Romantic comedies usually give us hope when it comes to relationships and love. These movies also tend to raise our expectations when it comes to our romantic lives, which is both a good and a bad thing.
Yet sometimes the couples in these movies, no matter how cute they are together, would not last for more than a month together before realizing they were never meant to be. Which Rom-Com couples were basically doomed from the start? Read on to find out!
AS GOOD AS IT GETS (1997): MELVIN AND CAROL
As Good As It Gets is a fantastic movie, there is no doubt about it. Yet the thing is, Melvin who is played wonderfully by Jack Nicholson as the cynical jerk, is not the type of person who you settle down with. He seems to characterize himself as incredibly rude, and he even prides himself for being this way. He does not make for a stable love interest.
Carol should be with someone who isn't so complicated and cruel, especially considering the fact that she has a son who has severe asthma and needs a solid partner who won't make things more stressful than they already are. Carol is just left to believe that her relationship with Melvin is "as good as it gets". Sounds like settling if you ask us.
SERENDIPITY (2001): JONATHAN AND SARAH
In this movie, both Jonathan and Sarah are obsessed with the idea of being together because of "fate" and "destiny" even though they are basically complete and utter strangers. At the beginning of the film, they are both in relationships, yet because "fate" made them both want to buy the same pair of gloves at Bloomingdales, it means they are actually soul mates and supposed to be together for eternity.
That makes total logical sense, doesn't it? Wanting to buy the same pair of gloves seems like a great foundation for a long-lasting and healthy relationship. It doesn't matter that they both enter serious relationships afterward and that Jonathan is engaged to someone else. All that matters is that Jonathan and Sarah find their way back to each other because they both...um... like gloves? Sigh.
THE BREAKFAST CLUB (1985): BENDER AND CLAIRE
The Breakfast Club is so much more than just an average rom-com, but it has a lot of akin moments. So, we had to go ahead and add it to this list. Claire and Bender may have captivating chemistry, but it is safe to say this is not enough to make a healthy relationship that lasts a lifetime (or more than a day of detention, for that matter).
The thing is, this relationship is toxic. These two are constantly at each other's throats and making each other miserable. Great stuff for a real connection, right? Wrong. Bender basically treats Claire like dirt the whole time just because she is popular, and she repays him by kissing his neck. It teaches people that it's okay to be mean to someone if you like them and that this mistreatment is somehow worthy of a reward. It doesn't work like that, and we're pretty sure these two never spoke to each other again after detention.
THE PROPOSAL (2009): MARGARET AND ANDREW
Margaret and Andrew faked getting married because Margaret's Visa is expired. Yet the thing is, Andrew did not consent to this marriage. He just rolled with it because Margaret is his boss, and if he said no, he would no longer work at her company. What a great way to start a relationship! How about a coffee date first?
This couple, played by Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, was pretty much doomed from the start because it was all based on a lie. For the first two acts of the movie, their whole relationship was based around trying to torture each other, and finally, in the third act they decided they were mildly attracted to each other after three whole days, so hey, why not actually get married?
KNOCKED UP (2007): BEN AND ALISON
Ben and Alison, unfortunately, do not work. They are the couple derived out of '90s sitcom cliches where the woman is uptight and rigid while the male is lazy and selfish. While these couples might be common on bad TV shows and unrealistic romcoms, they just aren't all that common in real life because they aren't all that sustainable.
These two are total opposites, and not in a good way that helps them grow, but in a way that has them butting heads and constantly bickering. Katherine Heigl, who plays Alison, has even spoken up about the relationship dynamic from this movie which she claims to be totally unrealistic.
SHE'S ALL THAT (1999): ZACK AND LANEY
Zack rules of the school and has everything going for him, yet things all take a turn for the worst when his girlfriend ditches him for a reality tv star. In order to regain his social status, he makes a bet with his friends that he can turn the least attractive girl in the school into the prom queen.
Once Zack realizes that Laney is actually smoking when she takes her glasses off (sigh) he starts to have feelings for her. Laney is rightfully pissed when she realizes the only reason he spent time with her was because of a bet, but somehow she forgives him and they live happily ever after - yet in reality, the probably lasted for a good month until they realized they had literally nothing in common.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS (2008): JOY AND JACK
Joy and Jack drunkenly get married to each other in Vegas even though they are complete strangers, which is always a good idea. Married life is a nightmare for both of them and they are actively trying to destroy each others' lives because they so desperately want to make each other miserable. It literally is both of their greatest passions in the film to ruin each others lives.
Although Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher have decent enough chemistry, the way they treat each other throughout the film is just plain horrendous. Not the kind of relationship marriage counselors (or anyone for that matter) would call "healthy".
THE UGLY TRUTH (2009): ABBY AND MIKE
Abby and Mike in The Ugly Truth basically despise each other and neither one of them has any respect for the other person. The only thing that drives them together is sexual attraction.
Other than that, they have literally nothing in common. Their values and interests are totally different, one wants a relationship while the other doesn't believe in commitment, and they are both just toxic for each other in every way imaginable. It's a no from us, and we are basically certain over the fact that these kids wouldn't make it as a pair for more than a night.
SIERRA BURGESS IS A LOSER (2018): SIERRA AND JAIME
Yet another relationship that's based on a lie! Why is this such a common and acceptable thing in rom-coms? In the movie, Sierra catfishes Jaime for way too long and even kisses him at one point without his consent, while pretending to be another girl that he thinks he's been talking to.
Yet, for some reason in the end, Sierra and Jaime end up together because Jaime fully accepts the fact that Sierra has been lying to him all this time. Newsflash, movie: catfishing a crush doesn't lead to romance, it leads to feelings of betrayal and deceit.
FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (2008): PETER AND RACHEL
Although we will always love this hilarious movie, the relationship between Peter and Rachel seems like more of a vacation fling than a sustainable romance to last a lifetime. Rachel, played by Mila Kunis, seems to embody a fantasy woman akin to the "manic pixie dreamgirl" and the "cool girl" as Gone Girl describes this trope.
When Peter cheats on Rachel with Sarah, Rachel is upset for a little while but she lets it slide and tries to make it work with Peter even though they've known each other for a few days at most. It just seems a bit unrealistic, especially considering Peter just got out of an incredibly serious relationship.