23 Movies That Are Considered Romantic But Are Actually Low-Key Soooooooooooo Toxic

1 year ago 19

"I enjoyed the story when I was younger, but it left a bad taste in my mouth after rewatching it."

Reddit user phantom_avenger recently asked the members of r/moviecritic, "What movie is considered 'romantic' when in reality it's very toxic?" People quickly filled the thread with their hot takes on beloved rom-coms and other supposedly "heartwarming" films (that perhaps didn't age so well). Here's what they shared:

1. "50 First Dates. She's incapable of having any romantic relationship because of her condition, and he basically took advantage of a woman with a mental disability. Imagine the absolute torture she endures daily, waking up to realize she has a husband and child she's completely incapable of remembering. She will have to endure that torture the rest of her life."

A woman holds flowers and a card, smiling at a man in a floral shirt, standing beside a yellow jeep in a grassy area

2. "How about While You Were Sleeping? She literally allows the man and his family to think she is his secret fiancée, and then she falls for his brother. WTH?"

Scene from a hospital room with two people talking beside a patient's bed. The setting suggests an emotional or pivotal moment in a movie

3. "Mrs. Doubtfire. It turns out that Daniel was always capable of being a good parent and taking actual care of the family; he just chose not to until his wife got fed up. Then, instead of accepting that being a lazy man-child has consequences and trying to prove himself the right way, he commits fraud and deceives this entire family and the court. Still one of my favorite movies though."

A person in a floral dress, likely from a film, walks outside with a woman in a patterned dress and three children, holding hands and smiling

4. "Never Been Kissed. A teacher has feelings for a student, yet is angry she 'lied to him' about being an adult undercover in the school."

Two people painting together, wearing casual clothes. They stand in front of a mural with a sunset scene, engaged in conversation

5. "Big. It's a young boy trapped in a man's body. He kisses and has sex with a woman, and then, after she learns the truth, she still wants to be with him when he's older. I enjoyed the story when I was younger, but it left a bad taste in my mouth after rewatching it. Who thinks of and writes that stuff?"

Two people sit on the floor with scattered papers, appearing to discuss or review documents. One wears a suit with a cardigan, the other a blazer and skirt

6. "Overboard. Kurt Russell kidnaps Goldie Hawn and forces her into domestic slavery."

A person in a jacket leans toward another seated in a patterned skirt and denim jacket, set in a rustic outdoor scene with flowers

7. "Four Weddings and a Funeral. Carrie (Andie MacDowell) is awful to Charles (Hugh Grant). She invites him wedding dress shopping when he clearly fancies her, and this is after they have slept together, and then invites him to her wedding too. Then she shows up to his wedding, assuming this is unexpected based on his reaction, and then blows that up. She is a horrible, self-absorbed, narcissistic person. 'Is it still raining? I hadn't noticed.' WORST line delivery EVER!!"

Two people in a romantic scene, standing close in the rain on a street. Both wear professional attire, engaged in an emotional moment

8. "My Best Friend's Wedding. I'm glad she didn't get him in the end."

A lively karaoke scene with a woman singing at a table, surrounded by an attentive crowd

9. "Dirty Dancing. Baby was like 17, and Johnny was like 25. It was completely inappropriate, and whether he knew it or not, he was taking advantage of an extremely naive teenage girl who was still in high school. I get that it was her coming-of-age story, but what parent wouldn't be trying to keep their teenage daughter from hanging out with a bunch of adults almost 10 years older than her, who were hanging out all night drinking and partying?"

Scene from a movie with two people in a dance studio. They are facing each other closely, mid-dance sequence

10. "The two main characters of Serendipity are lucky to be played by John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale who have so much chemistry because they are awful people screwing over their committed partners for a second chance at capturing the magic of a single evening years prior."

Two people standing close, gazing at each other tenderly, with snow falling around them, creating an intimate moment

11. "The Time Traveler's Wife. An extradimensional time-traveling nudist cat burglar grooms a child to marry him when she comes of age, then traumatizes her by getting himself shot while breaking into somebody's home to steal their clothes."

Two people sit on a bench, looking at each other. It appears to be a contemplative scene, possibly from a movie

12. "Sweet Home Alabama. She chooses the man who refused a divorce for 15 years and was disrespectful to her for most of the film. The same could be said for The Notebook. They agreed on nothing, and Ally was slapping him regularly. Very toxic love that was packaged as a fantasy."

Two people converse at an outdoor festival with a crowd in the background, suggesting a scene from a TV show or movie

13. "I can't stand The Notebook. It's just a horrible movie that portrays toxicity as romance. I had a friend in college who was shocked that I hadn't seen it (I'm a big fan of romcoms), and we watched it together. I was stunned the entire time, and afterwards she told me she felt like her relationship with her boyfriend was like the one from the movie. I expressed concern because of how toxic the relationship in the movie is, and she got so defensive of the movie. I was shocked."

A couple having an intense conversation outside a house, with the woman holding letters and both wearing casual, vintage-style clothing

14. "Almost Famous. You can 'different time' me all you want. Penny Lane and other 'groupies' were 15, 16, and 17 years old and were being groomed and preyed upon by much older men. Penny Lane was literally sold in a poker game. That's sex trafficking. William is a 16-year-old who is also being groomed and preyed upon for the band's positive PR. But we ignore all that because of the music and the 'romance.'"

Two people standing together, one with a notebook and wearing casual 70s-style attire; the other in a lace top and dark pants, featured in a film scene

15. "(500) Days of Summer. I can't believe people still think it's a cutesy romance flick."

A man and woman chat in a record store. The woman gestures expressively, holding a basket. Shelves of DVDs and records are visible behind them

16. "Notting Hill. Hugh seems to like to play these men in toxic relationships. Julia's actress character treats him like crap too, ghosting him, lashing out, cheating on her boyfriend with him, and faking being a meat eater. Red flags everywhere."

Two actors in a romantic onscreen moment, smiling at each other. The woman wears a floral blouse and pearl necklace while the man wears a casual jacket

17. "You've Got Mail. Tom Hanks is a catfish."

A man and a woman in a grocery store, both looking intently ahead. The woman wears a sweater, and the man a jacket and tie. Scene from a film

18. "Crazy, Stupid, Love. The 'never take no for an answer' messaging of that movie is really hard to watch in hindsight."

Four men sit on a ledge in a garden setting. One drinks from a can, two look pensive, and one wears a bow tie, appearing contemplative

19. "Sleepless in Seattle is a horror movie."

Three people stand on a city observation deck. A woman and a man face each other, with a child holding a teddy bear between them

20. "Love, Actually. The movie is just 90% limerence, stalking, fat-shaming, workplace harassment, and general misogyny. There's a 'fat joke' approximately every two minutes of the movie, most about a slim, beautiful young woman, with the rest said as cruel insults directly to overweight characters' faces. The two plots involving lead female characters are depressing — a wife with a cheating husband, and a woman who is dumped by her date when she takes a call from her unwell brother. Echoing the other men, even the little boy doesn't actually know the girl he 'loves' and has never spoken to her. It's just so toxic, and it's depressing that it's so beloved."

Three people conversing in a casual setting; one man in a suit and two women in coats engaged in animated discussion

21. "Something Borrowed. Who knew that infidelity and betrayal were cute? Damn weirdos."

Three people in a restaurant engaged in conversation, seated at a table with drinks

22. "Runaway Bride (1999). Julia Roberts's character was such a pick me girl; it was awful. And she did it to her best friend, too, flirting with her husband unapologetically just because he was her ex. She even gets called out by Richard Gere's character. She loved to feel loved and special, but she didn't care who got hurt once she grew tired of them. She ran away from them before the wedding because her character had a strong fear of commitment. The worst character ever. Extremely selfish."

A woman in a wedding dress rides a horse outdoors, looking determined

23. Finally: "Grease. Danny disrespects Sandy to her face, cheats on her in the dance competition, forcibly kisses her afterwards, and never apologizes or acknowledges what he did wrong. And then at the end, Sandy is the one who's supposed to change for him?"

Two actors in leather jackets smiling while sitting in a car, evoking a classic movie scene atmosphere

What do you think? Do you agree? Do you vehemently disagree? Are there any movies you'd like to add? Explain your reasoning in the comments or tell us about a "romantic" movie you think is toxic in this anonymous form here.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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