Happily Ever After

Do you believe in happily ever after? Snow White wakes up after receiving a kiss from the prince and they go off to live ‘happily ever after’. But in order to live happily ever after, your marriage must be a happy one, filled with the kind of deep passion and radical acceptance that cultivates a blissful bond between two people.

In Kate & Leopold, Kate is a big city go-getter (Meg Ryan again) who (spoiler alert) must travel back in time at the end of the film to get her man. She eventually falls into the arms of an impossibly charming duke (Hugh Jackman) and presumably lives happily ever after. Although waltzing in the 19th century may seem whimsical, it’s a safe bet a fiercely independent woman like Kate won’t appreciate her limited career opportunities — nor being allowed to vote for that matter. Sadly, Kate & Leopold would probably end up being more like Sid & Nancy. In a Chicago Tribune article exploring romantic myths, sociologist Chauntelle Tibbals has this to say about Hollywood endings: “Reality is not so seamless,” Tibbals said. “Tragedy happens. Life happens. People just grow in different directions.”