Top 10 Unforgivable Acts Done by Rom-Com Protagonists
#10: Mr. Big Leaves Carrie at the Altar “Sex and the City” (2008)
While the film’s trailer hinted at tension, few probably would have imagined that something of this magnitude could possibly be perpetuated by the man who’s meant the most to Carrie than any man she’s ever known. Of course, this wouldn’t be a rom-com without a little drama, but considering everything it took to get Big and Carrie to their wedding day, we can’t blame Carrie for what she does - though violence is never the answer. While Big’s discomfort about the wedding’s size and the growing publicity around it is understandable, there was simply no excuse for him to jilt his bride-to-be in the way he did - and just moments before the ceremony, to boot. Carrie may’ve ultimately forgiven him; but we still aren’t over it.
#9: What Harry Does to Karen “Love Actually” (2003)
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How stereotypical. Couldn’t Harry have been a bit more creative with his infidelity, at least?! He’s a high-powered businessman who cheats on his adoring wife with... his much younger secretary. We never actually see Harry cheating. But thanks to tweets by writer-director Richard Curtis’ wife, Emma Freud, who’s also “Love Actually”’s script editor, it’s very clear that Harry went past just a flirtation and had a full-on affair. Poor Karen. She only found out because she accidentally discovered a Christmas gift she assumed was meant for her, but it was actually for Mia - the secretary. It’s also been confirmed by Freud that they did ultimately stay together, but after watching Karen’s heart break in that scene, it’s hard not to wish there was an alternate ending where she kicked him out on his sorry ass.
#8: Everything Lucy Eleanor Moderatz Does “While You Were Sleeping” (1995)
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There is a lot to unpack here. Lucy saves Peter from being hit by a train, but he still lands in a coma. While he’s in the hospital, Peter's family mistakes Lucy as his fiancee and rather than correct them, she goes on letting them believe the lie. As if that weren’t bad enough, when Peter finally wakes up she lets him believe that he has amnesia as he can’t remember her and nearly marries him for real under false pretences. Meanwhile, Lucy and Peter’s brother, Jack, have been secretly falling in love with each other. Lucy was a complete stranger who invaded the Callaghan family and didn’t tell the truth about it until she was about to marry Peter. How could Jack ever overlook all those ridiculous lies?
#7: Andie Anderson & Benjamin Barry Use Each Other “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003)
Andie is a writer and Ben is a serial playboy. She uses him and does terrible things to him in order to write an article about the best ways to drive a guy away. And Ben changes his entire personality in order to hold onto Andie so he can prove to his boss that he is capable of romance - all in order to get a big account at his advertising agency. They end up really falling for each other in the end - but did they really? How could they even really know who the other one really was under all the lies and games?
#6: Margaret Tate Bribes Andrew Paxton “The Proposal” (2009)
Like any great rom-com, Margaret and Andrew manage to work things out after everything: they’re two people thrown together by happenstance who discover through a series of hilarious yet heartwarming events that they are in fact desperately in love. In this case, Margaret is about to be deported, so she bribes her assistant, Andrew. She promises to help bolster his career if he marries her, which will enable her to stay in the US. She also threatens that his career will take a nosedive if he doesn’t. Using a position of power to manipulate someone is never okay. If the roles were reversed ,Andrew would probably be on trial right about now.
#5: John Beckwith & Jeremy Grey's Inappropriate Behavior “Wedding Crashers” (2005)
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This whole movie has aged pretty badly, with Gloria’s infatuation with Jeremy coming to mind. However, we can’t ignore John and Jeremy's terrible treatment of women throughout the comedy. They sneak into strangers’ weddings with the plan to lie to as many women as possible - just so they can get sleep with them. Naturally, after meeting some truly life-changing women, they grow for the better, but the way their behavior is mostly brushed off as charming is unsettling. You should not be tricking or manipulating people into physical intimacy simply because you believe you're entitled to it. How did we ever find this funny?
#4: Julianne Potter Tries to Break Up Her Best Friend’s Wedding “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (1997)
What kind of person does this? She’s supposed to be his best friend. After years of close friendship, Julianne suddenly decides she's in love with Michael right before he's about to get married to Kimberly. Granted, we can understand Julianne’s sudden realization in spite of its poor timing. We might even be able to understand her expressing those feelings to her friend before the wedding just to be sure there’s something there or not. But does Jules simply tell Michael about these feelings like a well-adjusted adult? Nope. She instead conspires to destroy his relationship, ruin the wedding and steal him for herself. And that is just unacceptable. Some best friend!
#3: Noah Flynn’s Possessive Behavior “The Kissing Booth” (2018)
Noah is the worst. He liked Elle the whole time, but rather than just tell her, he threatens any other guy that might like her - with violence. If Elle hadn’t found out about the threats, who knows how long this would have gone on? Noah could have just continued doing whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted while secretly destroying Elle's love life. And when she called him on it, he refused to stop. What the hell is that? Noah’s reputation as a player was a bit of a deterrent for Elle, but really, it should have been how he acted like he owned her. When he finally confessed his real feelings for her, she should have given things more thought and not necessarily given him another chance.
#2: Sierra Burgess Catfishes Jamey “Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” (2018)
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This one is honestly kind of disturbing, and was passed off as a lighthearted romantic comedy fare. Jamey thinks that he's texting Veronica, a hot girl he asked out, but she gave him a fake number - so he is actually talking to Sierra. It starts out innocently enough, but she keeps the lie going even after she realizes that a mix up happened. He sends her shirtless pics under false pretenses, and she even kisses him when he thinks he's kissing the real Veronica. Ever heard of consent, Sierra? And somehow this is all just brushed off. This kind of behavior should not be romanticized. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Emma Allan & Olivia "Liv" Lerner Sabotage Each Other’s Weddings “Bride Wars” (2009) Magdalene Horowitz Stalks Steven "Steve" Miller “All About Steve” (2009) Rachel Has an Affair with Her Best Friend’s Fiancé “Something Borrowed” (2011)
#1: Dean Proffitt Takes Advantage of Joanna Stayton “Overboard” (1987)
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Goodness, where to start. Admittedly, Joanna was pretty much a monster to Dean. She refused to pay him for all the hard work he previously put into renovating her closet, and her shoving him off the boat could be considered an act of violence. But nobody deserves what Dean did to her. In a dramatic twist of fate, karma catches up with Joanna, and she later falls off the yacht as well. When it turns out she has amnesia, her real husband abandons her. Meanwhile, Dean claims to be her husband in order to get her to do chores to work off her debt to him. This is a sick level of manipulation here. We wouldn’t be surprised if this supposed rom-com could be easily re-edited into a horror movie.
