Although rom-coms are all about romance with a touch of comedy, some of these movies took completely unexpected dark turns. Rom-coms bring together the best of two genres (comedy and drama) resulting in movies with a lighthearted tone and the goal of showing that true love can overcome anything, as cliché as it might end up being. Many rom-coms usually lean more towards either comedy or drama, offering some variety in a genre that has become predictable, and some have gone beyond the limits of the genre and taken dark turns that the audience wasn’t expecting.
These dark turns in rom-coms are often part of the story, and as such, they serve a purpose, but there are others that weren’t necessary and have been seen as being there just for “shock value”. There are some cases where these dark moments touched upon sensitive subjects that weren’t handled properly and were just added for laughs or were brushed off right away. These dark moments go from tragic to heartbreaking and relatable to disturbing and unnecessary, and some continue to be debated among rom-com enthusiasts.
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10 Divisive Rom-Com Movie Endings We’re Still Arguing About
Although rom-coms often go for happy, heartwarming endings, many of these were actually quite divisive and continue to be a topic of debate.
10 Tai Almost Dies in Clueless
Tai trusted the wrong people.
When Cher (Alicia Silverstone) took new girl Tai (Brittany Murphy) under her wing and gave her a makeover, she forgot to teach her not to trust strangers. When Cher and Christian (Justin Walker) were walking around in the mall, they saw Tai talking to a group of guys and sitting on the balcony rail. Cher and Christian then heard Tai screaming as the guys took her and held her over the rail, which they then claimed was just a joke. Tai was at real risk of being severely injured or even dying if the guys let go of her, but this near-death experience ended up boosting Tai’s popularity at school.
9 Ben Hides His Girlfriend From His Wife in He’s Just Not That Into You
Ben’s story is very problematic.
Ben’s (Bradley Cooper) story in He’s Just Not That Into You is about infidelity, as he’s married to Janine (Jennifer Connelly) but starts seeing Anna (Scarlett Johansson), a yoga teacher he met at a supermarket. Ben confesses his affair to Janine, who wants to save their marriage. One day, Anna and Ben begin having sex in Ben’s office when Janine arrives. Ben tells Anna to hide in the closet and, as Janine hopes to spice up their marriage, they have sex in his office. Anna is forced to listen, and once Janine leaves, she also leaves and puts an end to the affair. Although Anna knew Ben was married, she didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
8 The Brownie Scene in Notting Hill
A dinner with friends took a somber turn.
What starts as a fun evening with Will’s (Hugh Grant) friends to celebrate his sister’s birthday takes a serious turn when they try to decide who gets the last brownie. Max (Tim McInnerny) says he will take the last brownie as he’s the “saddest act”, which prompts the rest to open up about their struggles and thus why they deserve the brownie. Bernie (Hugh Bonneville) says everyone is being promoted at work except him and nobody fancies him, and then Will’s sister Honey (Emma Chambers) is revealed to only make 20 pounds a week and starts pointing out her physical flaws. The conversation turns more serious when Bella (Gina McKee) opens up about the struggles of having to use a wheelchair, and that she and Max won’t be able to have a baby.
Anna (Julia Roberts) also wants the brownie and reveals she has been on restrictive diets since she was 19, was in a physically abusive relationship, was forced to get plastic surgery to achieve a specific look, and feared her career would end soon due to her age. Although Max quickly turned the mood around with a joke, the brownie scene got unexpectedly dark and personal too quickly.
7 Karen Finds Out About Her Husband’s Affair in Love, Actually
Karen had to put on a happy face for her children.
One of the segments in Love, Actually follows Karen (Emma Thompson), whose husband, Harry (Alan Rickman), is having an affair with his secretary. While Christmas shopping, Harry buys a necklace with a gold heart for his secretary behind Karen’s back, and before Christmas, she finds the necklace in his coat pocket and assumes it’s for her. On Christmas Eve, Karen opens a similarly shaped box and is shocked to see it’s a Joni Mitchell CD, and realizes that Harry is having an affair. Karen then goes upstairs and cries in her bedroom, alone, while listening to the CD, before rejoining her family with a happy face. Karen’s story is one that happens too often in the real world, which makes the scene relatable and thus heartbreaking.
6 Elle Gets An Inappropriate Offer In Legally Blonde
Luckily, Elle knew her value.
Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) worked hard to get into Harvard Law School, shattering stereotypes against women and blondes in the process. Elle got an internship with Professor Callahan (Victor Garber), and while working on a high-profile case, Callahan behaved inappropriately towards Elle and tried to seduce her, which made Elle believe she got the internship for the wrong reasons. Up to that point, Callahan was seen as an ally to Elle and a mentor, and it was shocking and enraging to see that he didn’t respect Elle for her talents and intelligence.
5 Vivian Is Almost Assaulted In Pretty Woman
Vivian went through a scary incident with Edward’s friend.
As Vivian (Julia Roberts) and Edward (Richard Gere) spend more time together, their bond becomes stronger and Vivian has a direct impact on Edward’s perspective of many things, including his career. When he makes a sudden shift in his company, his friend and business partner, Phillip (Jason Alexander), is furious and goes to his hotel to confront him, but only finds Vivian there.
Phillip blames Vivian for Edward’s decision and changing character and attempts to sexually assault her, but Edward arrives right on time to stop him, punch him, and fire him. Despite its themes, Pretty Woman is a lighthearted movie, which makes this scene between Phillip and Vivian even more disturbing than it already is.
4 The Implied Non-Consensual “Date” in Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles used “date rape” and got away with it.
Sixteen Candles was controversial for two things: one character (Gedde Watanabe’s Long Duk Dong) and a “date rape” storyline that was quickly brushed off. At a party at his house, Jake (Michael Schoeffling) tells Ted (Anthony Michael Hall) he has lost interest in his girlfriend, Caroline, and lets Ted take a drunken Caroline home in his father’s car as she’s “so blitzed she won’t know the difference”. While no sexual activity is shown, it’s implied that there was non-consensual action between Caroline and Ted as she wakes up next to him certain that something happened.
3 The Ending of 50 First Dates
50 First Dates’ ending isn’t romantic.
After everything Henry (Adam Sandler) and Lucy (Drew Barrymore) go through in their one-of-a-kind relationship due to Lucy’s amnesia, 50 First Days gives them a “happy” ending that is not only quite divisive but also dark. The ending of 50 First Dates takes a time jump and sees Lucy on a boat where she learns through a tape that she and Henry got married and they now have a daughter. It’s an unexpected and even creepy turn that many viewers have labeled as “insensitive” as it feels like Henry was taking advantage of Lucy and her condition, and it’s even worse when looking at it from Lucy’s perspective.
2 Gareth’s Sudden Death in Four Weddings and a Funeral
Garet’s death was a shock to the characters & viewers.
Although the title of Four Weddings and a Funeral already reveals there will be a sad moment, the audience could have never been ready for who the funeral would be for. During Carrie (Andie MacDowell) and Hamish’s wedding, Gareth (Simon Callow), one of Charles’ (Hugh Grant) closest friends and the sentimental partner of Matthew (John Hannah), had a fatal heart attack, and so the funeral was his. Gareth was having a great time at the wedding and he and Matthew were the only stable couple in their group of friends, so it’s not just the fact that he suddenly died, but also that Charles and the rest lost a great friend and Matthew lost his other half.
1 Erin’s Suicidal Thoughts In What Women Want
Nick’s gift helped him save a life.
Nick (Mel Gibson) has a special gift in What Women Want that allows him to listen to women’s thoughts, which he uses to his advantage – and in a dark turn, he also uses it to save a young woman, Erin (Judy Greer). Erin worked at Nick’s agency and was always ignored by him and her colleagues, and Nick found out that she was contemplating suicide. After hearing her think that no one would notice if she didn’t show up for work, Nick rushed to her house as she didn’t show up to work, and was able to stop her from carrying on with her plan. As dark and sad as Erin’s storyline was, it was necessary to show that Nick’s gift also carried a lot of responsibility.
