So it was a surprise to see that in the new romantic comedy 'Our Family Wedding,' America Ferrera and Lance Gross play a Mexican woman and an African-American man in love. Considering that most movies featuring interracial lovers include one white partner, it was a welcome change to explore how two minorities would handle the ups and downs of cross-cultural romance in 'Wedding' -- even if it was handled in a stereotypical fashion to milk laughs out of the audience.
Looking back at movies with interracial couples, they fall into two categories -- ones in which the couple's backgrounds are a Big Deal, and ones in which it's just not an issue. The majority of movies on this list are the former, but perhaps one day soon, more movies won't need to highlight a couple's cultural differences -- you know, sort of like Uhura and Spock in 'Star Trek.' Although interracial romances in films are definitely not the rarity they once were when movies like 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' or '100 Rifles' hit the screen, they are still fairly uncommon.
So it was a surprise to see that in the new romantic comedy 'Our Family Wedding,' America Ferrera and Lance Gross play a Mexican woman and an African-American man in love. Considering that most movies featuring interracial lovers include one white partner, it was a welcome change to explore how two minorities would handle the ups and downs of cross-cultural romance in 'Wedding' -- even if it was handled in a stereotypical fashion to milk laughs out of the audience.
Looking back at movies with interracial couples, they fall into two categories -- ones in which the couple's backgrounds are a Big Deal, and ones in which it's just not an issue. The majority of movies on this list are the former, but perhaps one day soon, more movies won't need to highlight a couple's cultural differences -- you know, sort of like Uhura and Spock in 'Star Trek.'
10. Lucy Liu and Josh Hartnett in 'Lucky Number Slevin' (2006)
In this clever crime thriller, Hartnett's young assassin Slevin finds himself easily distracted by and attracted to Lindsey, an upbeat mortician played by Liu. Their flirtatious, rapid-fire banter is reminiscent of screwball-comedy dialogue, and their sexy exchanges are definitely color-blind.
9. Irene Jacob and Laurence Fishburne in 'Othello' (1995)
William Shakespeare's legendary interracial romance between the courageous Moor Othello (Fishburne) and his beloved Venetian beauty Desdemona (Jacob) inevitably ends in tragedy, but in this abridged film adaptation, the leads share an electric sexual chemistry before jealousy and deception (choreographed by Iago, who's played by Kenneth Branagh) lead to their demise.
8. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski in 'Away We Go' (2008)
As a super-connected couple trying to find the right place to call home before their baby arrives, Rudolph and Krasinski are so sweetly believable as hipsters in love that race isn't even a consideration. Until Rudolph's Verona visits her sister (Carmen Ejogo) and discusses her dead parents, her background isn't even mentioned. They are committed and happy, and it doesn't matter that she's black and he's white.
7. Melora Walters and Don Cheadle in 'Boogie Nights' (1997)
Yes, Paul Thomas Anderson's breakout drama doesn't center around them, but Walters and Cheadle's married porn stars Jessie and Buck are the only stable, devoted couple in the movie. While the other characters deal with heavy issues such as murder-suicide, infidelity, custody battles and drug addiction, Jessie and Buck only have to overcome a racist bank loan officer -- a problem fate solves for them.
6. Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in 'West Side Story' (1961)
Wood may not have been Latina, but she played the Puerto Rican Maria in the Oscar-winning musical, falling for Beymer's handsome Tony, aka "a boy like that," despite the protestations of both her family and his white gang buddies. Between their tender first dance, their impromptu wedding in the dress shop, and their passionate first time, Maria and Tony remain one of the most enduring, if tragic, on-screen couples.
5. Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in 'Monster's Ball' (2001)
Theirs is definitely not a conventional romance, since Thornton's Hank starts the movie as an unapologetic racist, but eventually he and Berry's Leticia -- both of whom are dealing with devastating losses -- come together in one of film history's most emotional, passionate scenes ever. When a bereaved Leticia sobs, "Make me feel good," Hank does just that, overcoming his years of racial prejudice to take care of the woman he loves.
4. Katie Holmes and Derek Luke in 'Pieces of April' (2003)
Holmes broke out of her 'Dawson's Creek' mold in this critical darling about April, a rebellious daughter who hilariously attempts to fix a Thanksgiving meal for her dysfunctional family -- all with the help of her supportive boyfriend Bobby (Luke). April and Bobby may be young lovers, but they deal with each other's bouts of crazy with ease and as much patience as they can muster.
3. Katharine Houghton and Sidney Poitier in 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' (1967)
Stanley Kramer's classic drama was once considered quite controversial (it was released the same year the Supreme Court finally deemed interracial marriage legal in all states). But if Poitier's saintly character couldn't secure the blessing of his young fiancee's parents (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy), then there was no hope for any other interracial couples.
2. Sarita Choudhury and Denzel Washington in 'Mississippi Masala' (1992)
Mira Nair's Southern romance follows the daughter of Ugandan-Indian motel owners, Mina (Choudhury), who literally bumps into and then fall hard for Demetrius (Washington), the owner of a local carpet-cleaning business. Their affair causes problems on both sides, and the external cultural tensions almost wreck their relationship, but in the end Mina and Demetrius choose each other instead of giving in to their families and friends.
1. Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker in 'Something New' (2006)
This under-appreciated romance stars Lathan as Kenya, an ambitious, tightly wound accountant from a wealthy black family, and Baker as Brian, her laid-back landscape architect. In a twist on the stereotypical plot line, her family considers him "the help" after they begin a torrid affair. From frank and funny discussions about the difficulties of black-white relationships to some of the sexiest love scenes (he lovingly paints her toenails red!), this tops the interracial romance hall of fame.
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