Top10 Rom-Com Couples That Should Have Broken Up

Top 10 Rom-Com Couples That Should Have Broken Up

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Rom-Com Couples That Should Have Broken Up.

For this list, we’ll be looking at big screen couples that might not have been as picture-perfect as we were once led to believe. Beware of spoilers ahead!

Let us know if we missed any of your not-so-great couplings in the comments below.

#10: Abigail "Abby" Richter & Mike Chadway
“The Ugly Truth” (2009)

It’s the same old, sexist story – uptight girl meets chauvinistic boy, boy tries to “fix” her – and falls in love in the process. In “The Ugly Truth,” local host Mike tries to help TV producer Abby turn into someone she’s not in order to land a guy. But of course, Mike ends up having feelings for Abby and leaves his philandering ways in the dust. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he was a sexist pig for pretty much the entirety of the movie. And what’s more: Mike and Abby have completely different views of love – namely, Abby believes in it and Mike doesn’t. There’s just no way this relationship would work out in reality - or at least, not in the long term.

#9: Holly Berenson & Eric Messer
“Life as We Know It” (2010)

Enemies to lovers is a staple of the romantic comedy genre – but it doesn’t always work. Holly and Eric hate each other’s guts. When tragedy strikes and their married friends Peter and Alison die in a car crash, godparents Eric and Holly learn that despite their mutual hatred, Peter and Alison made them the guardians of their baby. Because, of COURSE the two people who can barely be in the same room should … raise a child together? The movie tries to convince us that Holly and Eric were meant to be – they just needed a child to push them in the right direction! But, judging by the way they fight – and Eric’s cracks about Holly’s age – it’s a no from us.

#8: Tripp & Paula
“Failure to Launch” (2006)

A love built on lies – another staple of the romantic comedy genre that doesn’t always make for a long lasting, stable relationship. Tripp is a 35-year-old man who lives with his parents – a fact that he is perfectly fine with, thank you very much! But his parents are not. Enter Paula, a woman whose job it is to convince grown men living at home to move out by making them fall in love with her. The story unfolds, and Paula manipulates Tripp so well that she inadvertently manipulates herself, and falls in love with him. When Tripp finds out and is understandably angry, his parents tie him up to force him to talk to Paula again. Force does not a happy union make!

#7: Danny Zuko & Sandy Olsson
“Grease” (1978)

Behind the fun songs, the fun 50s costumes and the jazz hand-filled dance breaks, the love story at the center of “Grease” is a less sugary sweet than you might remember. Danny and Sandy had the perfect summer romance, but that’s probably where it should have stopped. Once school starts, Danny refuses to shake his “bad boy” image around Sandy. He takes her to the school dance, but ends up winning the hand-jive contest with another girl. He takes her to the drive-in, but then tries to pressure her into getting intimate with him. To make things worse, Sandy ends up changing everything about herself to make Danny happy. Tell me about it, stud? We don’t think so.

#6: Dr. Emma K. Kurtzman & Adam Franklin
“No Strings Attached” (2011)

Romantic comedies always depend on the chemistry between the two leads – and if that chemistry isn’t there, it’s hard to make the rest of the movie work. In “No Strings Attached,” Emma and Adam decide to have a sex-only, all-emotions-barred relationship. For the entirety of their relationship, Adam tries to take things further – even though Emma has been clear that she’s not looking for a relationship. And for Emma’s part, she barely seems to like Adam at all. After much back and forth and will they/won’t they, Emma finally agrees – but it feels more like Adam wore her down than anything else.

#5: Larry Gigli & Ricki / Rochelle
“Gigli” (2003)

You might remember “Gigli” for being labelled one of the worst movies ever made. But you might not remember quite how bad the relationship between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck is. Affleck plays Gigli – a low-level mobster – and Lopez a mafia enforcer who’s called in to make sure Gigli does his job. If you remember, the two were actually dating when this movie was released – so the chemistry should have been instant, right? WRONG. With laughable dialogue and a very odd set-up that involves Gigli seducing Ricki – who is a lesbian – we do not buy this relationship one bit.

#4: Dex & Rachel
“Something Borrowed” (2011)

Sleeping with your best friend’s fiance? NEVER a good idea. In “Something Borrowed,” Rachel has had a crush on Dex forever, but since he’s engaged to her best friend Darcy, she never said anything… until she did. She and Dex end up sleeping together – and then continue their relationship while Dex stays engaged to Darcy. They continue their torrid affair for the entirety of the movie, lying to Darcy and everyone else. But of course – because this is a rom-com – things work out perfectly! In the real world, however, we don’t condone the massive amounts of lying and sneaking around that Rachel and Dex engaged in – and we don’t think it would lead to happily ever after.

#3: Shelly "Elle" Evans & Noah Flynn
“The Kissing Booth” (2018)

The concept of the kissing booth in itself is regressive and problematic – and the tropes the movie uses to bring its two love interests – Noah and Elle – together, are not much better. Elle is best friends with Noah’s brother, but has had a huge crush on Noah for a long time. When he starts to notice her, it’s not as great as you think. Besides literally kissing Elle while she’s blindfolded and doesn’t know it’s him, Noah spends a lot of the movie beating guys up on Elle’s behalf...] victim blaming her...and trying to control her romantic relationships. Seriously, telling a girl she was “asking for it?” If we were Elle, we would take that as an enormous red flag.

#2: Abby Holland & Harper Caldwell
“Happiest Season” (2020)

For a movie with the word “happiest” in the title, we sure cried a lot during this one! The relationship in “Happiest Season” starts off sweetly enough, with Abby going to meet Harper’s family for the first time over the holidays. But, unbeknownst to Abby, Harper has NOT come out as gay to her parents… and wants Abby to pretend to be her roommate. Everyone has their own journey of coming out, and it can be a really difficult experience. But, that’s not an excuse for what Harper puts Abby through. She continuously ditches Abby for her ex-boyfriend, gaslights her, and worse. Honestly, it seems like these two would have had their own better journeys if they just let each other go.

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

Ben Stone & Alison Scott - “Knocked Up” (2007)
Unexpected Pregnancy Between Two Opposites Does Not a Happy Coupling Make

Annie Reed & Sam Baldwin - “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993)
This Love Story Developed Out of Stalking

Scott Pilgrim & Ramona Flowers - “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” (2010)
Ramona Flowers vs. a Misogynistic Jerk

Jamie & Aurélia - “Love Actually” (2003)
These Two Don’t Even Speak the Same Language

#1: Jamey & Sierra Burgess
“Sierra Burgess Is a Loser” (2018)

Catfishing narratives are near impossible to pull off… and “Sierra Burgess is a Loser” doesn’t succeed. The story centers around Sierra Burgess, who has a crush on popular guy Jamey. She doesn’t think Jamey will like her for who she is, so, when Jamey accidentally texts her – thinking she’s someone else – Sierra goes along with it. Not only does she spend most of the movie lying to Jamey, but she also fakes being deaf to keep up her charade, AND tricks him into kissing her. But the worst part of it all is that Jamey forgives her and the two end up together. By missing the body positivity message that it was going for, the film ultimately misses the mark.