Movies Without A Love Interest

bluto63

I've been thinking, there are very few movies without a love interest of some kind involved in the plot. Right now the only one that springs to mind is 12 Angry Men. No women, no love interest. But not many movies can follow this. What other movies are there without a love interest involved in the storyline?

Shryke

I wish there were more. No matter how ludicrous it may seem studios seem to need to wedge in a love interest. Sometimes it can be a justifiable part of the madness but usually it is just annoying.
Still, there are plenty of films without love interests.. er,
The Blues Brothers doesn't really... *stares at DVD collection*
The Thing, Mash, Apocalypse Now, Hot Fuzz doesn't really.. Snatch?
Ok the list thing is pointless. Not to highjack the thread but how about you nominate a film that could have done without the obligatory love interest?

Sad Professor

I can think of loads. I assume you mean in mainstream Hollywood films. And even then most war films have no love interest.

johnny_ultimate

Koyannisqatsi

Mainstream Hollywood films? Hmm.. actually quite tricky. As pointed out above, mainly claustrophic type films like the Thing or war films are probably the best bet. Others... Dr. Strangelove and some other comedies maybe?

bluto63

True, usually war films wouldn't have a love interest.

Sandor wrote: »

Not to highjack the thread but how about you nominate a film that could have done without the obligatory love interest?

Usually most action films have nothing added by a love interest. It just gives a nice ending. Either that or it's an easy escape, like the Matrix, Trinity announcing her love to Neo brings him back

User45701

not all scifi movies have love interests.

Bubs101

Aliens could have easily done without a love interest, as could Alien 3

heebusjeebus

Black Hawk Down
Hamburger Hill
Saving Private Ryan
Thin Red Line
Rescue Dawn
In fact nearly any proper war film (looking at you Pearl Harbour).

Other films from the top of my head:

There Will Be Blood
I am Legend
Lions for Lambs

prob lots others but thats all for now.

ziedth

TBF lets try and ignore the obvious war movies that rightly jave no love interest, it kills me say like adventure films or say the majority of action films.


Again, not to hijack the thread but what really kills me is when the needlessly throw children into the plot.

Shacklebolt

bluto63 wrote: »

I've been thinking, there are very few movies without a love interest of some kind involved in the plot. Right now the only one that springs to mind is 12 Angry Men. No women, no love interest. But not many movies can follow this. What other movies are there without a love interest involved in the storyline?

I always thought Peter Fonda and Lee .J. Cob had a real chemistry going on-pity the other jurors never leave them alone for a second or two

CrazyTalk

Brother Bear is probably the only Disney film I can think of without a love interest, or a proper villian for that matter

eagle eye

The Green Mile
Interview with the vampire

kraggy

There's loads. Especially independent film.

4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days.
Garage
etc etc

frag4

taratinio's films (which he directed) have no love interest.

although you could call the basement rape scene in Pulp Fiction one if you were a bit twisted.

bluto63

frag4 wrote: »

taratinio's films (which he directed) have no love interest.

although you could call the basement rape scene in Pulp Fiction one if you were a bit twisted.

Thurman and Travolta? It is sort of a love interest. He's interested in her, but she's married, he just never acted on it. Although Resevoir Dogs doesn't have a love interest, unless you count Madonna being ****ed a love interest...

indough

bluto63 wrote: »

Thurman and Travolta? It is sort of a love interest. He's interested in her, but she's married, he just never acted on it. Although Resevoir Dogs doesn't have a love interest, unless you count Madonna being ****ed a love interest...

kill bill movies have that whole love/hate relationship going on too

also there's a love interest in jackie brown

FionnMatthew

Films that really could have done WITHOUT a love interest.

The entire LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY
BATMAN BEGINS
PRINCE CASPIAN
TITANIC (Who wouldn't have been more interested in just a faithful movie about the sinking of the Titanic? The inane repetitious nonsensical main romance plotline had me wanting to shoot myself in the face. All I really want to see was BOTH OF THEM drowning in real time.)
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (And she was so bloody annoying to boot.)

HUGE Films without a romantic subplot.
Terminator 2
Alien
Gladiator
Lawrence of Arabia

mike65

The Thing, definitely The Thing.

Mike.

FionnMatthew

's strange. I only just bought the Thing yesterday, after not being able to get hold of it for ages.

There was one copy of it in Grafton street HMV.

I remember watching it, and just enjoying it so much, and afterwards someone pointing out that he hadn't liked it because there were no women in it, and I remember thinking that I just hadn't noticed that there weren't women in it, because that wasn't a significant part of the film at all, and that it would have been utterly f*cking stupid to put a female into it (into an all male Antarctic base staff in the 70s), seeing as part of strength of the film is the claustrophobic, egoistic male aggression and moral ambivalence.

It's significant that the triumphant character in Alien, which is remarkably similar in style and subject matter, is a woman. The scene in the mess when Ripley tells Parker to shut up is cool. It's a silencing of that male instinctual aggression which goes unchecked in The Thing for a lot of the story. (But then of course, Lambert is representative of stereotypical female hysterics, and Dallas is representative of over-cerebral indecision.) McReady's level headedness is counterbalanced by an ambivalent drive to dominate the proceedings, perhaps at the expense of saving the situation.

Eventually, of course, the Antarctic guys wise up, but at which time it's far too late.

mike65

Ripley was written as a male a character, I think it was David Giler who suggested the swap as, one character was already female and he reasoned there would have to be at least two women in such an evironment.

Mike.

FionnMatthew

mike65 wrote: »

Ripley was written as a male a character, I think it was David Giler who suggested the swap as, one character was already female and he reasoned there would have to be at least two women in such an evironment.

Mike.

Ay, that's correct.

'twas a fortunate change, methinks.

But, besides the intentions behind the original screenplay, it's the film we got that we have to discuss.

Red Hand

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

genericgoon

FionnMatthew wrote: »

Films that really could have done WITHOUT a love interest.

The entire LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY
BATMAN BEGINS
PRINCE CASPIAN
TITANIC (Who wouldn't have been more interested in just a faithful movie about the sinking of the Titanic? The inane repetitious nonsensical main romance plotline had me wanting to shoot myself in the face. All I really want to see was BOTH OF THEM drowning in real time.)
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (And she was so bloody annoying to boot.)

HUGE Films without a romantic subplot.
Terminator 2
Alien
Gladiator
Lawrence of Arabia

Agree completely with those choices above.

Gladiator has the creepy incest love interest though, even if its only one way.

Kiith

genericgoon wrote: »

Agree completely with those choices above.

Gladiator has the creepy incest love interest though, even if its only one way.

Cause the Romans never went for that sort of thing. :P

FionnMatthew

genericgoon wrote: »

Agree completely with those choices above.

Gladiator has the creepy incest love interest though, even if its only one way.

Sure, but I wouldn't really call that a formulaic, studio-inserted Hollywood romance subplot.

Drusilla is, granted, something of an "old flame" of Maximus' too.

But, as a paragon of stoic Roman virtue (which includes chastity and fidelity) Maximus isn't a romantic lead. Their status as old lovers adds nothing more than a sense of history and mutual respect.

And the incestuous desires of Caligula, well, they're more likely to repel than attract people who only go to films because there is a "sexy couple!!"

mike65

Lawrence of Arabia had a romantic plot - the camera and O'Toole!

Mike.

frag4

Enemy at the gates- this film had the worst love intrest tacked into a movie.
It was bloody Stalingrad for feck sake.

In the cinema some1 farted when Law and the girl first kissed and the whole place broke in laugther... priceless

johnny_ultimate

One film that had a romantic subplot that annoyed me was This is England. Now I loved the film for the most part, but those moments just really annoyed. It looked silly.

Also, the wonderful Rec is admirable for having no love interest. Huzzah! Lets just hope Quarantine doesn't have a steamy love scene featuring the main character and one of the firemen. Although I wouldn't be entirely surprised.

pwd

lots of westerns don't. Generally they work better without a love interest
eg:
The Good The Bad and The Ugly
For a Few Dollars More
High Plains Drifter

Wacker

pwd wrote: »

lots of westerns don't. Generally they work better without a love interest

That is true. I did think the love interest between Annette Benning and Kevin Costner was very well done in Open Range though.

Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World is another one of the bigger pictures that had no love interest. In fact, while there is a woman seen on screen once, she doesn't have any lines.

While Commando definietly had an intense sexual relationship, it was between two blokes. Arnie never even kissed Ms. Screechalot, having satiated his needs on Bennet. See below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TayNkSj_cc0

I mean, what the hell is going on with these guys?

heebusjeebus

heebusjeebus wrote: »

I am Legend

Not necessarily true. His love interests involved a dog and some manakins.

Cianos

The Thing has no love interest

edit: beaten to it

bluto63

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

One film that had a romantic subplot that annoyed me was This is England. Now I loved the film for the most part, but those moments just really annoyed. It looked silly.

Ye, what's with that? She's like twice his age!

danniemcq

to those that mentioned lord of the rings what about the king guy (Boromir) and the elf princess (liv tyler)? Sorry **** with names in that movie, never really got into it,

Movies without i'd have to say Gerry (the one with Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in the desert)

Jarhead too

FionnMatthew

danniemcq wrote: »

to those that mentioned lord of the rings what about the king guy (Boromir) and the elf princess (liv tyler)? Sorry **** with names in that movie, never really got into it,

Movies without i'd have to say Gerry (the one with Casey Affleck and Matt Damon in the desert)

Jarhead too

I was the one who mentioned LOTR. I mentioned it as a trilogy of movies that "really could have done without a romantic subplot," since, in the source material, the love between Aragorn and Arwen is only ever alluded to, and she's hardly in the book at all.

danniemcq

FionnMatthew wrote: »

I was the one who mentioned LOTR. I mentioned it as a trilogy of movies that "really could have done without a romantic subplot," since, in the source material, the love between Aragorn and Arwen is only ever alluded to, and she's hardly in the book at all.

ah i see your point there but if you want a movie more like the book without that love interest you have romance of sorts in the last chapters of the book? or did i make that bit up? I apologize for arguing a point i'm not sure on myself

Mal-Adjusted

I can think of a few without.

Sunshine
Platoon
Blair witch (i think)
Animal factory (i think, sorry, it's been so long since i've seen it!)
Unknown
Saints & Solders
Escape from New York (Kinda)
The Bridge on the Rover Kwai
Duel
War of the worlds
TMNT
The Beast
THe Host

I agree that in most films, esp. action, this sub-plot just seems pointless and tacked on. nothing worse than the hero and the generic hot girl spending 5 mins of screen time together before she tells him she loves him right before he goes jumping off a building onto an armoured truck or something!

FionnMatthew

danniemcq wrote: »

ah i see your point there but if you want a movie more like the book without that love interest you have romance of sorts in the last chapters of the book? or did i make that bit up? I apologize for arguing a point i'm not sure on myself

No. You're right. It does come up at the end. It's not really a romance, though. It's just the marriage of Aragorn to Arwen coincident with his accession. She isn't really a character in the book though. She hardly has dialogue. She's more just this behind the scenes character that suddenly appears in a deputation from Rivendell in the closing chapters. It seems like more of a formality than an integral part of the story.

That said, Tolkien alludes to it a lot. Aragorn is forever making veiled references to mythological figures who remind him of her, and Frodo sees them talking in the first third of the book, and infers a lot from it. But it's not really made explicit. I actually think it's nicer that way. Less of a Hollywood romance than a tale of chivalry.

There is a romance that is in the book much more forcefully - Eowyn's eventual romance with Faramir. They both get injured, and fall in love while recovering in the infirmary at M.Tirith. That's more of a big deal, because you actually know both of the characters. But Jackson left that out completely.

And then there's Sam and Rosie.


I thought the Matrix romantic subplot between Trinity and Neo was one of the more blatantly superfluous parts. Especially because it wasn't properly adumbrated, and seemed completely false.

Fall_Guy

FionnMatthew wrote: »

There is a romance that is in the book much more forcefully - Eowyn's eventual romance with Faramir. They both get injured, and fall in love while recovering in the infirmary at M.Tirith. That's more of a big deal, because you actually know both of the characters. But Jackson left that out completely.

And then there's Sam and Rosie.

....more of a love triangle here, to be honest, definite sexual tension between sam and frodo, and sam and rosie DID go to live with frodo when they got married, i think we all know that was far from your innocent hobbit family set-up....

bluto63

Fionnmatthew: I think you're a little too into LOTR...This isn't the only thread where you're reading this deep into it!

FionnMatthew

In both cases here, I was responding to queries from another poster.

I agree I went overboard on the other thread. It was off-topic, and unsolicited, and I think that's the sum of its inappropriateness.

But my responses here have nothing to do with that, and I'm not intending to defend it as zealously here.

But for the sake of response, I don't think I'm "too into" anything. It's an interest of mine. My flaw is assuming that other people want to talk about it, or read about it, as much as I do.

And I'm not really "reading...deep" into it here, right? I'm just pointing out what could rightfully be considered love interests in the book (very little). It's a pretty superficial exercise, to be honest.

Fall_Guy wrote: »

....more of a love triangle here, to be honest, definite sexual tension between sam and frodo, and sam and rosie DID go to live with frodo when they got married, i think we all know that was far from your innocent hobbit family set-up....

LOL.

I bet Rosie felt a bit left out after a few years of that!

Oh, Sam.

Mr. Frodo...

Oh.. Sam.

Mr. Frodo.

Oh... Sam...

etc...