10 Romantic Movies That Were Actually Super Toxic (And Aged Poorly) 

10 Romantic Movies That Were Actually Super Toxic (And Aged Poorly) 

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There are some romance movies that you may have swooned at back in the day, but now realize were incredibly cringeworthy and toxic. Here are the top movies that didn’t stand the test of time and get criticized today for being filled with problematic red flags.

1. 50 First Dates

In this movie, the protagonist can’t have a romantic relationship due to her condition, and Adam Sandler’s character is ultimately taking advantage of a person with a mental disability. It’s horrifying when you realize the daily terror she must experience having a child and husband that she has absolutely no memory of.

2. While You Were Sleeping

In this 90s rom-com, the main character lets a man and his family believe she’s his secret fiancée, but then she goes ahead and falls in love with his brother. Encouraging a woman to hide her identity in order to find true love? No thanks.

3. Mrs. Doubtfire

A classic example of the patriarchy, “Mrs. Doubtfire” shows a male protagonist who always could take care of his family and put in the work — he was just lazy and decided not to until his wife couldn’t handle it anymore. Was this the only alternative to accepting the consequences of being a lazy man-child? Commit fraud and deceive your family, of course.

4. Big

This film about a young boy being trapped in a man’s body had an icky scene where he kisses and makes love to a woman when trapped in the body. Many viewers thought it was romantic that when she found out after, she still wanted to be with him when he got older, but rewatching it, this feels a bit creepy.

5. Overboard

Filled with gender-based humor, this movie was filmed with rampant sexism. Think about it: a man kidnaps a woman with amnesia, takes advantage of her being vulnerable, and forces her into domesticity, allowing his children to participate in the jaw-dropping deception as well.

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6. Dirty Dancing

The chemistry between these actors was undeniable, except things get weird when you remember that Baby was 17 years old and Johnny was 25, making for an inappropriate relationship between a high school girl and a grown man. No wonder her parents were upset about the situation!

7. Love Actually

It’s hard to pick just one toxic relationship from this movie since there are so many, along with fat-shaming and misogyny. One example is the creepy cue card scene, and another is the prime minister’s affair with his much younger intern, which involves a troubling power imbalance.

8. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

One of the most iconic romantic comedies of all time is also one of the most problematic. The relationship between these two is filled with toxicity; both Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey’s characters manipulate and deceive each other throughout the entire film, and there are tons of gendered stereotypes.

9. Almost Famous

While this movie was supposed to be a romantic foray into the music world, it was actually about musicians being creeps who groomed people into their world. In the film, Penny Lane and the other groupies are all underage at 15, 16, and 17, and were groomed by older men. One of them even sold her for $50 and a case of beer in a poker game. Isn’t that trafficking?

10. You’ve Got Mail

In this movie, Tom Hanks’ character doesn’t just bankrupt Meg Ryan — he acts like a total narcissist in the process. He conceals his identity and catfishes her, using her info to manipulate and lovebomb her into agreeing to have a relationship with him while he secretly plans to destroy her bookstore. If that’s not a red flag, what is?

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