ian Lim plays a guy looking for a bride in Star Cinema’s newest romantic comedy, “Bride for Rent.” He goes out to audition for actresses to pretend to be his wife so that he can get his inheritance from his “Lala” (played by Pilita Corrales). He ends up choosing a girl played by Kim Chiu.
You don’t even need to see the trailer to guess what it’s all about, the storyline’s been used at least 8 times. Here’s proof.
Released in 1995
Directed by Alfonso Arau
Starring Keanu Reeves, Aitana Sanchez–Gijon, Anthony Quinn
Although by no means a comedy, “A Walk in the Clouds”
features Keanu Reeves pretending to be the husband of Aitana Sanchez–Gijon to save her from the wrath of her father. The clincher? Sanchez–Gijon is pregnant with another man’s kid.
Released in 1990
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell
In “Green Card
,” Gerard Depardieu enters into a marriage of convenience with Andie MacDowell to save himself from being deported. They go into the whirlwind of living together and getting to know each other fully to save themselves from a case of marriage fraud.
Released in 2009
Directed by Gil Junger
Starring Melissa Joan Hart, Joseph Lawrence
You’d be surprised how many pseudo couple films Melissa Joan Hart has found herself in. In “My Fake Fiance
,” she and Joseph Lawrence find themselves strapped for cash. The best decision? Get married and recover everything they’ve lost through the wedding gifts.
Release in 1997
Directed by Glenn Gordon Caron
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Jay Mohr, Kevin Bacon
Jennifer Aniston’s character Kate keeps failing to get a promotion because she’s not “stable enough.” To fix that, she pretends to start a relationship with Nick (Jay Mohr). But of course it’s not as easy as it sounds. We’ll let you guess the rest of “Picture Perfect
” but yup, they fall in love.
Released in 2007
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James and Jesica Biel
A little less conventional than the other entries, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
” features best friends Chuck and Larry who pretend to be a gay couple so that they can get domestic partner benefits. Though both extremely straight, they strive through making their deal work until the gorgeous Jessica Biel steps in and puts their relationship on the rocks.
Released in 2009
Directed by Anna Fletcher
Starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds
In “The Proposal
,” Sandra Bullock tries to avoid deportation by threatening her assistant Ryan Reynolds into marrying her. As part of their act, she goes to his hometown in Alaska and both discover that they can be more than just officemates.
Released in 2005
Directed by Claire Kliner
Starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney
In “The Wedding Date
,” Debra Messing has to attend her sister’s wedding but is pressured to bring a date as to not stir up pity from the guests. She decides to hit the yellow pages and finds herself a gorgeous male escort, who, well you guessed it, she falls in love with.
Released in 2004
Starring Hye-Kyo Song and Rain
Although technically it isn’t a movie, “Full House
” deserves to be on the top of this list. Unemployed Song is forced to marry the obsessive compulsive actor Rain in order to acquire a childhood home. They discover the crazy world of being married and falling accidentally in love.
“Bride for Rent” opens in cinemas nationwide this January 15, 2014.
