We've all seen Hollywood's genre of romantic comedies and chick flicks. They usually have the same plot line: Man and woman fall in love. Man screws up. Woman gets mad and leaves. Man then makes some grand gesture to win woman back. They live happily ever after (this proably stolen from Disney).

Yet whenever Hollywood makes a movie about marriage it usually revolves around a couple being unhappy or unsatisfied with married life. Examples: Why Did I Get Married?, I Think I Love My Wife, Unfaithful, Obsession, Love Stinks, She's Having A Baby, The Women, Eyes Wide Shut, American Beauty, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Heartbreak Kid, Enough, Fatal Attraction, Sleeping With The Enemy, First Wives Club, Under The Tuscan Sun, Mrs. Doubtfire, Bye Bye Love, Closer, Melinda & Melinda, The Squid And The Whale, The War Of The Roses, Kramer vs. Kramer, Stepmom, We Don't Live Here Anymore, Irreconcilable Differences, She Devil, Waiting To Exhale, Thelma & Louise, Hope Floats, The Way We Were, Diary Of A Mad Black Woman, House Arrest, Heartburn, Starter Wife, Starting Over, Falling Down, The Last Kiss, The Breakup, Le Divorce, and countless others..

Failing relationship and divorce movies far outnumber the happy and successful marriage movies. Maybe movies about happy couples are too boring for the big screen. Maybe they reflect Hollywood's attitudes and perceptions. Lets face it, there are not many successful marriages/relationships in Hollywood. What happens in Hollywood and what's in movies may not reflect what happens in real life but nonetheless people still look to Hollywood as a reflection of society and cultural values, whether they admit it or not. Hollywood and the so called Entertainment Industry provide far more than just pure entertainment, and the lines often get blurred. If this were not the case, then we would not treat celebrities as gods and Hollywood would not be one of the biggest money-making industries in the world. 

Still it is interesting to note Hollywood's contrasting views on romance and successful relationships. According to Hollywood, it would appear that fulfillment comes from the chase leading up to the climax in a quest for romance, yet once you become a couple you are doomed to failure, and the cycle repeats itself. The only portrayal of semi-successful relationships and marriages are poked fun at in sitcoms. Examples: Everybody Loves Raymond, Two And A Half Men, 'Til Death, Simpsons, Family Guy, Married With Children, Curb Your Enthusiasm, King of the Hill, Malcom in the Middle, Mad Men, King of Queens, How I Met Your Mother, Brady Bunch, Roseanne, Arrested Development, Bored To Death, According To Jim, Tyler Perry's House of Payne, That 70s Show, Unhappily Ever After, and Yes, Dear- just to name a few..