History Main / ComedyOfRemarriage

A subcategory of RomanticComedy, where the OfficialCouple were once married, but have divorced each other. Eventually they decide that they want to be married to each other after all. A major staple of the classic Hollywood ScrewballComedy, many examples of this genre owe their existence to UsefulNotes/TheHaysCode, although the trope existed before that. Since the Code prohibited depictions of infidelity, it was necessary to have the characters divorce, then fool around with other people, ''then'' get back together.

This last also had the advantage that it made it easier to avoid either one having to be the 'villain' in the previous divorce, and for some, makes them easier to like.

It's practically a given that either the ex-wife or ex-husband has a DisposableFiance.

See also DivorceIsTemporary.
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!!Examples

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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/{{Divorced}}'', Zelda and Ganondorf separated due to marriage issues. A few years later, they end up meeting again for diplomatic reasons. The story is about the two getting back together.
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[[folder: Film -- Animated]]
* Implied with the ending of ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''. One of the final scenes shows the [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] of Earth-616 deciding to try to win back his ex-wife [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson Mary Jane]]. He is seen visiting her apartment with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
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[[folder: Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/HisGirlFriday'' is one of the classic examples, about a woman who leaves her fiance for her ex-husband.
* ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' and its musical update ''Film/HighSociety.''
* ''Film/ThePalmBeachStory:'' Gerry goes to Palm Beach to begin divorce proceedings and is determined to make Hackensacker her new husband while Tom tries to persuade her to come back to him.
* ''Film/TheAwfulTruth'', although the couple never quite gets divorced.
* In ''Film/MyFavoriteWife,'' the husband (Creator/CaryGrant) isn't divorced, but wrongly believes his long-missing wife to be dead and is all set to commit bigamy.
** The same goes for its remake starring Doris Day, ''Move Over, Darling''.
* In Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Mr and Mrs Smith|1941}}'', Ann and David Smith find out they aren't technically married, and the plot revolves around David trying to win Ann back.
* In ''Film/{{Midnight|1939}}'', Eve and Tibor aren't married, but they have to pretend to be, and once they have to file for a phony divorce, this trope comes into play.
* ''Film/ItsLoveImAfter'' has Joyce and Basil torn apart because of a FanGirl.
* ''Film/{{Phffft}}''! has Creator/JackLemmon and Creator/JudyHolliday playing out this ever-popular trope.
* ''Theatre/KissMeKate'' is a musical Comedy of Remarriage.
* ''Film/TheParentTrap1961'' and ''Film/TheParentTrap1998'', although there is the kids working to get them back together.
* ''Film/SweetHomeAlabama,'' even though they weren't technically divorced.
* ''Film/{{Twister}}'', the divorce is in progress. Jo never signed the papers, so Bill tracks her down, dragging his current fiancee along. On their first meeting it takes the viewers about two seconds to realize that Bill and Jo are going to get back together.
* Subverted in ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'', where Creator/RobinWilliams' character wants to get back together with his ex-wife (or is at least annoyed to see her with another man), but they never do. Interestingly, ExecutiveMeddling at one point tried to change the ending to play this trope straight only for Robin Williams and Sally Field to convince them otherwise, claiming it would not only be unrealistic, but could potentially cause false hope in children of divorced parents who saw the film. The HappyEnding of the movie is that everyone comes to terms with the divorce and Williams' character at least gets to remain a part of his children's lives.
* In ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'', George Clooney plays a convict who escapes from jail to reconcile with his wife, who divorced him out of shame after his conviction. After all manner of shenanigans, they get back together.
* Though it's just a subplot, ''Film/OceansEleven'' also has George Clooney as a convict, although this time a paroled one, trying to patch things up with his wife, who divorced him out of shame after his conviction. He wins her back while committing even more crime.
* ''Film/McLintock'' is this in [[TheWestern Western]] form.
* ''Film/LiarLiar,'' though a little more realistic to be fair, since the scene where Max's parents are interested in each other again is about a year after the main plot has been resolved.
* Subverted in ''Film/TheAuteur''. Arturo eventually accepts that Fiona won't return to him, because of his "highly addictive personality" and "insanely jealous nature"; but she forgives him his past, and they do manage to become friends again.
* ''Film/TheRadiolandMurders'' has this as a major subplot - it's mainly a zany romp through, oddly enough, radio shows and serial killing.
* 1934 film ''Film/{{Smarty}}'' is a decidely odd take on this in which the divorce and the romantic hijinks happen because--uh, because Vicki likes being smacked around and Tony won't do it. The HappyEnding comes when they get back together and he hits her. [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Really]].
* ''Film/ThreeSmartGirls'' is a comedy in which the divorced couple's three daughters do all the work, breaking up the father's romance and getting the mother to sail from Europe to America so they can be reunited.
* Paula, in ''Film/TheExMrsBradford'', tries to get her husband back by making him help her solve a murder.
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[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/JudeTheObscure'' is something of a ''tragedy'' of remarriage. (It also works the other way round: [[spoiler:they both get married to different people, then live together, get divorced from their respective spouses, then separate and get married to their previous spouses again]]).
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[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/EmergencyCouple'' is a KoreanDrama about two divorcees who independently go to medical school, and find themselves working together as interns, six years after their divorce.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' plays this in reverse with Dr. Cox and Jordan: first they were married, then got divorced, then started living together again after having a child together, but didn't get remarried. Then they find out that due to a clerical error, they're still married. Due to their extremely screwed-up personalities, this fact causes them no end of torment and so they decide to divorce again to ''save'' their relationship.
* ''Series/TheOrville'' is [[ZigZagged playing pinball]] with this trope. [[TheCaptain Ed Mercer]] was married, but walked in on his wife having sex with another guy [[spoiler: It's not clear if the whole thing was actually consensual]]. A nasty divorce and a HeroicBSOD later, he's assigned to captain the titular ship...with his ex-wife as his NumberTwo. There's plenty of ShipTease, but they also get on each other's nerves as only a pair of exes can.
* On Series/TheNewsroom Mackenzie [=McHale=] and Will [=MacAvoy=] were close to getting married (Will had gotten a ring and all) but broke up. It is often alluded that there are still feelings, leading to a WillTheyOrWontThey
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[[folder:Theatre]]
%%* ''Theatre/KissMeKate''
%%* ''Theatre/MaryMary''
* ''Theatre/{{Curtains}}'' has Georgia and Aaron, songwriters and former married couple. They get back together with some suberb acting by some of the other cast members, who ''wanted'' the two back together.
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[[folder:Video Games]]
* Some endings of ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' ([[spoiler:"In Water" and "Rebirth", also possibly "Leave"]]) are somewhat like a horror version of this trope, considering the couple in question didn't seperate through divorce...
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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' played with this trope in one episode, with Coach Jack Wittenberg remarrying Tish Wittenberg (helped muchly by Arnold's matchmaking prowess).
* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}},'' [[TheFairFolk Oberon and Titania]] remarry after a 1,001-year divorce. WordOfGod says that Oberon had had two kids with mortals in the meantime (one of whom was Merlin), while Titania [[spoiler:married [[HandicappedBadass Halcyon Renard]] and became the mother of [[DarkActionGirl Fox]]]].
* In a ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode where Milhouse's parents divorce, Homer and Marge start to question the sanity of their own marriage. Homer begins to feel that the wedding and marriage he provided for Marge was less than she deserved, so he gets divorce papers...and then throws a special wedding in the house, so that they could say their marriage was great from the start. Several seasons later, it turns out that Rev. Lovejoy, who officiated, was not legally (or religiously) able to do so at the time because of a technicality, so Marge and Homer end up having another "real" wedding, and Marge becomes a {{Bridezilla}}. Milhouse's parents remain divorced for many seasons, but eventually rekindle their relationship and get back together.
* {{Invoked}} in ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''--Stan is self-conscious when he realizes that Francine used to ReallyGetAround while he lost his virginity to her. Francine is fine with letting him have a brief affair, but since he refuses to cheat, they agree to divorce and then remarry after he's had sex with somebody else. HilarityEnsues when Stan proves unwilling to just sleep with someone too quickly, and winds up marrying another woman instead.
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