The Timeless Appeal of Missed Connections in Romantic Films
The intertwined themes of “love at first sight” and “missed connection” are a heady brew for those drawn to cinematic romances. We are tantalized by films in which the romantic leads lose one another through unhappy circumstances but remain steadfast in their belief that they are still meant for one another. This plot device is sometimes developed through the circumstance of reuniting at some future date, after the lovers have endured unexpected inconveniences. As The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald famously tells us in one of his lesser-known works, “Suddenly she realized that what she was regretting was not the lost past but the lost future, not what had not been but what would never be.”
Love Affair (1939): The Prototype for Missed Connections in Film
Love Affair (1939) is a tender romance starring Irene Dunne and Charles Boyer that marked the beginning of a genre still popular to this day. It serves as the prototype for this type of plot device as it deals with missed connections and uncertain futures for lovers buffeted by fate.
An Affair to Remember (1957): A Classic Tale of Missed Connections and Second Chances
Later films of this variety also featured seemingly star-crossed lovers who, for unforeseen reasons, fail to reunite at the agreed-upon location—usually the Empire State Building. In a later version of this basic plot, An Affair to Remember (1957), Nick Ferrante (Cary Grant) and Terry McKay (Deborah Kerr), star as the substitutes for Boyer and Dunne. At the start of the film, they are both engaged to other people. But they fall in love during a European cruise as they endure the pressures of pesky paparazzi.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993): Updating the Missed Connections Theme for the 1990s
In 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle, Tom Hanks as “Sam” and Meg Ryan as “Annie” updated the “Let’s meet on the top of the Empire State Building” theme. Sam is a widower in Seattle who is still mourning the loss of his wife. Annie is a single girl living in Baltimore and yearning for that true love connection she lacks with her fiancé, played by the affable Bill Pullman. Sam and Annie are brought to one another’s attention through a radio program with the help of Sam’s son, Jonah. The allure of New York City, a very tall building, and the possibility of a missed connection keep us wondering if the couple will ever finally meet.
Love at First Sight (2023): The Latest Entry in the Missed Connections Genre
With that comes the latest entrant to the missed connections category: 2023’s Love at First Sight which I also reviewed at my Substack. Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson), an American with a love for literature and Oliver (Ben Hardy), a Brit with a head for statistics, are a pair of “opposites attract” lovers who fall for each other at first sight. The film cites many statistics related to probabilities and the couples’ likelihood to weather loves’ challenges; chief among them is that they have a less than 6 percent chance of ever seeing one another again.
Analyst comment
This news can be evaluated as positive because it highlights the enduring appeal and popularity of the “missed connections” theme in romantic films. As an analyst, the market for romantic films with this plot device is likely to continue thriving as it taps into the timeless desire for love and the hope of reunions against all odds.
