Ah, where should I start… First off, I agree that the “forbidden love” plotpoint makes sense and functions just fine, but most people just disagree with it. The main reason that I dislike that subplot is because it makes the Jedi seem less likeable and I think it seems out of character for personalities such as Yoda to enforce that rule, but that’s just me.

The romance on the other hand is very strange. Padme spends the entire movie rejecting Anakin because he’s creepy (he “makes her feel uncomfortable”) and it would distract from being a Senator for the Queen. Finally at the end she confesses her love but the two characters aren’t even written to have truly romantic moments to show it. Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman have no on-screen chemistry either.

The fact that Anakin doesn’t like sand doesn’t bother anyone, it’s the fact that he says it and the fact that he uses it in a romantic way… It’s so strange.

I don’t see how the love story is complex, it’s the boring version of Romeo and Juliet except Romeo in this case is an awkward jerk whose lines make no sense.

The romance obviously isn’t the only problem behind AOTC, it’s pretty much everything from the horrible looking CGI to the bad dialogue to the boring politics to the boring EVERYTHING. The movie blows, but that’s just my opinion and I can’t change yours. I thought I’d just answer your question.