Top 10 Romanticized Toxic Movie Couples

“Love Actually” (2003)

This beloved rom-com is considered a feel-good holiday classic. But as we’ve realized over the past two decades, almost all of these relationships are problematic. Both Harry and David develop feelings for their female employees, Mia and Natalie, respectively. Harry’s also married, by the way. And keeping with the theme of power imbalances, Jamie falls for his housekeeper Aurélia, despite not speaking the same language. They’ve hardly spoken to each other and definitely don’t know one another well enough to immediately get engaged. Mark, a Joe Goldberg-level creep, is in love with Juliet, who just married his supposed best friend Peter. He expresses his feelings by always being rude to her up until the film’s most memorable moment, which is bizarre and not romantic.

“Shallow Hal” (2001)

Several comedies from the early 2000s have aged poorly and “Shallow Hal” is definitely one of them. Hal Larson only cares about a woman’s looks because he’s, well, shallow. After he’s hypnotized to see inner beauty instead of outer beauty, he falls for Rosemary because he sees her as thinner than she actually is. When he ultimately finds out what she truly looks like, he’s cruel and dismissive. However, he realizes that it’s on the inside that matters and comes crawling back. Not only is the movie’s plot wildly problematic, but Hal and Rosemary’s relationship is based on her weight and whether or not he can get past it. Despite efforts to send a message about love and acceptance, the film was exceedingly offensive and fatphobic.

“The Notebook” (2004)

Allie and Noah are often considered “relationship goals,” but let’s not forget it wasn’t all kissing in the rain. Their drama-filled relationship was doomed from the start, especially since it began with Noah’s relentless pursuit of an uninterested Allie. They only go on a date after he threatens to jump off of a Ferris wheel unless she agrees to go out with him. Their interactions mainly consisted of arguing and passionately making up. And the reasoning behind their behavior is presented as a common side effect of being head over heels for someone. Allie’s family keeps them apart for years, and when she reunites with Noah, she immediately cheats on her fiancée. Sure, they’re a sweet old couple but their life was anything but romantic.

“Romeo + Juliet” (1996)

It may be a classic but this Shakespearean tale has an objectively toxic romance at its center that’s considered to be the ultimate love story. Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 modern take starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, two young stars on the rise. When Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet first meet, the teenagers mistake attraction and infatuation for “love at first sight.” There’s also some excitement in rebelling against their feuding families. But when the star-crossed lovers are forbidden from marrying, they take matters into their own, immature hands. Juliet fakes her death and, due to an extreme lack of communication, it leads to Romeo taking his own life, which in turn leads to Juliet’s actual death. Not exactly happily ever after.

“Grease” (1978)

“Grease” is a lively rom-com based on the equally fun musical. But there’s no doubt that its depiction of relationships is concerning. After Danny and Sandy have a summer fling that turns into a tumultuous on-off high school relationship. However, maintaining his bad-boy reputation turns out to be more important to him than rekindling the romance. They briefly make up and Danny attempts to force himself on her at the drive-in, and they part again. He then tries to go from a greaser to a jock, and soft-spoken Sandy becomes a leather-clad bad girl. But in the end, he simply wears a different jacket while she gets a head-to-toe makeover and starts smoking. Becoming a different person for a guy isn’t something to strive for.

“500 Days of Summer” (2009)

Tom Hansen and Summer Finn meet in an elevator and share music tastes, so naturally, he thinks she’s his dream girl. Tom very clearly wants a serious romantic relationship, telling her as much, but Summer’s adamant that she doesn’t believe in love and only wants something casual. Both ignore the other’s wishes, thinking they’ll eventually see things their way. While Tom showers Summer in affection hoping she’ll realize she’s in love with him, Summer continues spending time with him even though she knows he’s interpreting her behavior as something more. Audiences tend to be on Tom’s side since he’s the protagonist but both parties are guilty here. They weren’t on the same page from the beginning and their complicated relationship and parting was inevitable.

“Forrest Gump” (1994)

Robert Zemeckis’ Oscar-winning “Forrest Gump” has tugged at audiences’ heartstrings for decades. But that doesn’t mean the film isn’t without its faults, particularly when it comes to Forrest’s lifelong unrequited love for Jenny. We only see glimpses of her background and it’s through his eyes, so we don’t know much. But it’s heavily implied that she suffered abuse at home and that’s why she got into partying and questionable behavior. She’s cruel to Forrest and doesn’t tell him about their son for a long time. Eventually, the two get married and she dies not long after. Whether or not Jenny is a true villain is up for debate, but her treatment of the man she probably doesn’t love is unforgivable.

“The Twilight Saga” (2008-12)

Fantasy love stories are an enduring trend, especially among YA readers and viewers. Over the five films based on Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” series, fans watched Bella Swan and Edward Cullen’s relationship go from awkward high school encounters to marriage to vampire babies. There’s an inherent age difference when it comes to immortal beings and humans but the massive age gap between the 104-year-old vampire pretending to be a teenager and the actual teenage girl is creepy. Like many on this list, Edward has zero respect for Bella’s boundaries. He consistently stalks her, watches her sleep, and does plenty of gaslighting, trying to isolate her from family and friends. Jacob Black similarly feels intensely protective of Bella and expresses his feelings in unhealthy ways.

“Fifty Shades” franchise (2015-18)

E.L. James’ “Twilight” fanfiction-turned-best-selling-book series and the subsequent film trilogy have received heavy backlash for the inaccurate portrayal of BDSM, and its overall glamorization of toxic relationships. Christian Grey may be handsome and successful but as Anastasia Steele quickly learns, he’s also incredibly possessive, controlling, and jealous. He stalks her, continuously showing up unannounced and inserting himself in every aspect of her life before he pressures her into signing a contract. In other words, Christian is the king of red flags but Ana falls for him anyway. “Fifty Shades” is far from romantic. And this glorification of an unhealthy relationship that doesn’t value consent is actually dangerous.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few mishonorable mentions.

The Disney Princess Who Falls in Love with Her Captor

The Rebel Shouldn’t “Get the Girl” After the Name-Calling, Harassment, & Overall Disrespect

The Mean, Unsupportive Boyfriend Who Guiltrips His Hardworking Girlfriend Is the Real Villain of This Story

Are We Really Supposed to Root for a Catfishing Protagonist?

There’s the Age Gap… Plus the Fact That They’re Step-Siblings

“Suicide Squad” (2016)

From “Batman: The Animated Series” to the panels of comic books, the Joker and Harley Quinn have always been a chaotic couple with a disturbing backstory. The psychiatrist-turned-psychotic clown’s side-kick/girlfriend is obsessed with her Puddin’, with most versions of the character literally jumping into a vat of acid for him. Joker physically, emotionally, and verbally abuses Harley on the reg, even trying to kill her on occasion. 2016’s “Suicide Squad” brought the villainous pair to life on the big screen but downplayed the true toxicity of their relationship in favor of a twisted romance with a seemingly lovesick Mr. J. More recent depictions have Harley living a Joker-free life but that doesn’t stop fans from romanticizing their historically toxic relationship.