In romantic comedies, we often laugh at how cheesy and unrealistic these depictions of relationships are, even if we secretly wish we could one day find a romance as over the top and beautiful as the couples on our screens. Yet every once in a while, rom-coms come out with a hit that viewers actually relate to and couples whose relationships fans can reflect onto their own love lives.
It's always refreshing to see more relatable depictions of modern couples via the big screen. Which movies in this genre give fans unrealistic expectations when it comes to love? And which romantic comedies are surprisingly realistic for the genre? Keep reading to find out!
UNREALISTIC: PRETTY WOMAN (EDWARD AND VIVIAN)
Everyone loves to fantasize about finding a romance as genuine as Edward and Vivian's relationship in the 1990 rom-com hit Pretty Woman. Starring Julia Roberts as a prostitute and Richard Gere as a billionaire businessman, these two end up falling for each other in the most unlikely circumstances that would only ever be plausible in the rose-tinted world of Hollywood Rom Coms.
As much as we would love to believe these lovebirds could live together forever in real life, this seems highly unrealistic in the real world. Yet hey, love makes you do crazy things, right? We are keeping our fingers crossed that these two are living happily ever after somewhere, even if it's a pretty unrealistic relationship.
REALISTIC: NO STRINGS ATTACHED (EMMA AND ADAM)
No Strings Attached, starring Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, is a perfectly realistic romantic comedy written by the creator of New Girl, Elizabeth Meriwether. In it, there are no over the top love confessions while riding off on a carriage into the sunset, there are no unnecessary extreme makeover scenes, and there is not a single overused cliche that we'd expect from this genre.
The movie simply centers around two people who decide to be friends with benefits, yet slowly realize they want something more. Although fans have seen this type of movie before, nothing here comes across as forced and the love connection between Emma and Adam feels authentic and genuine.
UNREALISTIC: SERENDIPITY (JONATHAN AND SARAH)
This entire relationship between Jonathan and Sarah is based upon the premise of "destiny" rather than a solid foundation of mutual trust and respect. This is all fine and good for a Disney flick written for children, but to make this the underlying theme of an adult rom-com is just irresponsible.
They even call off their own perfectly content relationships with their other partners (and Jonathan even calls off his wedding) because they believe fate and destiny suggest they should be together. Mind you, they are pretty much complete strangers. If this were to happen in real life where two strangers got together simply because of "destiny," it would probably last for two weeks, tops.
REALISTIC: JUST GO WITH IT (DANNY AND KATHERINE)
Adam Sandler movies are known for being outlandish and unrealistic, but this relationship between Danny and Katherine is surprisingly heartwarming as well as believable. Sandler and Aniston play longtime friends and coworkers who know each other like no one else. They have a lot of respect for each other and their chemistry on screen feels very earnest.
It helps that Aniston and Sandler are very close friends in real life. Their relationship consists of two close friends who realize they don't want to spend their lives with anyone else but each other. It really doesn't get much sweeter than that.
UNREALISTIC: 13 GOING ON 30 (JENNA AND MATT)
Magical realism aside, the fact that Jenna and Matty end up together at all just seems a tad too unbelievable to us. Not that we don't adore them together or find their relationship to be incredibly endearing due to the fact that Matty had loved her all along since childhood (why else would he build her the Dream House?), but that was centuries ago compared to where they are in adulthood.
Matty had moved on from his childhood crush and was engaged to someone else who he seemed to have a lot of respect for. Was he just going to call off his wedding so he could be with his middle school crush that he hadn't talked to in ages? The ending was a bit ambiguous and suggested they went back in time to when they were 13 and then they got married years later, but in real life, we don't get second chances like they do in the movie.
REALISTIC: OBVIOUS CHILD (DONNA AND MAX)
Obvious Child starring Jenny Slate is a surprisingly lighthearted romantic comedy about a subject that most would perceive as dark. In the film, Slate plays Donna, a failing stand up comedian who has a one night stand with Max (Jake Lacey). She gets pregnant and is immediately certain that she doesn't want to keep the baby.
Max stays by her side during this stressful time, and it's hard not to root for these two in the end because they just seem so right together. Instead of the movie ending in marriage or a relationship, it ends with the two hanging out and watching a movie together. Sounds pretty realistic to us.
UNREALISTIC: GREASE (SANDY AND DANNY)
Everything about Grease is unrealistic, with Danny and Sandy's relationship being no exception. The way Danny treats Sandy throughout the movie is pretty cruel if we're going to be frank, and even though this was a different time period, it seems unlikely that these two would ever be able to make it as a couple.
They both drastically change their styles and personalities in order to please one another, and although that's sweet in theory, it seems a little extraneous and unnecessary in real life. Plus, how many couples do you know that fly off into the sunset via car in the end? Probably not many.
REALISTIC: 500 DAYS OF SUMMER (SUMMER AND TOM)
As the narrator states at the beginning of the movie, this is not a love story. This is an oddly refreshing notion for a romantic comedy and there are a lot of moments throughout the film that we find relatable. Most notable is the fact that Tom and Summer, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, do not end up together in the end.
Even though their love story seemed like one for the books, this is only because we see their budding romance through the lens of Tom who is much more in love with Summer than she is with him. It's interesting to see a rom-com where the two leading love interests don't end up happily ever after.
UNREALISTIC: SUPERBAD (JULES AND SETH)
Jules in Superbad is Seth's Dream Girl. Okay, that's putting it nicely. The truth is, Jules is the girl Seth desperately wants to get into the bedroom. He makes it his mission to get her drunk enough at a party so she'll agree to sleep with him, and somehow she finds him endearing enough to consider.
Throughout the movie, Seth is consistently crude and only wants to get laid, while Jules is someone who needs something real in order to get intimate. It's unrealistic to think Jules would give him a chance.
REALISTIC: WHAT IF
What If is an adorable feel good movie starring Daniel Radcliffe and Zoe Kazan. This movie follows a similar romantic comedy pattern that we have seen many times before yet it is done in a way that is so original and sweet. It centers around Chantry and Wallace, two people who become best friends despite their attraction for one another.
The thing is, Chantry is in a long term relationship already so she and Wallace are destined to just be platonic friends. Can they make the friendship work despite their growing feelings of attraction for one another? Check out the movie and see for yourself!