There’s always been a big appeal toward stories that contain love interests who have a sparring relationship, in that they just can’t seem to go along without being in conflict. Many movies start off with characters at odds and detail their eventual love story, with streaming services like Netflix and others offering viewers a chance to check them out.
The term “enemy” is generally loosely defined since the characters aren’t out to end each other, but their antagonism certainly is real when things start off. It’s altogether interesting to see how stories have formed over the last several decades in various forms that make use of the enemies-turned-lovers trope.
The Proposal (2009)
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Considered among Sandra Bullock’s best movie roles, The Proposal is about Margaret and Andrew. Margaret is the editor-in-chief of a publishing company and Andrew’s boss, with the latter hating her guts due to her uptight attitude. The pair are forced to pretend to be married when Margaret is about to be deported to Canada, which gives Andrew something to hold over his boss.
As expected, Andrew and Margaret’s animosity dissipates over the course of the movie, shifting them from reluctantly going along with the plan to actually being in love. The Proposal may be formulaic, but it’s entertaining to follow the characters as they stop seeing each other as enemies once their true personalities come to light.
You've Got Mail (1998)
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Even with the long time since its release, has aged very well the way it captures internet dating. Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) are business rivals who declare war on each other to keep their books stores running, unaware that they’re engaging in an online romance as well.
It’s both funny and heartwarming to see the characters’ contrasting behavior, with Joe an Kathleen at each other’s throats over their businesses while holding aspirations of true love over their online personas. The pair eventually learn their real identities, which plays out in classic rom-com fashion.
Beauty And The Beast (1991)
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There are significant ’ film and original story, mainly the fact that they truly fall in love. Starting out, though, Belle sees the Beast as a fiend after she makes a deal to be trapped in his castle in order to save her father’s life.
Belle gradually starts to like the Beast when the latter makes a real effort to change, following which the pair's animosity is replaced by romantic feelings. The movie is famous for proving that love goes beyond appearances and it’s possible to change what someone thinks about the other no matter how unlikely it might seem.
Star Wars Sequel Trilogy (2015-19)
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Although certain of the fanbase have been vocal about their criticism of the Sequel trilogy, the Star Wars movies actually have an underlying theme of love. Rey and Kylo Ren have a forbidden ion, feeling a pull toward each other through the Force despite being on different sides.
Kylo Ren is manipulated by Palpatine in the three films to go the dark side of the Force while Rey believes there’s good in him to reclaim his Ben Solo identity. The pair battle Palpatine and his puppet Snoke throughout the films, ultimately sharing a romantic embrace after Palpatine’s defeat to complete thei feelings for each other before Ben loses his life.
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
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Nicholas is generally seen as one of characters for the way he goes from the bad guy to the love interest. The movie starts out with Nicholas manipulating Mia to fall for him so he can steal the throne, only for Nicholas to realize she’ll be a worthy queen and that he’s the one who’s fallen for her.
Prior to this change of heart, Nicholas and Mia engage in many attempts to one-up the other as a way of sabotaging their claim to the throne. The movie slowly depicts their growing love, eventually culminating in Nicholas gladly stepping aside but managing to win Mia’s heart for good.
Pocahontas (1995)
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John Smith and his men venture into Pocahontas’ lands to find treasure, with John not realizing his expedition also intends to dominate the tribe. The pair are at odds due to Pocahontas’ mission of averting the outsiders’ goals until John decides to ally with Pocahontas as well.
The movie is credited with blending the topic of war and romance in a story geared toward a younger audience, with John and Pocahontas’ love proving to be the changing point that ultimately averts disaster. It becomes a striking contrast to how the pair originally wanted to drive the other far away when they initially met.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
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Where this story is concerned, it’s more like lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers, seeing as the men flip-flop over their feelings. Brokeback Mountain sees Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) as cowboys who work together and give in to their attraction, before getting into a fight over their conflicting feelings about the matter.
The movie sprawls over years where the characters get back together to put their animosity aside because they can’t overcome their attraction to one another. Their constant antagonism and reconciliation is the backdrop for a complex love story that many viewers enjoyed following.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
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Set in an afternoon where students serve out detention, The Breakfast Club has two pairs of characters who develop an attraction. Bad boy Bender and miss popular Claire, along with jock Andrew and introverted outcast Allison begin the day hating each other for their perceived attributes, with the story then developing their feelings.
The characters are forced together during detention, which then opens up a way for them to realize they wrongly judged each other. Their resulting acknowledgements of their struggles to live up to and go against how people perceive them ultimately gets these characters into a relationship because they can empathize with each other.
Avatar (2009)
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James Cameron’s epic is about humans in the future who look to extract unobtanium from a distant moon which will also destroy it. Jake Sulley (Sam Worthington) uses an avatar of the native Na’avi to learn their secrets but unexpectedly falls in love with Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), leading to his defection and alliance with the Na’avi.
It’s a humbling love story for the way Jake begins not caring about Neytiri and her people, having full intentions to cause them disaster before he turns over a new leaf. The pair go from enemies to lovers and each other’s betroths, with Jake going so far as to transfer his mind permanently into his avatar to remain with Neytiri.
Gone With The Wind (1939)
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In many ways, Rhett and Scarlett are the original “Will they?/Won’t they?” couple, whose story spans decades in Gone with the Wind. They weren’t enemies in the general sense, but Scarlett felt the whole world was against her in the backdrop of the American Civil War.
They were highly antagonistic during their marriage, as Rhett was angered that Scarlett still harbored an attraction for Ashley. The ending cemented their turbulent relationship when Scarlett realized she actually loved Rhett, only for him to leave her when he’d had enough.
