So I thought I'd do a post (posts?) on the topic of Sam playing romantic heroes, bc this is what I disagree with the entire planet most about.
What I mean by "romantic hero" here is someone who I see would make a good partner. Let's go. (Under a cut as got long, no major spoilers.)
William (Snow White and the Huntsman)
A son of a duke and childhood friend of Snow White. When Ravenna, the Evil Queen, takes over their kingdom, the duke and his young son escape to safety. William grows up believing Snow White to be dead. When he hears she is still alive, he doesn't waste a second and goes off to rescue her, as she is being held in prison by her stepmother. His father tries to persuade him not to go, the quest is full of perils and would lead him through the dark forest, but William is determined. He feels he let her down, even though he had no control over the events, being a child himself. He joins the band of Bad Guys, led by Queen Ravenna's brother (who has an unfortunate haircut, but that's for another day) so that he can get to Snow White--this is the "do you need a bowman" scene. Oh yes, William is very skilled with a bow and arrow!
William is loyal, dependable, honourable, a skilled archer and of noble blood, and doesn't hesitate to engage his darker side when necessary--and what is more romantic hero than that?
Philip (Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides)
Philip is a missionary, a sole survivor of a ship that got captured by Blackbeard. Blackbeard's daughter Angelica persuaded her father to spare the young priest, believing she could save Blackbeard's soul. Philip believes everyone's soul can be saved, even someone as cruel and bad as Blackbeard's. Philip is not afraid to stand up to Blackbeard and even calls him a 'coward'.
The pirates are on a hunt for a tear of a mermaid, on their quest to find the Fountain of Youth. However, they soon discover mermaids are not to be messed around with. Philip manages to catch one (not realising this very same mermaid earlier saved him from falling debris by pulling him into the water). He stabs her tail with sword, but when their eyes meet and sees her, he instantly changes his mind. It's too late, though, the pirates turn up and capture her in a net. Philip regrets his action and spends the rest of the film doing his best to protect her. When she is being carried in a glass box, she starts choking bc she can't breathe, he insist they let some air in. When they don't listen, he grabs a sword from Blackbeard's quartermaster (who is a scary character), breaks the lock, pries the box open, and uses his Bible in to create an opening, so that the mermaid can have air. When the glass box breaks and she turns human on dry land (has legs instead of tail), she can't walk and Philip carries her. He takes off his shirt and wraps her in it, as she is exposed, after her scales turns to human skin. (This also means we get a shirtless Sam!) Philip and the mermaid, whom he names Syrena, talk and he finds out she saved his life, when Jack blew up a lighthouse. She could see he was different from the others, that he protects.
A clergyman might not be perhaps everyone's choice of a romantic hero, well not mine anyway (I grew up without religion), but it's incredible how brave Philip is. He is the only one who cares about Syrena's welfare and protects her. And he has unshakable faith. A man of principles--certainly a romantic hero to me!
Richard Sharp (Adrift)
Richard is based on a real life person, but for the purposes of this post, I will treat him as a fictional guy. Also I should add that Richard is a sailor and so your relationship would only be possible if you were also a sailor, or at least wanted to sail the seas. (I think those type of people drift together; lol a pun.) It's just a big part of who he is. But it is, of course, possible to imagine him in a different environment, of the same character.
Richard makes it known to Tami that he is interested in her, no fucking around, they have a date aboard his boat. He is certainly helped a lot by the gorgeous backdrop of Tahiti. When he gets an offer to sail his friends' yacht to San Diego, he immediately includes Tami in his plans. During their voyage, he proposes to her with a ring he made himself (he would buy an actual ring of precious stone once they landed). Skilled at what he does and committed to you--a good choice for a romantic hero, I'd say.
Henry Copper (Book of Love)
A point against Henry right from the start is that he is a rather unsuccessful writer. However, this is only bc the film has to be about something (so that he can team up with Maria), but it doesn't mean he is bad at writing.
Why I think he is a romantic hero is that he is most courteous to Maria, even after he finds out she changed his book while translating it. He agrees to work with her without complaining and takes her seriously. He asks what she's writing one night when they're staying at a hotel while on book tour, she tells him she wants to write her own book. She's a single mum and he does his best to bond with her son, attempting to speak Spanish. While they're out on a night walk, he has no problem admitting that he got scared when he heard a monkey scream--Maria remarks that none of the men she knows would ever admit to any such thing. When the book they're working on is ready for publishing, he makes sure her name, too, appears on the cover, so they share the credit. I also like the hot professor look Sam sports here.
There is some romcom-typical angst where he gets jealous of her ex-bf/baby daddy, but it doesn't last long. At the end, Maria publishes a book of her own, and Henry is backstage during an interview she does for a talk show, supporting her.
A man who respects you and takes you seriously and is your biggest supporter--easily spells a romantic hero to me!
