DIRECTOR'S CUT: 7 Movie Marriages that are Actually Healthy!

If you're including tv shows, there are several healthy couples on Brooklyn 99, and they all have very different relationships. I'm shocked that Zoey and Wash and the Incredibles weren't on the list already! You could go back to I Love Lucy, Family Matters, Bewitched, and Little House on the Prairie. The Birdcage--the version with Robin Williams--would be excellent. The Vow is an interesting look at rebuilding a healthy relationship. There's also Beetlejuice.

Ruby and Sapphire from Steven Universe! (First gay wedding featured in a kids' show).

Evie and Rick from The Mummy Returns is one of my all time favorite screen marriages. They fall passionately in love in the first film, and by the second film they have a ten-year-old and they're frankly even MORE crazy about each other. #goals.

Emperor’s New Groove Episode= Very Crucial Conjunction

Definitely make an episode on The Emperor’s New Groove

The emperors new groove would be a great episode!

Awww, this was such a great episode! My spouse and I have been together just short of 20 years, and I saw quite a lot of our relationship reflected in what you talked about here. We are polyamorous, but like you said at the end, relationship structure doesn't really have that much bearing on what matters for a healthy relationship. There are certainly some extra conversations we need to have, but there's also some we get to skip. It's a difference in logistics and boundaries, but not a difference in connection and care. Up always makes me reflect on how my second biggest fear in life is ending up alone due to life circumstances (e.g. death, like in the film), but an even bigger fear is my spouse ending up alone for the same reasons. And yet these fears never once translate into "this isn't worth it," not even for a second. It's something I accept that will be part of our lives, just like death itself is inevitable. And I'd rather live in a world with us together than in a world where I don't have a relationship(s) like that.

+1 to what Kristine said, I'm also sad there's not more polyam relationships in media. My spouse and I have been poly for a decade of our relationship, and it's worked very well for us (and I'll be the first to admit it's not for everyone, just like monogamy is not for everyone). It's not really a film about marriage, or even explicitly about polyamory, but I think Spike Jones' film Her is the closest film I've seen to really exploring the benefits and struggles of polyamory in a mainstream film.

I'm sad there's not more polyam relationships in the media because I really want to hear Jono's take on them. I love the Gottmans and their Method, but it's been a struggle to adapt it for polyam folks since, by Dr. John's own admission, they've had difficulty getting research data on them.

Emperor’s New Groove is so underrated, please do an episode about that!!

Marge and Norm Gunderson in Fargo!

“I’m looking at you Bluey” *Jumps out of chair and high fives partner cuz it’s our favorite show and we don’t even have kids*

Omg, Emperor’s New Groove épisode pleasssse!

The parents in Dan in Real Life

And Fiddler on the Roof

MORE GREAT MARRIAGES: Hope Springs, Couples Retreat, Meet the Robinsons, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, Painted Veil

Would absolutely love an Emperor’s New Groove episode! The comedy in that movie never gets old.

I'd love to see you guys talk about Golde and Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof (also would love to see a whole episode dedicated to that film)!

Please do a Bandit and Chili from Bluey episode.

I would love to know what y'all think about "The Story of Us", a movie about a marriage on the verge of falling apart. And while it is based on real people, I think that Jim and Marilyn Lovell in "Apollo 13" qualifies as a healthy movie marriage. This next one is more friendship and appreciating what you have, but I would also love to know what y'all think about "The Shaun the Sheep Movie". And yes please to a full episode on "The Emperor's New Groove"!

Off the top of my head...Firefly-Wash and Zoe, Deadpool-Wade and Vanessa, The Hitman's Bodyguard-Darius and Sonia, Parks and Rec-Leslie and Ben, The Office-Jim and Pam, How I Met Your Mother-Marshall and Lily.

I really appreciate this. It is difficult for me to see men loving their woman because of my childhood. It always seems to be about sex or having a trophy wife so other guys will be jealous or being a gold digger (yes, men do that too) or wants her to be his mother/maid. I have only seen a man love a woman like 2 or 3 times in my 40+ years, and I have to assume it was the unfortunate way I was programmed at an early age.

Wash and Zoe had a great marriage. They had their issues but they always communicated and were there for each other.

PLEASE do the emperor's new groove!!

Emperor’s New Groove episode - yes please!! It is such an underrated Disney film that is just SOOOO good. There would be a lot of things you could delve into as well: friendships, morality, selfishness, parenting and choices (Jono) plus great ways to break the fourth wall, casting great actors, and how best to use flashbacks to supplement the story (Alan). Please do this. I love you guys and I love that movie and you put them together and it’d be better than chocolate + peanut butter or mac + cheese. 💚🦙

Emporer's new groove would be groovy man XD I'm all for it!

Whaddya mean, do we want a full episode on "The Emperor's New Groove?!?" Yes please, of course we do! (Or at least, I do. :) I still remember watching this for the first time and just being floored by all the comedic elements woven into the animation and script.

I mentioned them in the last episode suggestion period, but Tom and Maddie Wachowski from the Sonic movies (which have fairly simple plots, but they're so gosh darn fun!)

Please do Emperor's New Groove!! Me and my partner (mostly my partner lmao) would love that

Rick and Evie! They fall in love in the first movie and the 2nd movie they're married with a son. They definitely have a healthy marriage. It'd be cool to have a comparison episode with Rick and Evie vs Imhotep and Anck-su-nanamun.

Yes, please review The Emperor's New Groove! I don't cry much at movies (except occasionally crying laughing) but Juno leaves me a blubbering weeping mess, especially when Vanessa frames the note...and then asks how she looks..."Like every new mother, scared $hitle$$"...😭😭

Yes, PLEASE do an Emperor's New Groove episode!

EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE MUST HAPPEN. That is all.

Also thank you for the positive poly comments

Throwing in my money for an episode on Emperor's New Gove.

Pepa and Felix Madrigal from Encanto. And Julieta and Agustin Madrigal.

Yes, I second this a million times!!!

Please do Emperor's New Groove. As for a marriage Clint and Linda Barton in the MCU.

I'm here to say PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE do Emperors New Groove as a full episode, if I'm having a really bad depressive episode, this is my automatic go-to movie to get me to laugh and I feel like there's a lot that Jono could talk about in terms of Kuzco's arc and his eventual friendship with Pacha, and then I'd love Alan's comments on the movie comedy aspects especially with how the humor really differs from previous disney films and leans more into an almost Loony Tunes-esque style.

I might be willing to PAY you to do an Emperor's New Groove episode. That movie is one of my all time favorites!

A great movie marriage from the horror genre is the conjuring! Lorraine and Ed are so supportive and tender towards each other even in times of serious danger or crisis. They work together as a team and give each other space to do their best work! And another good one is Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in The Vow - a little cheesy and predictable at times but it deals with trauma and amnesia and Channings character really gives space to Rachel's and doesn't force any decisions on her even though he risks losing her. He gives her time, treats her with patience and respect and also learns new ways of connecting with her. They go through a lot of difficulties but it's nice to see a couple that puts in the work and makes it to the end even better than when they started. And PLEASE do emperors new groove!!

I wonder if Disenchanted would could as a movie marriage. But yes please to the emperors new grove! Im interested to see what Jono has to say about it but more importantly Alan! I feel like theres a lot of filmmaking going on that really supports everything in cool and amazing ways. (And if another filmmaker like Sophie weighs in on that too that be great!)

Marge and Norm Gunderson from Fargo was always marriage goals for me

YES Please do an episode of Emperors new groove. Narcissism, ego, redemption, bonding through adversity. Metanarrative, fourthwall, comedy, performance. Please do it. Or else! (Hey you said be aggressive :))

Yes! Emperor's New Groove. So underrated. I have always loved that marriage. And a pregnant woman who has real character, personality, and doesn't die (or disappear from the story) as soon as the baby is born.

Yes to Emperor!! Kronk is life!!!!

I so want an Emperor’s New Groove episode!!!

And if we’re talking movie marriages, everyone forgets the O’Connells from the mummy ❤️ I wanted a Rick of my very own lol but they just got each other, he was okay with her being a nerd and she was okay that he was a dork. Best couple ever :)

There must be an emperor’s new groove episode! Dudes!

Movie couples that spring to mind for me: Nick and Nora Charles, from the Thin Man; Tevye and Golde from Fiddler on the Roof; and of course Henry and Eleanor from The Lion in Winter (just kidding! but the first two coupes are lovely.)

Emperor’s New Groove? Yes, please!!!

Definitely need a whole Emperor’s New Groove Episode. To quote Hot Rod, “Don’t ask, just bring it!” Also, I just saw Cocaine Bear…I expect an episode about it because…well it’s a bear…on cocaine 😝 Make it work please!

Another movie couple that comes to mind is Tom and Kate Baker from Cheaper by the dozen. But my absolute favorite couple is Amy and Bob from the TV show Good Luck Charlie. Maybe a Mended Light video on them?

Maybe not as a happy marriage example, but Hope Springs (with the great Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carrell) would be a good CT video to go through with a relationship therapist. Plus on the filmmaking side, it is one of my favorite movies and I am nowhere near their target demographic - it’s just that well done. I once watched it back to back with my grandma.

Guido and Dora from Life is Beautiful.

Emperor's New Groove is a must. 😎 Dolittle, with Robert Downey Jr.? The short in the beginning when his wife was alive was sorta like Up. A set up for what's going on, but there was also this amazing love between them, not to mention the incredible adventures. I wish there were a prequel series or movie about that time in their lives. It seems a little Indiana Jones-ish. 😄

Yes, yes, Emperor's New Groove full episode.

One of my favorite movie marriages is Rick and Evie from The Mummy Returns. They're parents, they're clearly still deeply in love, they have great chemistry. AND it's a sequel to their falling-in-love movie, so we get to see how happy ever after worked out for them! Anyway wrt "only gay actors can play gay characters" as a queer person I agree with Alan. giving marginalized groups an opportunity to represent themselves is all well and good, but saying ONLY marginalized people can represent themselves in something like film is essentially just saying "they're a different kind of human". and that's... not good. (also full Emperor's New Groove PLS!!!)

Shaking my head that George and Mary from It's a Wonderful Life weren't on this list

I would love to see you breakdown Robin Williams and Nathan Lane's relationship in The Birdcage. They both grow so beautifully in this movie and you couldn't have better actors playing opposite each other

George and Mary Bailey … It’s a Wonderful Life. But you guys have also done that one too!!!

Emperor’s New Groove!!! Emperor’s New Groove!!! Emperor’s New Groove!!!

Please oh please do an emperor's new groove episode!! 🙏

I just started rewatching Father of the Bride and it's still just so good 😍 This scene in particular is a great reference IMO for what that should look like -- I will be going back for this to work on that skill.

...its a TV marriage and not a movie. But it's just one episode. So kind of a movie in a TV show. BILL AND FRANK!!! Actually the honestly deserve an entire episode of just them. Such a beautiful, full relationship.

You should do the marriages in "Enchanted April"! Both start out rocky and then the couples (spoiler alert) fall back in love over a (yep) "enchanted April" in the 1920s. And, seriously, who wouldn't fall in love while staying in a villa in Italy?