Highest-Rated Movies about 'Unhappy Marriage'

American Beauty (1999), Double Indemnity (1944), A Woman Under the Influence (1974), Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), Rush (2013), Greed (1924), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Unhappy Marriage movies.

#1. American Beauty (1999)

Storyline: After his death sometime in his forty-third year, suburbanite Lester Burnham tells of the last few weeks of his life, during which he had no idea of his imminent passing. He is a husband to real estate agent Carolyn Burnham and father to high school student Janie Burnham. Although Lester and Carolyn once loved each other, they now merely tolerate each other. Typical wallflower Janie too hates both her parents, the three who suffer individually in silence in their home life. Janie tries to steer clear of both her parents. Carolyn, relatively new to the real estate business, wants to create the persona of success to further her career, she aspiring to the professional life of Buddy Kane, the king of the real estate business in their neighborhood. Lester merely walks mindlessly through life, including at his job in advertising. His company is downsizing, and he, like all the other employees, has to justify his position to the newly hired efficiency expert to keep his job. Things change ...

Plot Keywords: unfaithful wife, adulterous wife, cheating wife, midlife crisis, cheerleader uniform, unfaithfulness, drug dealer ...

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#2. Double Indemnity (1944)

Storyline: In 1938, Walter Neff, an experienced salesman of the Pacific All Risk Insurance Co., meets the seductive wife of one of his clients, Phyllis Dietrichson, and they have an affair. Phyllis proposes to kill her husband to receive the proceeds of an accident insurance policy and Walter devises a scheme to receive twice the amount based on a double indemnity clause. When Mr. Dietrichson is found dead on a train track, the police accept the determination of accidental death. However, the insurance analyst and Walter's best friend Barton Keyes does not buy the story and suspects that Phyllis has murdered her husband with the help of another man.

Plot Keywords: murder disguised as accident, femme fatale, double cross, insurance, based on novel, los angeles california, insurance fraud ...

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#3. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)

Storyline: Peter Falk is a blue collar man trying to deal with his wife's mental instability. He fights to keep a semblance of normality in the face of her bizarre behavior, but when her actions affect their children, he has her committed.

Plot Keywords: mental illness, marriage, working class, independent film, domestic violence, husband wife relationship, mental breakdown ...

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#4. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)

Storyline: Emmi, a German woman in her mid-sixties, falls in love with Ali, a Moroccan immigrant worker around twenty-five years younger. When they abruptly decide to marry, everyone around them seems appalled. When the folks calm down a bit, Emmi and Ali's relationship grows uncertain.

Plot Keywords: racism, culture clash, loneliness, friendship, family relationships, gambling, friend ...

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#5. Rush (2013)

Storyline: Set against the sexy, glamorous golden age of Formula 1 racing in the 1970s, the film is based on the true story of a great sporting rivalry between handsome English playboy James Hunt (Hemsworth), and his methodical, brilliant opponent, Austrian driver Niki Lauda (Bruhl). The story follows their distinctly different personal styles on and off the track, their loves and the astonishing 1976 season in which both drivers were willing to risk everything to become world champion in a sport with no margin for error: if you make a mistake, you die.

Plot Keywords: rivalry, 1970s, racecar driver, female rear nudity, based on true story, car racing, professional rivalry ...

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#6. Greed (1924)

Storyline: John McTeague was a simple slow man who became a dentist after working at the Big Dipper Gold Mine. He is now being hunted in Death Valley by his ex-best friend Marcus and the law. His lot was cast the day that he meet his future wife Trina in his office. She was with Marcus and she bought a lottery ticket. Well Mac fell for her and Marcus stepped aside. When Mac and Trina married, she won the Lottery for $5000 and became obsessive about the money in gold. Marcus is steamed as he stepped aside and now she is rich so he has the law shut down Mac as he has no official schooling for his dentistry. Trina fearful that they will take her gold away sells everything and takes all Mac earns when he is working. She adds to her stash of gold as they both live as paupers. When Mac has no job and no money, he leaves and Trina moves. Driven to desperation at being poor and hungry he finds Trina and demands the gold.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>

Plot Keywords: storm, picnic, obsession, love triangle, player piano, boardwalk, street life ...

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#7. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Storyline: The family of "Big Daddy" Pollitt convenes at his and Big Momma's. Among the attendees is alcoholic son, Brick; an ex-football player, who spends his time drinking and avoiding the ministries of his libidinous wife, Maggie - 'the cat'. As this gathering isn't so much as a gathering but a farewell (Big Daddy is terminally ill) a lot of memories and revelations which had been hidden come to the surface of both father and son.

Plot Keywords: southern gothic, husband wife relationship, homosexuality, based on play, marriage problems, father in law daughter in law relationship, brother brother relationship ...

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#8. The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

Storyline: Based on a true story about a man named Christopher Gardner. Gardner has invested heavily in a device known as a "bone density scanner". He feels like he has it made selling these devices. However, they do not sell well as they are marginally better than x-ray at a much higher price. As Gardner works to make ends meet, his wife leaves him and he loses his apartment. Forced to live out in the streets with his son, Gardner continues to sell bone density scanners while concurrently taking on an unpaid internship as a stockbroker, with slim chances for advancement to a paid position. Before he can receive pay, he needs to outshine the competition through 6 months of training, and to sell his devices to stay afloat.

Plot Keywords: hippie, hit by a car, homeless shelter, hospital, rubik's cube, troubled marriage, unhappy marriage ...

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#9. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Storyline: George and Martha are a middle aged married couple, whose charged relationship is defined by vitriolic verbal battles, which underlies what seems like an emotional dependence upon each other. This verbal abuse is fueled by an excessive consumption of alcohol. George being an associate History professor in a New Carthage university where Martha's father is the President adds an extra dimension to their relationship. Late one Saturday evening after a faculty mixer, Martha invites Nick and Honey, an ambitious young Biology professor new to the university and his mousy wife, over for a nightcap. As the evening progresses, Nick and Honey, plied with more alcohol, get caught up in George and Martha's games of needing to hurt each other and everyone around them. The ultimate abuse comes in the form of talk of George and Martha's unseen sixteen year old son, whose birthday is the following day.

Plot Keywords: alcohol, drinking, dialogue driven, husband wife relationship, drunkenness, one night, humiliation ...

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#10. The Graduate (1967)

Storyline: Ben has recently graduated from college, with his parents now expecting great things from him. At his "Homecoming" party, Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father's business partner, has Ben drive her home, which leads to an affair between the two. The affair eventually ends, but comes back to haunt him when he finds himself falling for Elaine, Mrs. Robinson's daughter.

Plot Keywords: older woman younger man relationship, college graduate, two word title, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, adultery, birthday party, car driving ...

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#11. Of Mice and Men (1939)

Storyline: George Milton and Lennie Small are migrant workers in the 1930s Depression. Lennie is mentally disabled and George looks after him. While working as hands on a Western ranch, they dream of owning their own ranch and the opportunity may be available. Their current ranch is owned by a sadistic man who has a flirtatious wife.—dstern1

Plot Keywords: rabbit, migrant worker, mercy killing, friendship, name calling, paper bag, song ...

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#12. Jules and Jim (1962)

Storyline: In pre-WWI Paris, two friends, Jules (Austrian) and Jim (French), fall in love with the same woman, Catherine. But Catherine loves and marries Jules. When they meet again in Germany after the war, Catherine starts to love Jim - This is the story of three people in love, a love that doesn't affect their friendship, and about how their relationship evolves with the years.

Plot Keywords: marriage, adultery, menage a trois, adulterous wife, female psychopath, promiscuity, french new wave ...

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#13. Mississippi Burning (1988)

Storyline: Two FBI agents investigating the murder of civil rights workers during the 60s seek to breach the conspiracy of silence in a small Southern town where segregation divides black and white. The younger agent trained in FBI school runs up against the small town ways of his former Sheriff partner.

Plot Keywords: 1960s, based on true story, southern u.s., deep south, ku klux klan, small town, investigation ...

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#15. The Notebook (2004)

Storyline: In a nursing home, resident Duke reads a romance story to an old woman who has senile dementia with memory loss. In the late 1930s, wealthy seventeen year-old Allie Hamilton is spending summer vacation in Seabrook. Local worker Noah Calhoun meets Allie at a carnival and they soon fall in love with each other. One day, Noah brings Allie to an ancient house that he dreams of buying and restoring and they attempt to make love but get interrupted by their friend. Allie's parents do not approve of their romance since Noah belongs to another social class, and they move to New York with her. Noah writes 365 letters (A Year) to Allie, but her mother Anne Hamilton does not deliver them to her daughter. Three years later, the United States joins the World War II and Noah and his best friend Fin enlist in the army, and Allie works as an army nurse. She meets injured soldier Lon Hammond in the hospital. After the war, they meet each other again going on dates and then, Lon, who is wealthy and ...

Plot Keywords: letter, second chance, class differences, promise, post world war two, mother daughter relationship, husband wife relationship ...

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