Top 10 Most Cringeworthy Love Scenes
#10: Honeymoon
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1” (2012)
Bella and Edward's honeymoon scenes were just uncomfortable. We get it, the idea is that they’re so in love that they just can’t keep their hands off each other. But the scenes where they're playing chess, and where Bella tries out lingerie, are just so unnecessary. If these were attempts at some kind of sensual anticipation, it did not work. And the moment where they break the bed in the throes of passion, which was supposed to be intense, really just comes off as laughable. It's surprising to think about how the two actors were together in real life at the time considering how little chemistry they have on screen.
#9: All of Them
“The Room” (2003)
This whole film is so cringe-worthy, it’s regarded as one of the worst movies of all time. That includes its romance scenes. The dialogue is clunky, and the visuals are amateur and cheesy. Just look at these shots, filmed through a gauzy white curtain. The whole setup looks like the cover of a really bad romance novel. Then there’s the shot through the trickling water: cringe. The “playing with the rose” schtick definitely doesn’t help either! Instead of engaged, the audience is just left feeling awkward and unsettled. On the upside, James Franco won a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his movie about how weird THIS movie was.
#8: Puking on the Bed
“Superbad” (2007)
This one is obviously played for laughs, but it still makes us cringe! And of course, that’s the point! When Evan’s crush Becca comes onto him at a party, he’s so lost that you can’t help but laugh at his attempts to flirt back. As for Becca, well, she’s so drunk she mostly just babbles nonsense. When Evan realizes how drunk she is and turns her down, she insults him … then hurls all over the place. The whole thing is just an awkward mess. And that health class line is iconic.
#7: The Pool Scene
“Showgirls” (1995)
This film’s graphic sexuality earned it an NC-17 rating. It is simultaneously regarded as one of the worst films ever made and a cult classic. One of the more graphic scenes in the film is the … we’ll call it a love scene in the pool between Naomi and Zack. It’s over the top and aggressive, and honestly doesn’t look like either one of them is enjoying themselves. As Naomi flails about towards the end, which we can’t show you here, it looks more like Zack is trying to drown her. Or maybe torture her for information. Just tell him what he wants to know Naomi and end this for all of us!
#6: Gobble, Gobble
“Gigli” (2003)
Okay, seriously, who thought that this turkey line was a good idea? Even Ben Affleck seemed confused by it. We’re really not sure how Jennifer Lopez brought herself to even say it. We’ll let you puzzle out exactly what this means, all we’ll say is it’s not all that subtle. In what world is likening yourself to a turkey appealing? Or maybe Ben Affleck’s the turkey. You know what, let’s not try to over analyze it. Surely we can all agree that this moment is simply off-putting.
#5: Almost First Time
“The 40-Year Old Virgin” (2005)
This is another scene that’s cringey on purpose. Since Andy is still a virgin in his 40s, his friends try to help him have his first experience. Thankfully though, they end up saving him from this one. Beth is just way too much for him, and Andy clearly doesn't know what he's doing. Poor Andy is really trying, but is uncomfortable with everything Beth is doing. This just isn’t how he imagined it. And that’s fair. But you can’t help but laugh and even grimace as Andy struggles through the nightmare experience.
#4: Ducking
“Howard the Duck” (1986)
This one is pretty self explanatory. She's human, he's a duck. Do we really need to say more? The dialogue is so absurd and contrived it breaks any suspension of disbelief that you may have somehow held onto throughout the movie. You’ve got to give it up to Lea Thompson though for holding it together to the best of her ability whilst trying to seduce an alien duck. Awkward dialogue aside, we can’t stress enough that he is a freaking duck. This one is just too weird.
#3: The Webcam
“American Pie” (1999)
Wow, there is a lot of cringe here. This is another scene intentionally played for laughs, but there is no forgiving this one. First of all, Jim violates Nadia's privacy by live streaming her undressing, without her knowledge, so that he and his friends can watch. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he accidentally shares the footage with his entire school contact list. Without even getting into how screwed up that is, Jim's terrible sexy dancing and his premature excitement make the cringe factor even higher. This whole ordeal is so bad you might be compelled to look away.
#2: Food Orgy
“Sausage Party” (2016)
This scene will have you fasting for a week. After sentient food items beat the humans in the war of the grocery store, they all ... let’s say rejoice. The animation takes mundane actions, like putting a hot dog into a bun, and turns it into something disturbingly sexual. Obviously, the scene is meant to be over the top to get some laughs. The images are so graphic though, you may never look at food the same way again. We’ll leave the rest up to the imagination.
#1: The Play Room
“50 Shades of Grey” (2015)
There are a few things that make this scene cringey. One is the portrayal of the relationship between Christian and Ana, which has been criticized as misrepresenting BDSM. According to Christian, Ana’s participation in these activities is all about his own pleasure. Second, there’s Christian’s completely stoic facial expressions, which erase any possible sensuality from the scene. He tries way too hard to capture that smoldering intensity look - and it is not working! For a movie about kink, this movie’s sex scenes were shockingly unsexy.