10 Disappointing Rom-Coms That Wasted Amazing Casts

No amount of chemistry or comedic timing can save a bad script or bad direction, as a number of romantic comedies with amazing but wasted casts prove. Romantic comedies promise heartwarming love stories and lots of laughs, but with so many rom-coms out there, many end up generic and forced. It’s a shame when a great cast is wasted on poor material.

Whether they attempt but fail to mix social commentary into their funny romantic plots, feature talented leads who lack chemistry, or consist of one-dimensional characters and overused gags, many romantic comedies are lacking in quality. Such films show that a stellar ensemble is just the beginning, and a solid script and skilled direction are crucial for turning romance and comedy into cinematic magic. These romantic comedies bring together phenomenal actors but ultimately waste their cast’s unique talents.

10 How Do You Know (2010)

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, Kathryn Hahn

How Do You Know follows a softball player (Reese Witherspoon) caught in a love triangle between her charismatic baseball player boyfriend and a businessman under investigation for fraud. The film’s writer-director, James L. Brooks, brought heart and humor to his earlier hits As Good as It Gets and Broadcast News, but despite its winning cast, How Do You Know is lacking in charm and devoid of romance. Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Owen Wilson have all led great rom-coms before, so the film should’ve been an easy win.

9 Mother’s Day (2016)

Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Jason Sudeikis, Jack Whitehall

Mother’s Day follows the intersecting stories of different characters’ relationships with their mothers. Director Garry Marshall, best known for Pretty Woman, seemed to have lost his touch with this one — despite working with Julia Roberts again. Mother’s Day is predictable and unfunny while its characters feel more like one-dimensional stereotypes than actual people. Sadly, despite the efforts of a talented ensemble cast, they could not bring depth to the poorly written characters.

8 Accidental Love (2015)

Cast: Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, Catherine Keener, James Marsden, Tracy Morgan

David O. Russell, the five-time Oscar-nominated writer and director of The Fighter, Silver Linings Playbook, and American Hustle, made a massive misstep with Accidental Love. In fact, it was so unrepresentative of his work that he took his name off it. The film follows the romance between a dopey politician and a woman prone to bizarre behavior due to a nail stuck in her head. Leads Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal have winning chemistry, but Accidental Love‘s forced and tone-deaf humor keeps the film from being successful.

7 This Means War (2012)

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy, Chelsea Handler

Two CIA agents (Tom Hardy and Chris Pine), who are also best friends, discover they’re dating the same woman (Reese Witherspoon) in This Means War. Despite a lead trio who should be romantic comedy gold, the film never finds its footing and fails to pull action into the mix. This Means War is a tedious viewing experience that’s never as romantic or as madcap as it hopes to be. The premise had the potential for exciting acting sequences and hilarious misunderstandings but didn’t follow through with either. The movie was so bad that Tom Hardy’s miserable experience making This Means War turned him off from doing another rom-com for good.

6 Surviving Christmas (2004)

Cast: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O’Hara

In Surviving Christmas, a lonely executive revisits his childhood home for the holidays and pays the family who now lives there to pretend to be his parents — but he soon pushes their boundaries. With artificial scenarios reminiscent of cheap sitcom plots, Surviving Christmas earned several Razzie nominations. With its unlikable and unredeemable central character, played by a miscast Ben Affleck, and its unconvincing subplots, the film turned off audiences as well as critics.

5 All About Steve (2009)

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong

Sandra Bullock stars as a socially awkward crossword puzzle maker who stalks Steve (Bradley Cooper) a CNN cameraman after their failed blind date. Though the film made a decent profit at the box office, All About Steve has an off-putting and creepy storyline that was met with mostly negative reviews. Notably, Bullock was named Worst Actress at the Razzie Awards for her work in All About Steve just one day before she won an Oscar for her performance in The Blind Side.

4 When in Rome (2010)

Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Will Arnett, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Danny DeVito

Looking for romance, Beth (Kristen Bell) travels to Rome where she is wooed by a variety of quirky men in the disappointing romantic comedy When in Rome. Despite two committed leads who play well off each other and a supporting cast of phenomenal comedy actors, the film does not work. When in Rome relies too heavily on overused genre clichés and the shenanigans of its many oddball suitors, which, as written, just aren’t funny. Kristen Bell’s charm and her chemistry with Josh Duhamel can’t save this lackluster and predictable film.

3 Wanderlust (2012)

Cast: Paul Rudd, Jennifer Anniston

Wanderlust follows Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston as a married couple who attempt to escape the worries of their modern lives by staying at a hippie commune. The film’s premise opens the story to interesting themes about the woes of modern society and being too business-minded, but the script is not interested in exploring these beyond a nod or two. The characters feel emotionally distant and the movie’s tone and plot are both uneven. One hilarious scene of Rudd hyping himself up in a mirror stands out among the film’s less-than-clever comedy, but Wanderlust‘s worst sin is that its funniest moment is the blooper reel that plays at the end.

2 Maid in Manhattan (2002)

Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson, Stanley Tucci

In Maid in Manhattan, a single mother (Jennifer Lopez) working as a hotel maid finds herself entangled with a high-profile politician (Ralph Fiennes) through a series of misunderstandings. Though both of its stars are supremely talented award-winning actors, the two have little on-screen spark between them. Maid in Manhattan has a predictable, generic plot, and a total lack of genuine romanticism.

1 You People (2023)

Cast: Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy

In Netflix’s You People, an interracial couple faces the first major hiccup in their relationship when they introduce their very different families. The film boasts a cast of comedy legends like Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus but fails to effectively tackle its social commentary amid its romantic plot line. Also, its attempt to explore the ethnic divide borders on offensive. You People‘s themes are handled too distastefully and feel forced, leaving its comedy more cringe than funny.