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  3. 31 of rom-coms' most memorable 'disposable fiancés'

31 of rom-coms' most memorable 'disposable fiancés'

So nice, so bland, so not the leading man
By Dana Schwartz June 11, 2018 at 07:54 PM EDT
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Prince Edward (James Marsden) and Nancy (Idina Menzel) in Enchanted

James MarsdenIdina Menzel split Enchanted
Credit: Everett Collection

What is a “disposable fiancé” (or fiancée)? Look to Enchanted for the perfect example: Edward and Nancy are both totally fine — nice, even! — but they’re not the romantic-comedy love interests of the film.

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Bob Kelly (Christopher Meloni) in Runaway Bride

Christopher Meloni Runaway Bride
Credit: Paramount

Bob was the latest of Maggie's (Julia Roberts) left-at-the-altar beaus, but we all knew she would end up with Richard Gere in the end.

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Darryl (Eriq La Salle) in Coming to America

Eriq La Salle
Credit: Paramount

Though Eddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem also had a girl waiting for him back home, the real disposable fiancé was Darryl, Lisa’s (Shari Headley) boyfriend-turned-fiancé.

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Greg (Finn Wittrock) in La La Land

Finn Wittrock
Credit: Summit Releasing

Greg was totally fine, if a bit stiff. He wasn't a fiancé (just a boyfriend of a few months), but he still filled that narrative purpose.

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Wendy (Lynn Collins) in 13 Going on 30

Lynn Collins 13 Going on 30
Credit: Columbia Pictures

When Jenna (Jennifer Garner) skipped forward to age 30, her former best friend Matt (Mark Ruffalo) was engaged to a perfectly nice-seeming meteorologist who was moving with him to Chicago.

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Jeff King (Alec Baldwin) in Notting Hill

Alec Baldwin in Notting Hill
Credit: Universal

Baldwin made an uncredited cameo as Anna’s (Julia Roberts) American movie-star boyfriend.

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Bruce (Ralph Bellamy) in His Girl Friday 

HIS GIRL FRIDAY, from left: Ralph Bellamy, Rosalind Russell, 1940
Credit: Everett Collection

Poor Ralph Bellamy lost his fiancée not once, but twice to Cary Grant — first as a bland insurance man engaged to a star reporter (Rosalind Russell)…

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Dan (Ralph Bellamy) in The Awful Truth 

THE AWFUL TRUTH, from left: Esther Dale, Ralph Bellamy, Irene Dunne, 1937
Credit: Everett Collection

…and then as "Oklahoma" Dan Lesson, who gets engaged to a woman (Irene Dunne) who's still not over the man she's divorcing.

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Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker) in Bringing Up Baby

BRINGING UP BABY, Virginia Walker, Cary Grant, 1938
Credit: Everett Collection

This time, it’s the woman being left: Cary Grant’s character is engaged to the dour Alice Swallow. Three guesses who he ends up with after he meets a free-spirited woman played by Katherine Hepburn.

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Richard (James Marsden) in Superman Returns 

SUPERMAN RETURNS, James Marsden, Brandon Routh, Tristan Leabu, Kate Bosworth, 2006, (c) Warner Broth
Credit: Everett Collection

Fellow frequent runner-up James Marsden played Richard White, the nephew of The Daily Planet’s editor-in-chief and fiancé to Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth).

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Lon Hammond Jr. (James Marsden) in The Notebook

THE NOTEBOOK, James Marsden, 2004, (c) New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Marsden was yet again second place, but who can blame Rachel McAdams for going with Ryan Gosling?

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Walter (Bill Pullman) in Sleepless in Seattle

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, 1993
Credit: Everett Collection

Meg Ryan begins the movie engaged to Walter but senses there’s something missing in the relationship. (Spoiler alert: It’s him not being Tom Hanks.)

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John Jameson (Daniel Gillies) in Spider-Man 2

SPIDER-MAN 2, Daniel Gillies, 2004, (c) Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst) was engaged to an actual astornaut (the first man to play football on the moon!), who also happened to be the son of The Daily Bugle’s editor-in-chief, but she ran away in her wedding dress to be with Spidey (Tobey Maguire).

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Patricia Eden (Parker Posey) in You’ve Got Mail

You'Ve Got Mail - 1998
Credit: Brian Hamill/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

Patricia was with Joe “NY152” Fox (Tom Hanks) while he was emailing Kathleen “Shopgirl” Kelly (Meg Ryan) — and it was Patricia’s idea to get Kathleen writing children's books.

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Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear) in You’ve Got Mail

YOU'VE GOT MAIL, Greg Kinnear, 1998, (c) Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Kathleen, meanwhile, was living with Frank, a nice but underwhelming writer.

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Richard (Billy Campbell) in Ghost Town 

GHOST TOWN
Credit: Everett Collection

Ricky Gervais played a dentist who can see ghosts, and who falls in love with an Egyptologist (Téa Leoni) engaged to a human-rights lawyer (Campbell).

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Leonard Samson (Ty Burrell) in The Incredible Hulk

THE INCREDIBLE HULK, Ty Burrell, 2008. ©Universal/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Leonard began dating Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) while Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) was away trying to get a cure for his “condition.”

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Colin (Kevin McKidd) in Made of Honor

MADE OF HONOR, Patrick Dempsey, Kevin McKidd, Michelle Monaghan, 2008. ©Sony Pictures/courtesy Evere
Credit: Everett Collection

He was a bona fide Scottish lord, and he still lost out in the end.

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Lara Tyler (Alice Eve) in The Decoy Bride 

The Decoy Bride - 2011
Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock

Lara Tyler is an American movie star engaged to a famous novelist (David Tennant) for the wrong reasons.

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Jeremy Sloane (Adam Scott) in Leap Year

LEAP YEAR, Adam Scott, 2010. ph: Jonathan Hession/©Universal Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Instead of waiting for her cardiologist boyfriend (played by Scott) to propose, Anna Brady (Amy Adams) decided to take matters into her own hands. Turned out he only decided to get married to help them get into an apartment building.

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Inez (Rachel McAdams) in Midnight in Paris

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, l-r: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, 2011. ph: Roger Arpajou/©Sony Pictures Classics
Credit: Everett Collection

Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is engaged to Inez, but he falls for a Picasso muse (Marion Cotillard) after being transported back to the 1920s, and later ends up with a Parisian blonde (Léa Seydoux).

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Andrew (Callum Blue) in Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement

THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT, Callum Blue, Anne Hathaway, 2004, (c) Buena Vista/courtesy
Credit: Everett Collection

Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) needed to get married in order to become queen, and Andrew would be a perfect husband. If only they weren’t so bland together.

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Richard (Josh Grobon) in Crazy, Stupid, Love

CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE., from left: Emma Stone, Josh Groban, 2011. ph: Ben Glass/©Warner Brothers/Court
Credit: Everett Collection

Richard doesn’t actually propose when his girlfriend, Hannah (Emma Stone), graduates from law school, which sends her straight to Ryan Gosling’s perfectly toned abs.

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Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) in Sweet Home Alabama

SWEET HOME ALABAMA, Patrick Dempsey, 2002, (c) Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Andrew orchestrated a picture-perfect romantic proposal at Tiffany & Co., and his mother was the mayor of New York. Total marriage material!

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Fran Donolly (Bridgette Wilson) in The Wedding Planner

WEDDING PLANNER
Credit: Everett Collection

Every woman’s nightmare: your fiancé (Matthew McConaughey) falling in love with your wedding planner (Jennifer Lopez).

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Glenn Guilia (Matthew Glave) in The Wedding Singer

THE WEDDING SINGER, from left: matthew Glave, Drew Barrymore, 1998, © New Line/courtesy Everett Coll
Credit: Everett Collection

Disposable fiancés come in two flavors: bland nice guy and cheating jerk. Glenn falls in the latter category.

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Sack Lodge (Bradley Cooper) in Wedding Crashers

WEDDING CRASHERS, Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, 2005, (c) New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
Credit: Everett Collection

Sack also falls into the latter category — he reveals he's cheating on Rachel McAdams’ character.

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Henrietta (Anna Chancellor) in Four Weddings and a Funeral

FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL, from left: Hugh Grant, Anna Chancellor, 1994. © Gramercy Pictures/court
Credit: Everett Collection

Hugh Grant makes it as far as the altar with Henrietta before realizing he wants to be with Andie MacDowell.

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Baroness von Schrader (Eleanor Parker) in The Sound of Music

THE SOUND OF MUSIC, from left, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, 1965, TM and Copyright ©20th
Credit: Everett Collection

The Baroness, engaged to the Captain (Christopher Plummer) before the nanny (Julie Andrews) swept in, was glamorous and funny, and maybe also a Nazi sympathizer.

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Ben (Rafe Spall) in What If…

'What If' - 2015
Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock

Chantry’s (Zoe Kazan) long-term boyfriend worked for the U.N., but he was no Daniel Radcliffe.

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Natasha (Embeth Davidtz) in Bridget Jones’s Diary

BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, Colin Firth, Embeth Davidtz, 2001
Credit: Everett Collection

So stiff! So formal! Darcy’s (Colin Firth) law-colleague-turned-fiancée has none of Bridget’s (Renée Zellweger) spark.

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    1 of 31 Prince Edward (James Marsden) and Nancy (Idina Menzel) in Enchanted
    2 of 31 Bob Kelly (Christopher Meloni) in Runaway Bride
    3 of 31 Darryl (Eriq La Salle) in Coming to America
    4 of 31 Greg (Finn Wittrock) in La La Land
    5 of 31 Wendy (Lynn Collins) in 13 Going on 30
    6 of 31 Jeff King (Alec Baldwin) in Notting Hill
    7 of 31 Bruce (Ralph Bellamy) in His Girl Friday 
    8 of 31 Dan (Ralph Bellamy) in The Awful Truth 
    9 of 31 Alice Swallow (Virginia Walker) in Bringing Up Baby
    10 of 31 Richard (James Marsden) in Superman Returns 
    11 of 31 Lon Hammond Jr. (James Marsden) in The Notebook
    12 of 31 Walter (Bill Pullman) in Sleepless in Seattle
    13 of 31 John Jameson (Daniel Gillies) in Spider-Man 2
    14 of 31 Patricia Eden (Parker Posey) in You’ve Got Mail
    15 of 31 Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear) in You’ve Got Mail
    16 of 31 Richard (Billy Campbell) in Ghost Town 
    17 of 31 Leonard Samson (Ty Burrell) in The Incredible Hulk
    18 of 31 Colin (Kevin McKidd) in Made of Honor
    19 of 31 Lara Tyler (Alice Eve) in The Decoy Bride 
    20 of 31 Jeremy Sloane (Adam Scott) in Leap Year
    21 of 31 Inez (Rachel McAdams) in Midnight in Paris
    22 of 31 Andrew (Callum Blue) in Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement
    23 of 31 Richard (Josh Grobon) in Crazy, Stupid, Love
    24 of 31 Andrew (Patrick Dempsey) in Sweet Home Alabama
    25 of 31 Fran Donolly (Bridgette Wilson) in The Wedding Planner
    26 of 31 Glenn Guilia (Matthew Glave) in The Wedding Singer
    27 of 31 Sack Lodge (Bradley Cooper) in Wedding Crashers
    28 of 31 Henrietta (Anna Chancellor) in Four Weddings and a Funeral
    29 of 31 Baroness von Schrader (Eleanor Parker) in The Sound of Music
    30 of 31 Ben (Rafe Spall) in What If…
    31 of 31 Natasha (Embeth Davidtz) in Bridget Jones’s Diary

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    31 of rom-coms' most memorable 'disposable fiancés'
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