Top 20 Opposites Attract Movie Couples
#20: Frances “Baby” Houseman & Johnny Castle “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
Baby is a privileged teenager on summer vacation with her family at a resort in the Catskills. Her father is a doctor, and she has led a sheltered life that has left her naive, seeing everything around her with rose colored glasses. There she meets dance instructor Johnny, who is hardened to the realities of the world and has led a difficult life. He is cynical and doesn’t trust anyone, and Baby opens him up to the fact that there may just be good people willing to help him. While class is certainly a factor in their differences, the major way they don’t see eye to eye is in their outlook on life.
#19: Daniel Jae Ho Bae & Natasha Kingsley “The Sun Is Also a Star” (2019)
“The Sun Is Also a Star” is a modern love story involving two teens who meet by chance one day in New York City while they’re each dealing with their individual struggles. Daniel, who is getting ready for a big college interview, has an optimism about the world, believing in fate and true love. Natasha on the other hand, who is on a quest to save her family from being deported, is much more pessimistic and skeptical of Daniel’s romantic worldview. Luckily, she comes around and is willing to test his theory about falling in love, which totally works.
#18: Harold Chasen & Maude Chardin “Harold and Maude” (1971)
The terms ‘boy-toy’ and ‘cougar’ often float around in rom-com circles to describe relationships with age differences where the male is younger and the female is older. But there’s nothing quite like the generation gap between the spritely youngster Harold and his 79-year old lover, Maude. In this early-‘70s dark romantic comedy, the central characters meet through a mutual hobby – the attending of funerals – and their differing outlooks on life soon become clear. Even though she’s lived longer, Maude hasn’t become jaded, and maintains a positive view. Harold, however, is quite the opposite. By throwing all social norms out the window, the couple helps bring happiness and clarity to each other’s lives – despite the endless naysayers!
#17: William "Will" Traynor & Louisa "Lou" Clark “Me Before You” (2016)
Following a terrible accident, the previously young and healthy Will Traynor is left paralysed and wheelchair bound. He has essentially given up on finding joy for himself, and has plans to end his own life. His family however makes an attempt to bring some cheer into his life by hiring Lousia Clark to be a companion for him. At first he is resistant to her optimism, but eventually the two manage to form a bond and her presence gives Will’s mother the outcome she was hoping for - at least, for a little while.
#16: Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger “Harry Potter” franchise (2001-11)
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You can’t get much more different than these two. Ron and Hermione start out the series disliking one another, and even throughout their friendship they butt heads time and time again. Hermione is a studious perfectionist who does not like to break rules, whereas Ron is a quintessential slacker who is constantly leaning on her for help. Of course, they are brought together by their friendship with Harry and their quest to defeat Voldemort. Despite their apparent animosity, there were plenty of hints throughout the books and movies that there was an attraction underneath their combativeness.
#15: Elizabeth Bennet & Mr. Darcy “Pride & Prejudice” (2005)
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You could probably argue that the entire concept of opposites attracting in love stories was heavily inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”. As one of the most beloved works in the Western canon, the tale between these two lovers is one where they start off as enemies. Mr. Darcy is reserved and prim, putting great importance on social conventions. Elizabeth however is quite a modern and progressive woman who is ahead of her time with her willingness to speak her mind, even if her words may cause offense to someone who is considered to be above her station. Luckily, they manage to put their differences aside in the end.
#14: Margaret Tate & Andrew Paxton “The Proposal” (2009)
In “The Proposal”, Margaret is a Canadian citizen working in a prominent position in the New York Publishing industry. Andrew works below her and she treats him like dirt, until she realizes that she can use him to avoid being deported. She is uptight and totally focused on her career, whereas he is much more of a romantic who dreams of being published. When he takes her to his small hometown in Alaska, their differences are even more pronounced as she has a hard time fitting in with his down to earth friends and family. But obviously ,they overcome them with time; this is a rom-com, after all.
#13: Tiana & Prince Naveen "The Princess and the Frog” (2009)
Disney often employs the “opposites attract” philosophy in their love stories, and 2009’s "The Princess and the Frog” is no exception. Tiana is hardworking and has a hard time relaxing and focusing on the things that truly matter, like making time for family. Naveen, on the other hand, is a prince who has been indulged for his entire life and who focuses solely on the pleasures of the world. When he finds himself without access to his typical lifestyle however, he and Tiana come together and, with the help of some talking animals and some magic, they manage to both learn something from the other.
#12: Cher Horowitz & Josh Lucas "Clueless" (1995)
At first when we meet Cher at the beginning of “Clueless”, she seems to be self-involved, materialistic and even somewhat vapid. The more we get to know her however, we see how caring she can be and how much energy she puts into helping others. Her ex-stepbrother Josh sees himself as more of an intellectual, and shows disdain for Cher and her superficial ways. He thinks she focuses on all the wrong things in life, while she finds his politics to be idealistic. As they become closer however, they learn that despite their differences there’s clearly something special between them.
#11: Beast & Belle “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
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The animated Beast and Belle are Disney’s interpretation of a seemingly impossible romantic dream. But as this classic film tells us, we shouldn’t be deceived by appearances: Belle may be a commoner, but her beauty is almost divine, and she could have her pick of any regular prince – or at least the town heartthrob. The titular Beast is a man cursed to be a creature, who carries more than a little emotional baggage. But somehow Belle and Beast bring out the best in each other, getting to know and love each other through snowball fights, books, and dancing. It’s a tale as old as time and a love story to enchant the ages.
#10: Rapunzel & Flynn Rider "Tangled" (2010)
Rapunzel has literally spent her life trapped in a tower, so she’s not exactly in tune with the ways of the world. Her sheltered existence with her cruel faux-mother has made her unaware of her surroundings and naive to reality. By contrast, Flynn Rider, who is known as a thief, has had a difficult life and is somewhat jaded when it comes to trusting others. He has even crafted a false identity to distance himself from the person he really is. Rapunzel’s optimism and brightness bring out the best in him however. With her encouraging him to see the world with a little more positivity, he comes to accept himself while she learns to trust and open up to another person that isn’t Mother Gothel.
#9: Han Solo & Princess Leia Organa “Star Wars” franchise (1977-)
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Han Solo’s personality is evident just from his name. He acts as a lone wolf, looking out for himself and no one else (except maybe Chewie). In “A New Hope”, he seems reluctant to partner up with Luke because he’s used to watching his own back, and his past has given him a certain cynicism that he can’t seem to shake. When he meets Leia however, he is taken by her spirit and her defiance of him. She believes in fighting for the greater good, and acts with a selflessness that is essentially the opposite of his modus operandi. And as we ultimately see, it just works.
#8: Joel Barish & Clementine Kruczynski “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” (2004)
Our next couple fits the ‘opposites attract’ bill by their very casting, with the famously frantic Jim Carrey and golden girl Kate Winslet taking the leads. But the Hollywood rulebook was completely thrown out the window, as it was Carrey who played the shy guy, while Winslet wowed as a free-spirited extrovert and the picture-perfect manic pixie dream girl. Joel and Clementine’s story is of an unexpected love encountered on a long distance train journey. Despite their many differences, the pair seems strangely right for each other. However, it isn’t until we delve into Joel’s memory that we find out exactly why that is, and learn that relationships – no matter how rocky – are always worth remembering.
#7: Jamie Sullivan & Landon Carter “A Walk to Remember” (2002)
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Jamie Sullivan is the daughter of a Baptist minister, whose strict upbringing has made her serious and studious. She doesn’t seem to have many friends, and is mocked at school. Landon, by contrast, runs with a bad crowd of teens who are always getting into trouble. He’s popular and doesn’t seem to care much about his studies. When Jamie is paired up with him to get him out of trouble and improve his academic performance, it at first seems like they’re going to loathe one another - but fate, of course, has something else in mind.
#6: Harry Burns & Sally Albright “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989)
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There’s just something that always seems to draw these two together, no matter how hard they try to deny it. After Billy Crystal’s Harry and Meg Ryan’s Sally graduate in Chicago, they carpool to New York City, beginning what becomes a lifelong habit of discussing love, attraction and relationships with each other. The problem is, the two never seem to agree and countless arguments ensue – in fact, the one thing they have in common may be their stubbornness. Harry, ever the nonchalant smart aleck, knows exactly how to push the picky Sally’s buttons. But, circumstances continually reunite them for what seems like a fated romance. We just hope Sally’s really enjoying it, and not just faking!
#5: Mark Darcy & Bridget Jones “Bridget Jones’s Diary” (2001)
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These two are so different, you could write a book about it – and Bridget does just that. This twenty-first century woman has a heap of pressing – and painfully funny – problems on her plate – not the least of which is finding Mr. Right. And the titular writer and rom-com heroine is torn between two men: bad boy Daniel Cleaver and true gent Mark Darcy. She and Mark don’t exactly get off on the best foot, as Mark finds her quite the contrary to his eloquent self. But their relationship gradually grows amidst kitchen nightmares, clumsy street fights and dodgy Christmas jumpers. Bridget is then forced to rethink all she ever believed, because nice guys know how to make out too!
#4: Katarina "Kat" Stratford & Patrick Verona “10 Things I Hate About You” (1999)
There’s just something we love about a good girl falling for a bad boy. One of the most iconic teen movies of all time has to be “10 Things I Hate About You”, and one of the reasons it’s so timeless is that age-old dynamic as seen through Kat and Patrick. She is a hardline feminist who isn’t afraid to speak her mind, even if it means people dislike her. Patrick seems to live his life with a devil-may-care attitude, but his irreverence is halted by the feelings he suddenly finds himself having for Kat - despite being initially paid to date her. She continues to be resistant to him, but in the end, he can’t help but succumb to his charms.
#3: Danny Zuko & Sandy Olsson “Grease” (1978)
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Danny, a tough guy with a heart of gold, and Sandy, the shy girl who’s as wholesome as they come, share a fleeting summer romance while she’s on vacation. But then Sandy gets transferred to Rydell High where Danny’s reputation’s a little different. For T-Bird-turned-lovebird Zuko, it’s all about keeping his cool, but Sandy wants to see more of his romantic side. At times “those summer nights” seem very far away, but when all’s said and done, they’re willing to change to win each other back, with Danny turning jock and Sandy taking a page from the Pink Ladies’ book. Finding they definitely want each other, this relationship is so unlikely and so perfect they need to invent new words to describe it.
#2: John Bender & Claire Standish “The Breakfast Club” (1985)
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Claire and Bender are two of five high school students dragged into all-day Saturday detention and told to write an essay. Claire’s there for skipping class to go shopping; John’s being disciplined for causing a false fire alarm. As if that’s not different enough, wait’ll you get to know them. Claire’s the stereotypical ‘it girl’ who cares about how she’s perceived, and John’s the archetypal rebel who seemingly couldn’t care less. The whole group would never usually hang out, but in close quarters, Bender, Claire, and the rest break all the social rules. Even if we only get a glimpse of the blossoming love between “the criminal” and “the princess,” it’s something we’ll never forget.
#1: Capt. Georg von Trapp & Maria “The Sound of Music” (1965)
When high-spirited Maria arrives at Captain Georg von Trapp’s villa to work as governess to his seven children, she’s a distinct anomaly in the household. The von Trapps lead a strict, disciplined, militarily-influenced way of life, but Maria shakes up the whole routine with music and positive attitude. The Captain doesn’t take too kindly to the changes at first, but soon softens when he hears his children singing. Even though the idea of love scares Maria, and Georg initially has other romantic interests, the couple works it out, and finds that what’s going on between them is something good. With a love like that, not even the Nazis can stand in their way.
