The Best Movie Weddings that Were Never to Be

It's easy to think of movie weddings for the ages, such as former nun Maria Von Trapp's (Julie Andrews) elaborate church wedding to the distinguished naval captain (Christopher Plummer) in "The Sounds of Music", or more recently the remake of the Spencer Tracy-Elizabeth Taylor classic "Father of the Bride" with Steve Martin reluctantly fumbling through his role of father of the bride in the splashy wedding of his daughter's desiring. But, sometimes we aren't rooting for the couple in question to come together because we see real sparks elsewhere and we just hope the main characters come to their senses in time. In fact, some of the best wedding (or wedding night) movie scenes of all time have involved great disappointment for invited guests and brides or grooms to be.

In fact, in a society with such a high divorce rate, we hate to think of the disposability of marriage and the likelihood divorce is just down the road for the well-meaning but star-crossed couple and we'd rather things fell apart sooner than later so they could have the love of their dreams. To that end, below is my list of the top not quite ten film weddings (or marriages) that were never to be, much to our delight. Spoiler alert: if you haven't seen these films - major plot lines revealed.

10- 9. Mitch and Vicki in "The Parent Trap" (1961) - The film, a Disney classic from a more innocent time told the tale of heartbroken twins separated by divorce who find each other at summer camp and switch places to experience life with the parent they've been denied. In California Susan (Hayley Mills) replaces Sharon (of course, also Hayley Mills) only to find her dreamy long lost dad, Mitch (Brian Keith) is about to marry a gold-digging socialite with no maternal instincts, Vicki (Joanna Barnes - who also appeared in the remake playing the mother of the gold-digger). In order to break up the pending nuptials Susan convinces Sharon, who is in Boston with their mother (Maureen O'Hara), to fess up to the ruse and come out west and help shut down the wedding. Far more charming and innocent than the remake, in this film you root for the luminous O'Hara and the down to earth Keith to find each other again from the very beginning. And poor Joanna Barnes, she could have had that dream wedding and all of that lovely community property if it wasn't for those meddling kids... This counts as two even though the remake (introducing Lindsay Lohan and starring Dennis Quaid and Joely Richardson) had little of the charm of the original

8-7. Patrick Dennis and Gloria Upson in "Auntie Mame" (1958) - Raised by his flamboyant aunt Mame (Rosalind Russell) after his father's death, Patrick Dennis (Roger Smith in the adult role) lives life embracing all sorts of experience and culture and people. But, settled down into school and grown up finally, he falls for the very, very proper daughter of Connecticut bores, Gloria Upson (the doomed to maidenhood Joanna Barnes doing what she does best here). Nervous about his aunt and her entourage's eccentricities, Patrick nonetheless announces his intentions and has Mame out to Connecticut to meet the almost insufferable Upsons. Determined that her golden boy not be relegated to a 'proper' life in the suburbs of boring talk over cocktails every evening, Mame invites the Upsons to her Manhattan flat for an engagement party, and when we see the obvious sparks between Mame's aide Pegeen (Pippa Scott) and Patrick, and we view the increasing snottiness of Gloria, well, we just want the engagement party to fall apart as it most certainly does and for the disgusted Upsons to be on their way. The film was remade in the 1970s with Lucille Ball and retitled "Mame". It was also a pale imitation of the orignal.

6. Howard Brackett and Emily Montgomery in "In and Out" (1997) - A small midwestern town is aglow over one of their native sons winning an Oscar but is shaken when he thanks his high school drama teacher, Howard Brackett (Kevin Kline), who the actor claims is gay. Poor Howard, preparing to marry fellow school teacher Emily Montgomery (Joan Cusack) is mortified as his students, fellow faculty members and even his family begin to wonder if this fussy academic isn't indeed gay. Kline loves the devoted Emily though, a former fatty who has blossomed and waited YEARS to finally marry. When the press descends on his town and a gay reporter (Tom Selleck) nudges the broadly stereotypical Howard to just come out already, Kline bristles. He tries to become more macho, less addicted to Streisand albums and musical theater, and he earnestly takes the advice of his students about firming up his wrists and butching up his walk. And the long suffering Emily just wants the ridiulous rumors to die down so she can finally marry. But, when the big day comes and Emily stands at the altar in her beautiful gown, the whole town assembled, and Howard strides up next to her and finally faces his sexuality - we understand Emily decking him. We understand it, but we knew it was coming and we knew what Howard kept denying all along, and we root for that native son actor (Matt Dillon) to find his old high school teacher and sweep her away.

5. J. D. Hanley and Schatze Page in "How to Marry a Millionaire" (1953) - In one of the best, wacky buddy comedies of the 1950s, three starving models, Schatze Page (Lauren Bacall), Loco Dempsey (the deliciously vapid Betty Grable) and Pola Debevoise (a sometimes bespectacled Marilyn Monroe) sublet a penthouse recently vacated by a wrongfully accused businessman on the lam from the IRS (David Wayne as Freddie Denmark). They decide to use the flat as a man trap to catch themselves some millionaires who will keep them in the style to which they wish to become accustomed. The problem is, the brains of the operation, Schatze, has 'strictly hamburger' tastes and immediately attracts a charming supposed ne'erdowell Tom Brookman (Cameron Mitchell). While Pola and Loco hilariously pursue a shady phony and a clearly married man, Schatze goes out with Brookman, ending each date with a passionate clutch and a slap and promise to never see him again. Through her friends, as they sell off item after item of furniture from the flat to pay the rent, she meets Texas cattleman J. D. Hanley (William Powell), an older widow who is most solicitous. In a minor conceit to Bacall's actual marriage to the much older Humphrey Bogart, the determined Schatze convinces herself she can be happy moving to Texas with the delightful if somehwat creaky Hanley, and he convinces himself she loves him. But, when the big day arrives and Bacall finds out to her horror that her two bridesmaids have not married millionaires but have instead eloped with a penniless forest ranger and the on the lam owner of their apartment, she realizes it's up to her to see this wedding through and make sure one of them marries a millionaire. We, of course, root for her to leave Hanley at the aisle and instead marry Brookman, who we know is rich even if Schatze doesn't..

4. Coach Bob Kelly and Maggie Carpenter in "Runaway Bride" (1999) - While this was only a middling film, it was still a better premise in matching up Julia Roberts and Richard Gere again than millionaire and street walker in "Pretty Woman". In "Runaway Bride" New York columnist Ike Graham (Gere) a somewhat misogynistic and surly fellow, is facing a deadline for his column and he happens upon a drunken sad sack in his regular bar. There Ike hears the story of the infamous runaway bride of Hale, Maryland, Maggie Carpenter (Roberts), who is reported to have left no less than seven lovesick losers at the altar in her time. Fascinated and in some ways vindicated by the sad tale, Ike rushes to press without checking his facts. When the story hits and Maggie and all of Hale read of it, Ike gets canned by his boss and ex-wife (Rita Wilson) when certain inaccuracies are pointed out that might leave the paper open to a libel suit. Disgruntled and self-righteous, Ike heads to Hale at the urging of his best buddy Fisher (Hector Elizondo) to see if he can get the whole scoop on Maggie and salvage his career. As it turns out there were only 3 grooms left at the altar, not 7, and one of them was the very fellow who told the sad story, and when Ike arrives Maggie is about to marry, for good this time, local high school coach Bob (Christopher Meloni). Of course, we see that old antagonistic spark between bitter Ike and uncertain Maggie, and hate ourselves for it, but we want Maggie to leave sweet, oblivious Bob at the altar just the way she did "Dead Head' Gil, Father Brian, and most recently, "Bug Guy' George.

3. Bianca Steel and Nicholas Arden in "Move Over, Darling" (1963) - Five years to the day after his wife was lost at sea and presumed dead in a shipwreck, lawyer Nicholas Arden (James Garner) has her declared legally dead so he can marry his new, somewhat neurotic love, Bianca (Polly Bergen). While the couple is still at the courthouse working out the declaration and the civil wedding, the long lost wife Ellen (Doris Day), returns after having been rescued from a desert island by the US Navy. Ellen heads home to find only her mother in law, Grace (Thelma Ritter) in attendance, but does get to see her two little girls without revealing who she is. When she asks about her husband she finds out he's just married and is headed to Monterey for his honeymoon. Grace sends her there to confront Nicholas before the new Mrs. Arden really becomes the new Mrs. Arden. Ellen is dismayed to find Nicky has chosen the same hotel as he did for their honeymoon, and she takes their old room for herself and waits for the newlyweds to arrive. When her husband spots her in the elevator, he begins to move from room to room trying to figure out what to do with a sudden plethora of brides. Bianca is impatient for consumnation and Ellen is feeling a little betrayed - and Nicky doesn't seem to know which way is up. Still, we know he needs to be with Doris (who wasn't alone on that desert island for five years, but Nicholas doesn't know that yet). We want the wedding night to go very, very badly. And we aren't disappointed.

2. Charles and Duck-Face in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994) - The film that really launched Hugh Grant internationally, actually had us rooting for TWO weddings not to be pulled off, but alas, it was the last one that ended as we'd hoped. In this very British comedy a loose group of unmarried friends attends weddings of their mutual friends, beginning with one in which Charles (Hugh Grant) is the best man, who arrives deliciously late and catches the eye of an American model, Carrie (Andie MacDowell) at the reception. When he asks his best friend Fiona (Kristin Scott-Thomas) about her he can't help smiling when Fi describes her as 'slutty'. That night Charles and Carrie meet a little less than by chance at a local pub where both are now staying, but by morning Carrie is off to America again. Months later they meet again at wedding number two, Bernard and Lydia's, and while at first Charles thinks his luck has changed, he ends up finding out Carrie is now engaged to a stuffy, older Scot named Hamish (Corin Redgrave), and that for the formal, sit down reception he has been seated at a table with every women he has ever dated and left, badly -including a mother-daughter pair. Lovesick over Carrie but aware of his inability to commit to marriage, Charles continues to paen for her even as he gets an invitation to her wedding. Consoled by his friends and his brother, Charles decides to attend the wedding with all of them and even meets up with Carrie in advance of it while shopping for her wedding gift. While we hope she won't marry Hamish, even worse things happen at her wedding as Charles' dear friend Gareth (Simon Callow) suffers a cardiac arrest while dancing at the reception and leaves his partner, Matthew (John Hannah) alone. The only committed couple in the group of friends, Gareth and Matthew had represented the hope of permanence and happiness, a hope dashed as Charles absorbs Matthew's grief at Gareth's funeral, which Carrie has also attended. This all leads up to Wedding number four, Charles' of course, and when we see his old flame Carrie in attendance, newly separated from Hamish, we realize Charles timing in marrying former girlfriend, Henrietta (Anna Chancellor) whom his friends affectionately call "Duck Face"is, as always, terrible.

1. Tracy Lord and George Kittredge in "The Philadelphia Story" (1940) - This is the all-time greatest, "please, leave him at the altar' movie. Socialite divorcee Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is about to marry nouveau-riche George Kittredge (John Howard) at her parents' home in Philadelphia. But, to avoid a tabloid printing scandalous things about her father's (John Halliday) philandering ways, she has allowed a writer and photographer, Mike (Jimmy Stewart) and Elizabeth (Ruth Hussey), to chronicle the event for Spy magazine. Also in tow is playful, teasing ex-husband Dexter Haven (Cary Grant), and that will surely make for trouble. This is just one of the best mad cap comedies of all time as poor Tracy tries to keep her father in line and has to sort out who it is she loves while surrounded by the charming and antagonistic Grant, the sweet and gallant Stewart (who is clearly doted on by Hussey), and of course, her fiance Halliday. And all of the main line has gathered for the society wedding of the year, so even when poor Dexter discovers a tipsy Tracy being carried into the house late at night on the eve of their wedding in only a bathrobe by a similarly disheveled Mike, the question is not will he go ahead and marry her despite the huge fight that ensues, but who exactly does SHE want to marry!