The magic of a movie kiss — that will-they-won’t-they buildup lasting for many minutes until finally, a bubble pops and the earth shakes for a bit — is something deserving of reward. Not every movie couple has the chemistry or the good lighting or the flawless looks to make that moment work once, let alone to recreate it.
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling set the bar at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards when they won Best Kiss for their mid-argument, intense kiss in the rain in “The Notebook,” and they re-enacted it on stage during the awards ceremony. Ever since, the kisses, the couples and the award acceptances have been disappointing.
This year’s kiss king and queen are Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence for their “Silver Linings Playbook” liplock. Both are attractive and well-respected stars, but only Cooper was at the ceremony to accept the award, which is unfortunate because they probably had the best chance of living up to McAdams’ and Gosling’s live moment of affection.
What made McAdams’ and Gosling’s kiss so great, and why is it still relevant today?
When they got up to accept their award, they lined up at opposite ends of the stage as Gosling gestured for her to walk toward him. McAdams jumped into his arms as they kissed and the audience ooh-ed and ahh-ed and applauded. Gosling then carried her to the microphone, made a quip saying “it was my pleasure,” pecked her on the top of her head and they walked off together.
What could possibly top that? Bradley Cooper, adorable as he is, couldn’t do it all by himself.
Let’s take a look at the list of winners between McAdams and Gosling and Sunday’s awards, shall we?
- Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal from “Brokeback Mountain”
- Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen from “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby”
- Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman from “Step Up 2: The Streets”
- Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson from four “Twilight” movies
None have had the Ryan Gosling swagger, the Rachel McAdams charm, the electricity or the perfect movie moment that the two of them shared.
Stewart and Pattinson sadly have tried to recreate their on-screen magic, but it turned out to be nothing more than supremely awkward.
Best Kiss should be one of the most fun awards to go out each year, and stars should recognize that and do their part to deliver what the audience wants. They should start by watching McAdams’ and Gosling’s performance for pointers.
In an ideal world, McAdams and Gosling would star in a romantic movie together again (Kate and Leo, anyone?) and show everyone how it’s done when they accept their Best Kiss award once again. We can only hope.
Andrea Gallo is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Lafayette.