The institution of marriage has survived for thousands of years... barely. Sadly, some couples - both fictional and real life - don't figure out when to quit before things become really ugly. Here are some of the messiest marital matches ever to grace the silver screen. If your marriage resembles any of these, then it's time to seek professional help (and we don't mean Jerry Springer).
The Squid and the Whale
Art imitates life in this dark and ultimately disheartening look at divorce with brilliant performances from all involved. Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney give new meaning to the term "self-absorbed" as their marriage tumbles into the abyss and their two confused children are forced to take sides. Both parents re-write the book on joint-custody as the two boys are shuttled back and forth along with a cat and thrust into awkward living conditions as the adults attempt to sleep with students and the resident tennis pro. While one feels the need to laugh at the outrageousness of it all, there remains the underlying pain and suffering that divorce brings.
Kramer vs. Kramer
Watching Dustin Hoffman run through the streets of New York carrying his bloody and injured son is just one of the unforgettable sequences from this Oscar-winning drama about the ugliness of divorce and the bitter fight over a little boy. In possibly his best performance, Hoffman is forced to make the transition from career man to single parent as his wife, in another brilliant performance from Meryl Streep, goes AWOL and then resurfaces demanding custody. This film undoubtedly influenced a generation of ice cream fanatics.
The Ice Storm
Ang Lee's bitter tale of the suburban American dream coming apart at the seams, just as America was about to be torn apart by Watergate, hits from all sides. Watching the Carvers and the Hoods self-destruct through every type of selfish behavior imaginable almost borders on abuse. It makes one wonder why "Mrs." David Letterman would ever want to live in New Canaan.
Divorce: Italian Style
The ever-charming Marcello Mastroianni stars in this perverse yet wonderfully dark comedy about finding a lover for his wife whom he wishes to kill in order to get away with an affair. Hampered by Italy's strict divorce laws, Mastroianni must find his wife in the arms of another to justify an honor killing and his performance borders on perfection. While absurd on moral grounds, there is an undeniable degree of truth present in this film that many people would be afraid to admit has crossed their minds at some point.
The War of the Roses
Absurdly over-the-top in its portrayal of the "Roses" whose divorce would win the gold medal if acrimony were an Olympic sport, but held together by strong performances from Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Danny DeVito narrates and co-stars in this slugfest filled with flying objects designed to maim and disfigure leaving one with the hard decision of figuring out whom to root for and who to wish a painful and agonizing death. Aside from the lawyer, of course.
The Odd Couple
Actors rarely have the kind of on-screen chemistry that Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were blessed with, nor the luck to be in so many well written films. If there was ever a film that should give one pause about living with a friend going through marital problems, this one is it. Lemmon and Matthau star as "Felix Ungar" and "Oscar Madison," the oddest pair of friends whose opinions' on tidiness and slobbery are enough to make one want to jump. Even from the basement window.
In Name Only
In what would have to be considered "politically incorrect" for the 1930s, widow Carole Lombard and married upper crust socialite Cary Grant cross paths and sparks fly. Grant conceals his troubled and loveless marriage from Lombard, but as luck would have it, the two women cross paths in the aftermath of a car crash and human nature takes over. Just not the giving, sensitive, and caring aspects of human nature. A risqué sleeper for the time period where everyone keeps his or her clothes on.
Fatal Attraction
One-night stands take a beating and a poor rabbit has a close encounter of the worst kind in this boiling hot drama that leaves Michael Douglas and family at the mercy of psychotic stalker, Glenn Close. Close, is genuinely terrifying as she loses control following a weekend tryst with Douglas and takes the concept of "jilted lover" to a whole new level. A relevant film for the period that nipped more extra-marital behavior in the bud than all those silly talk shows combined. It almost makes you glad they never introduced a cooking segment on Jerry Springer.
Double Indemnity
Billy Wilder's twisted tale of murder and insurance fraud has no equal as Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray murder Stanwyck's husband and try to pass it off as an accident. Only one thing stands between them and getting away with murder - Edward G. Robinson, a relentless and suspicious Insurance Investigator who smells something rotten. MacMurray is slick and downright evil, leaving the audience with one nagging question - whatever happened to Mrs. Douglas on "My Three Sons"?
Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?
Adapted from Edward Albee's emotionally charged and brilliantly written play with the most viperous and pointed dialogue this side of a Senate confirmation hearing, "Who's Afraid" must be recognized as the film that changed the rules. Elizabeth Taylor, in the performance of a lifetime, channels so much hatred and spite towards her spouse, played by real-life husband, Richard Burton, that one can only imagine what their relationship must have been like behind the scenes. George Segal, one of the most underrated actors of the period, delivers as well. After seeing this, is there any real doubt why "free love" became so popular.
