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When a Happy Marriage Is Just an Act

HBO’s remake of a famous relationship drama seems to forget why viewers like to watch stories of romantic turmoil.
Source: Jojo Whilden / HBO

Apologies to Morticia and Gomez Addams, but a kiss to the upper arm wasn’t sexy until Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac did it on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival. A slow-motion clip of the moment, amplified by Isaac’s singular smolder, went viral earlier this month. More than 11 million Twitter users basked in the pair’s, let’s face it, pure hotness—and then presumably had to fan themselves afterward.

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