting.
Cool list! Haven’t seen Indecent Proposal but love that you include J&J. Meryl and Stanley are superb in that one and they are great as a couple.
Hello Fernando! Yes, Meryl and Stanley made such a lovely couple indeed. Indecent Proposal is a good drama, definitely worth checking out and the soundtrack is absolutely beautiful.
Hey there, glad you were able to join this week. The more people joining in the merrier.
I’ve seen two of your picks : Mr & Mrs Smith is just a lot of fun…taking duplicity to the level of espionage. And the Child’s marriage is just so cute and sweet and such a supportive one.
Hi Wandering! What a fantastic series you’ve got there w/ Thursday Movie Picks. I’d love to participate again at some point, even if not on a weekly basis. Yes I love Julie & Julia for its positive and sweet depiction of marriage that’s also still relatable.
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So glad you mentioned Julie & Julia. I LOVE Stanley Tucci’s honest performance of being such a supporting husband to Julia in the film. It’s probably my favorite part of the movie. Great addition!
Tucci just can’t do no wrong, he’s always good even in small parts. Funny that he also played ‘worst husband ever’ in the rom-com It Could Happen To You 🙂
Never heard of that movie! I will have to check it out now haha.
Oh really? It’s actually a pretty good rom-com w/ Nic Cage in the lead, one of my fave roles from him actually.
P.S. Hope you’ll join this month’s Five for the Fifth, Kris!
Hey Ruth! I know I’ve been AWOL for a while, but I will definitely be making it to your page soon!
Great choices! These are all inspired picks, Ruth.
Awww thank you Josh!