10 Unintentional Couples Mismatches in Movies
There are those movies where a director will pair up a very unattractive person with a very attractive person. Or they may pair up a very overweight person with a very skinny person. However, in most cases this is done intentionally. For example a movie like She’s Out of My League.
But on occasion I argue that the producers, casting directors, or whoever made a grave mistake in casting members of the opposite sex to play a couple. The reason being that one person is just supremely better looking than the other and it just looks out of whack.
Here are 10 such examples…..
Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan – Field of Dreams
Come on people. Amy Madigan? They couldn’t get a better looking wife for Kevin Costner than Amy Madigan? Hell the guy had already been in the Untouchables by this point. Sorry Amy, no way.
Ben Affleck and Rebecca Hall – The Town
Can someone explain why Rebecca Hall keeps getting roles like this? Ben Affleck is WAY to studly for this chick. And she’s in The Prestige? What’s going on here?
Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo – Thomas Crown Affair
Rene Russo has her moments but let’s face it. She’s not 007 material at all.
Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand – The Way we Were
I really don’t think I have a comment for this one.
Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Dark Knight
I actually like Maggie Gyllenhaal a lot but I just don’t think she should ever be a leading lady in anything, ever. Sure if it’s a drama involving alcohol or something but she’s not like Kim Basinger leading lady at all and should never be put in that category.
Paul Newman and Piper Laurie – The Hustler
This isn’t a diss on Piper when they made The Hustler but no woman was any match for Paul Newman at that time. No woman.
Kim Basinger and Dan Aykroyd – My Stepmother is an Alien
It was funny but true. I just like that Allison Hannigan is in this picture.
Kevin James and Amber Valletta – Hitch
Kevin James is a funny dude but I’m not sure he was up to par with Amber.
Sarah Jessica Parker and Matt McConaghy – Failure to Launch
She’s not hot. She’s never been hot. And she’ll never be hot.
Rob Lowe and Mare Winningham – St Elmos Fire
Easily one of the biggest mismatches of all time.
I don’t mind Rebecca Hall in those types of roles. That’s an awful picture of her. She’s not a 10 or anything but she has her moments. She’s like Anne Hathaway light.
Well Hitch was an intention mismatch.
Real life examples:
1. Christina Hendricks and the dude from Devil.
2. Beyonce and Jay-Z
3. J-Lo and Diddy
4. Hugh Jackman and his wife
5. Toby Macquire and his wife
@hb
You forgot Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas. One of the biggest mismatches ever. That’s like a 10 and a 3.
Wow.
Most superficial list in the history of lists!
Sarah Jessica Parker in Flight of the Navigator. There is an exception to every rule.
Kevin James was an intentional mismatch in Hitch. They played up the mismatch big time. The only way you could have missed it is if you didn’t watch the movie.
George Clooney and Frances McDormand in Burn After Reading.
Dennis Franz and Sharon Lawrence in NYPD Blue.
Tobey Maguire and Sarah Jessica Parker in Seabiscuit. Wait, what? She wasn’t in Seabiscuit? I’ll be damned.
Screw you, man! Rene Russo can do whatever she wants because she is both awesome and beautiful!
I would also add Shelley Duvall in the Shinning with Jack Nicholson. It might have been an intentional miss-match, but she ruined the movie for me.
Great Call. Man is she scary looking.
This isn’t a diss on Piper when they made The Hustler but no woman was any match for Paul Newman at that time. No woman.
haha awesome
Interesting that 80% of this list is composed of mismatched couples in which the female is said to be the one mismatched with the male, though a list of the opposite being the case would take no more than ten seconds. (e.g. Bill Murray and nearly all his co-stars, Andie McDowell for example) Why, possibly, is this configuration the final list???
In any case, I disagree with two on the list, as I think there are better examples of mismatches, two of which can be found in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt and Tilda Swinton; Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett).
Renee Russo and Pierce Brosnan are perfectly paired–no mismatch there in this version of The Thomas Crown Affair (better than original). Russo has sex appeal in that film–hair, face, style, skill, attitude–everything about her in this film makes her his equal in looks and status and age. Slick, smart, and seductive, both actors also fit the vibe of the film. I vehemently disagree with this “mismatch” on the list.
I will even argue the Babs and Sexy pairing in The Way We Were. I kind of understand it. I find Babs to have a face that has character; she’s not ugly, but she has a face that is better appreciated with age. Because of her character’s passion and because she is opposite of the type of women his character is used to, it kinda works. This pairing also works because their characters do not end up together (sorry for the spoiler if you haven’t yet seen this flick). So, in way, because it fits the plot of the film, this coupling is not so mismatched.
You definitely have valid points here. I 100% agree that if sexes were turned around this would work way easier. But as you said, there are just too many that fit that bill.
I thought Sarah Jessica Parker was hot in Hocus Pocus. That is all.
@thegreatfatsby
+1
/i see what you did there
@ carlip
Cheers
Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri in Flashdance. The mismatch was the only thing I could think of every time they were in the same seen. She was 18 and gorgeous he was about 40 and far from studly.
I’m more shocked Amy was with Kevin. She at least has a personality. Kev, on the other hand, looks dull and matches it with his boring persona.
BTW, Rebecca Hall is gorgeous.
Pierce and Renee work very well together.
My Step-Mother is another intentional mismatch movie.
Streisand and Parker share the same role for their generation of movie “stars”, not attractive but trying really really hard to be sold as such.
Must give really good…
Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo – Thomas Crown Affair ???
Seriously? Have you even watched it? Because it has some of the hottest scenes in a Hollywood picture ever filmed.
I don’t agree for every couple. I like Rene Russo.
Superbad?!?!?!
I know it was kinda the point that they were dorky and the girls were popular, but shit the three girls were all stunning and those guys were all (in that movie at least) really ugly. Jonah Hill’s character espescially didn’t have a single redeeming quality that might plausibly make up for his ugliness, he wasn’t even nice or funny (or rich or smart which would at least make some sense) he was just a whiny shallow jerk but for some reason this gorgeous, popular, and really nice girl falls for him, it’s far more egregious than anything on this list!
Ummmmm half of these were either intentional “mismatches” or were otherwise explained within the movie.
The Town wasn’t a glamour flick, it was meant to be a realistically gritty movie with “normal” characters. Rebecca Hall’s character was a believable attractive girl (that IS a bad picture of her)–not gorgeous or beautiful, but the kind of girl you could actually see on the street who is pretty but normal, not a starlet. Plus Ben Afflek’s character was attracted to her because she was “classy” and, he felt, morally and socially above him–a “good girl.” The perceived higher social status is what drew her to him rather than his ex, who was prettier but embroiled in the trashy life he was trying to escape.
Similar thing in The Way We Were: Barbs’ character was never presented as a beauty–she was clearly shown to be something of an awkward nerd in the opening scenes–but she had the kind of personal energy and spark that made her stand out. As others pointed out, she wasn’t Robert Redford’s regular type, she just had something beyond the physical that drew him–and once their relationship broke up, he ended up with someone much more “suited” to him, who was pretty and sweet but also didn’t challenge him. Their characters were never meant to be, or were presented as equals in terms of looks.
In St. Elmo’s Fire, EVERYONE thinks that pairing is weird.
P.S. In Field of Dreams, personally–Kevin Costner is the less attractive one to me.
Funny how these “mis-matches” are about good looking men and less attractive women. I guess the list would be much longer if it was about attractive women paired with men who were too ugly/too old/too stupid/too pathetic/too warped personality wise.
God forbid that couples should actually be together for some reason other than looks. You know, like real relationships.
You are crazy, Rebecca Hall is frickn’ smokin’ hot. Way hotter than any chick any dude reading this silly ass post could ever pull.
What gets me are commercials. Its always some super hot chick walking around the house spraying Frebreeze or some similar product to cover up her overweight, ignorant husbands bad habits.
Any actress with Richard Chamberlain.
Ryan Reynolds and Emily Mortimer in “Chaos Theory.” Worst Mismatch of all time.
Its not always about looks, its a movie not a beauty contest, you moron.
So, you think that “looks is not all” is just a corny hopeful phrase.
Well, you just shows that you have no clue. I’m sure that you can’t get a hot girl.
But look around you: hot girls with ugly dudes are all around. And she obey the dudes like puppies.
“Nice” looking dudes with ugly women are all around. They behave like losers, and are completely bossed by the ugly bitches…
I always thought Billy Crystal and Lisa Kudrow were horribly mismatched in Analyze This
Streisand/Redford matchup was per the plot:
Katie: I don’t have the right style for you do I?
Hubbell: No, you don’t have the right style.
She’s got hella charisma in that movie imo. No beauty queen, but I found her irresistible.
Haha, guess which one brought me here… HINT: “Shaken, but not stirred.” 🙂
Ha ha…very funny comparisons, yet very true.