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Romantic comedies and romantic movies in general usually have a happy ending in which the main couple ends up together, and they live happily ever after, or so the audience likes to presume. However, some movies that fall into this genre (as well as other genres) don't follow the established recipe. Even though they create couples that the fans love and cheer on, they don't give them their happy ending.
Either their love was doomed from the start or unexpected circumstances prevented them from staying together. That doesn't change the fact that some of the most iconic movie couples should have ended up together, at least according to the fans' wishes and opinions.
7 Rose And Jack - Titanic
While the sinking of Titanic is a strong draw, what makes Titanic (1997) one of the most popular and highest-grossing movies of all time is the tragic romance between Rose and Jack. Even though they have only a short time together, Jack helps Rose and teaches her how to live and how to become her own person. As a result, Rose builds a new life when she gets to America, she falls in love again and gets married.
However, many fans wish that Jack survived and he and Rose would get their happily ever after. Whether they would have made it work or not is another question, but there's no denying that Jack and all the passengers on Titanic deserved better than to meet their end this way.
6 Mia And Sebastian - La La Land
La La Land is one of the most successful musicals of recent years, and its bittersweet ending makes it different from a lot of movies of the same genre. Emma Stone's Mia and Ryan Gosling's Sebastian do their best to make it work but their ambitions and other factors eventually drive them apart.
However, the sad ending suggests that they're still not over the feelings they had for one another, and perhaps they never will be. Stone and Gosling had strong chemistry in the movie, which made the audience cheer on the couple and wishes them to work things out, but it didn't happen.
5 Jack And Ennis - Brokeback Mountain
One of Heath Ledger's most iconic roles, other than the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), is Ennis in the movie Brokeback Mountain (2005). He and Jake Gyllenhaal created an unforgettable couple. The two men love each other and meet over the years to find brief moments of happiness, but the world around them doesn't accept love between men, and eventually, Jack dies.
The ending broke the hearts of many viewers who hoped that Jack and Ennis would finally get the chance to live together as a couple and be free.
4 Lara Jean And John Ambrose - To All The Boys I've Loved Before
While Noah Centineo's Peter was charming and had his positive moments, character-wise, Lara Jean and John Ambrose were much more similar and better-matched. John Ambrose treated Lara Jean with kindness and was there for her, while Peter acted horribly toward his girlfriend more than once.
Yet Lara Jean decided to go for Peter even after they broke up, and her bond with John Ambrose went nowhere. It's hard to imagine Lara Jean and Peter making it work long-term while she and John Ambrose could have managed it.
3 Cecilia And Robbie - Atonement
The year 2007's Atonement is a perfect example of a tragic romance. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy star as Cecilia and Robbie, a couple separated by war, and even more so, the lies of Cecilia's younger jealous sister Briony (Saoirse Ronan). It seems that everything went well for them after the initial struggles, as Briony writes in her book about their reunion and the fact they got to be together after all.
Unfortunately, it turns out Briony made it up and both Cecilia and Robbie died before the end of the war. They didn't get the happy ending they deserved in real life, so Briony at least gave it to them in her novel. However, it still comes across as a hollow gesture, considering the real Cecilia and Robbie loved each other before Briony's mistake from her youth drove them apart.
2 Will And Viola - Shakespeare In Love
Even though the movie is only very loosely inspired by the iconic bard William Shakespeare's life, the romance between Will and Viola feels real. That's why it's so devastating when Viola has to leave with her husband in the end, knowing she might never see Will again. The two young people share their love for theater and fall in love almost at a first sight.
They risk a lot to be together, as Viola masks as a man so that she could act in Will's play, which could mean ruining her reputation in this historical period. On the other hand, their romance leads to the existence of Shakespeare's celebrated play Twelfth Night, so at least their parting and Viola's sacrifice wasn't for nothing.
1 Sam And Molly - Ghost
A lot of movie couples separate but stay alive. Sam, unfortunately, joins the likes of Jack Dawson or Robbie and Cecilia. When Sam dies, he stays on Earth as a ghost and eventually learns he has to find his real murderer and protect his wife Molly before he can move on.
The love between Sam and Molly remains strong even after Sam dies, and when they finally see each other for a moment before Sam disappears, they share a kiss. Unfortunately, while the ending scene is sweet, it doesn't change the fact that Molly and Sam could have had a long and happy life together if they hadn't been robbed of it.