10 “Romantic” Movie Moments That Are Actually Messed Up

Romantic comedies and chick flicks remain a guilty pleasure for many. Admittedly, it doesn’t always display realistic views on love, romance, and everything in between. However, we can’t seem to avoid them at all costs. We watch them day and night… not even seeing how problematic some of the scenes are. For most of our lives, we watched these movies and hailed these moments as romantic. As time passes, we realize how messed up these scenes actually are.

10 “Romantic” Movie Moments That Are Actually Messed Up

The Notebook

Noah is a total creep. There, I said it. Although an amazing movie, it just showcased how horrible he truly is. He was a stalker who liked the way a girl looked on a carnival ride. Then, he spends the rest of his life pining over her despite not appreciating anything else about her. He basically blackmailed Allie into going on a date with him! She politely declines his advances and he follows her onto a Ferris wheel, dangling from the ride with one hand. He even threatened to slip unless she goes on a date with him, forcing her to say yes.

Twilight

Edward is not romantic, he’s an overprotective, possessive, and creepy vampire boyfriend that our dear boring Bella didn’t deserve. Aside from being a hundred years older than her, their entire relationship proves to be toxic and problematic. After speaking to her once in their entire lives, he takes it upon himself and breaks into her house. He also sneaks inside her room and sits in the corner all night just to watch her sleep without her consent, permission, and/or knowledge. Like, he literally just sits there without blinking. So creepy!

BIG

At first, people think that this movie remains a whimsical story of a man-child teaching adults that being young at heart completely changes your life. However, this movie actually proves to be one of the creepiest stories of all time. No one has really taken their time to realize it. Aside from Josh’s mother thinking that her young son has been kidnapped, Susan seduces the 12-year-old protagonist. It’s not romantic. She makes out with the actual child. Then, she pulls her tits out and fondles them as if he’s trying to test the durability of a freaking mattress. And, of course, they sleep together. Yes, hello, Miss Sex Offender.

The Devil Wears Prada

Nate is such an annoying movie character! Why make your girlfriend choose between her career and your relationship? He is whiny, annoying, and held Andy back from her true potential to become a girl boss. But, we aren’t talking about him… We’re going to talk about how Christian was super rapey towards Andy. Sure, they were in Paris – one of the most romantic places in the world. However, he plays into the ‘just exhaust her until she says yes’ trope. She repeatedly says ‘no’ to him until she runs out of excuses. If a woman says no, just go away. A ‘no’ doesn’t mean ‘try eight more times’!

You’ve Got Mail

Joe is creepy, manipulative, and stalkerish. As everyone who has seen the film knows, irony exists as Joe and Kathleen hate each other in real life due to their bookstore rivalry – corporate versus independent kinda thing. However, they’re actually in love with each other online after meeting in a chatroom for over-30s that she wandered into as a joke.

He finds out her true identity as Shopgirl and uses this knowledge to torment her to try and ensure her. To be romantic, he also dropped lines from Pride and Prejudice, knowing that it was her favorite book. Even after lying to her, stalking her, and destroying her livelihood (owning her dead mother’s bookstore), they still end up together because of his manipulation. Nice.

Cruel Intentions

Sebastian and Kathryn – stepsiblings – made a wager that if he successfully deflowered Annette who was saving herself for marriage, she would agree to sleep with him. Yes, that’s incest. Although that’s not what we’re going to talk about, it has relations. Sebastian literally played a game to make Annette fall in love with him enough to give up her intentions of saving herself for marriage. It wasn’t romantic. He broke this young woman’s vow to herself just so he could sleep with his sister. Of course, that didn’t happen because he died saving Annette from a possible car crash but still, that’s where it all started – a freaking bet.

The Breakfast Club

At one point, Bender ducks under the table where Claire sat just to hide from a teacher. While there, he takes the opportunity to put his head under her skirt and into her crotch without her consent. Although the audience doesn’t see it, it’s also implied that he touched her inappropriately. When he’s not sexualizing her, he takes out his rage on her and repeatedly mocks her as he calls her pathetic. He never apologizes for any of it, but he gets the girl in the end. Nothing was ever romantic with him. And, just because they got high together and bared their secrets, they end up together??? Gross.

Grease

I’m pretty sure Danny never intended to see Sandy again after they “fell in love” at the beach. When Sandy asked if it was the end, he said “It’s only the beginning” like the lying fuckboy he truly is. Then, he goes back to school and his stupid friends ask him about his summer fling. They also asked if he got into her pants and Danny was happy to oblige with the “horny details.” Ew! Sandy runs away crying several times because of how a jerk he really is. After all of this goes down, we get a full song of how his “pussy wagon” will make the “chicks cream.”

When they go to the dance, it seems like everything was okay, normal, and a little bit romantic. However, he goes on and dances to another girl which humiliates Sandy publicly yet again! Danny continuously disrespected Sandy. Still, she showed up at the carnival with her new look. You don’t have to change everything about yourself to get the guy who was a total dick to you. The whole meaning of the movie is that to date a guy you like, you have to completely change your appearance and personality to suit them. It’s so fucking wrong.

Sixteen Candles

Jake essentially trades his drunk girlfriend Caroline to the Geek to satisfy the latter’s sexual urges in return for Samantha’s underwear. The Geek even takes Polaroids with Caroline to have proof of his conquest. Then, she wakes up in the morning with someone she doesn’t know. Jake literally gave his drunk girlfriend to another boy and told him to do whatever he wanted with her because she was too drunk to remember – obviously meaning he would be sexually violating her. That’s actually rape. Just because blackout drunk people can’t say no, it automatically means that you can have sex with them. Disgusting.

Love Actually

Mark develops into a full-on creep. Secretly in love with his best friend’s bride, he films her… and only her at the wedding. Often in extreme close-up, and certainly not saying anything: just a pretty face, over and over again. It literally frames his lust and sure, it’s presented through his seemingly-adoring eyes. But, it visually conveys male control – cropping her, containing her, and imposing limits on the terrifying object of desire. He has put her on a pedestal entirely because of the way she looks, with no regard to her personality or intellect. It’s just peak nice-guy manipulation under the guise of rOmAnCe.