8 Rom-Com Couples That Most Likely Broke Up Eventually

It’s a given that romantic comedies don’t always provide the most stable beginnings for a long-lasting relationship, but with some couples, it’s clear that they are destined to break up. These couples go through a lot to be together, otherwise there wouldn’t be a plot or conflict in the movie. However, a line can be crossed based on how difficult a relationship is, even in the fantasy world of a rom-com.

There are some couples that audience members root against from the beginning, and they are often the product of dated tropes and ideals around dating. In the modern era, there are more expectations regarding mutual respect, kindness, and trust in relationships, leading to viewers having higher expectations for movie couples. On the other hand, there is a decreased stigma surrounding people who remain single, meaning the device of a woman feeling bad for not getting married has fallen to the wayside. Having this perspective, it’s easy to imagine that many rom-com couples called it quits.

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8 Andie & Ben – How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days (2003)

Directed by Donald Petrie

Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson team up for How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, a movie that seems to be a battle of who can have the worst intentions when entering a relationship. Ben (McConaughey) makes a bet that he can get Andie (Hudson) to fall in love with him in 10 days, not knowing that she has been assigned an article about how to drive a man away in those same 10 days. The couple drives each other mad almost instantly, and if it weren’t for their physical chemistry, they probably would’ve given up on their tasks immediately.

This culminates in one of the ugliest public fights ever put on screen, humiliating them both. Despite this, they decide to be together even though they have been putting on an act and know virtually nothing about each other. It would take only another 10 days for the pair to realize they have hurt each other enough and call it off.

7 Ben & Allison – Knocked Up (2007)

Directed by Judd Apatow

An accidental pregnancy is not necessarily a good reason to enter into a relationship, especially when it’s two people who can’t stand each other. After Ben (Seth Rogan) and Allison (Katherine Heigl) have a one-night stand that results in a pregnancy, Allison decides to keep the baby, and the couple attempts to start a relationship. Though the film was praised for its comedy, and an honest portrayal of a difficult situation, all the trying in the world can’t fix a lack of compatibility. The pair don’t like each other, and they would most likely discover that staying together for the baby’s sake wasn’t good for anyone.

6 Charles & Carrie – Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994)

Directed by Mike Newell

Hugh Grant may be one of the greatest leading men in rom-com history, but that doesn’t mean that all of his on-screen relationships will stand the test of time. Four Weddings and a Funeral packs an emotional punch and delivers the classic beats of a rom-com, but the central couple dynamic doesn’t make sense. Charles (Grant) and Carrie (Andie MacDowell) barely know each other, and Andie marries someone else, whereas Charles nearly marries someone and then leaves them at the altar. They both exhibit commitment issues before deciding to give their relationship a chance, and it seems unlikely that the past wouldn’t come back to haunt them.

5 Andrew & Sam – Garden State (2004)

Directed by Zach Braff

Zach Braff’s Garden State, which he wrote, directed, and starred in, doesn’t subvert the manic pixie dream girl trope, it only confirms it. Poor Sam (Natalie Portman) is nothing more than a tool for Andrew’s (Braff) development, and a sunshine-y foil to the gloom and doom that makes him so deep and interesting. Despite her devotion, for no good reason, Andrew takes a long time to realize that he wants to be with her, and when he does, it feels like she’s a consolation prize rather than an object of love. With any luck, Sam soon realized that Andrew had nothing to offer her and didn’t treat her very well.

4 Laney & Zack – She’s All That (1999)

Directed by Robert Iscove

The makeover montage is a common trope, and it’s one of the reasons that She’s All That is a classic, but there are plenty of reasons that Laney (Rachael Leigh Cook) and Zack (Freddie Prinze Jr.) wouldn’t have made it past high school. When he first pursues her, Laney is no more than a joke to Zack. A way to get back at his ex-girlfriend and prove his manhood to his friends. Though the pair do have things in common, and Laney opens Zack’s eyes to his shallow behavior, it doesn’t change the fact that no one should have to make themselves different to fit in.

In the film, it’s almost shocking when Laney decides to forgive him and take him back since her character was built upon having strict morals and a strong sense of self. Even if Zack’s feelings were true, and he wasn’t blinded by her new haircut, once they were out in the world, the few similarities they had would quickly fade. Laney’s artistic sensibilities and desire to live against the grain were never a good fit for Zack’s straight-edge behavior.

3 Edward & Vivian – Pretty Woman (1990)

Directed by Garry Marshall

Edward (Richard Gere) and Vivian (Julia Roberts) are an obviously incompatible pair, if only for the fact that the power dynamic between them would soon destroy any chance at happiness. Vivian is a sex worker whom Edward hires to pretend to be his partner at business and social events, and the lines between business and romance soon start to blur. Unfortunately, all the money in the world cannot buy love, and the fairytale ending of their relationship doesn’t account for the fact that Edward doesn’t respect or understand Vivian, he’s only trying to change her.

Additionally, as a smart and capable woman, Vivian would be able to see through Edward’s behavior and know not to rely on the whims of a man with so much power. Not long after the sweet, and improbable, end, the pair would have looked at the reality of their situation, and the differences in their lives, and accepted that they could never work. In fact, in the original ending of the film, this is exactly what happened.

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2 Blane & Andy – Pretty In Pink (1986)

Directed by Howard Deutch

Written by John Hughes, the ’80s king of teen drama films, Pretty in Pink doesn’t spread the best message about the kind of love that should be accepted by teen girls. At the heart of the film is the class struggle between the rich kids and the kids with less money, and the romance between Blane (Andrew McCarthy), a rich kid, and Andy (Molly Ringwald), not so rich, is caught in the middle. Unfortunately, it takes Blane a little too long to realize what a jerk he’s being to Andy and overcome his prejudice.

His friends convince him to treat her terribly, and he listens, despite the only reason for her social alienation being her class. It can be difficult to overcome disapproving friends, but Blane gave his word that he would take Andy to prom, and goes back on it, betraying her. Andy forgives him in the end, but once she leaves high school and learns that there are plenty of handsome men who will treat her with kindness, there’s no way she would stick with Blane.

1 Sam & Annie – Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Directed by Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron is one of the greatest rom-com writers and directors of all time, but the relationship she cooked up in Sleepless in Seattle doesn’t make for the greatest love story. The movie is great; Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan do wonderful work as the leads, and it’s easy to care about the fate of these two characters. If a relationship could stand the test of time without the couple knowing each other at all, that would be a terrific fantasy.

Unfortunately, once the couple meets at the Empire State Building at the end of the film, where they go from there is a true mystery. They give up their lives and their plans but don’t know the first thing about each other. Whether it lasted one day, a month, or a year, there’s little chance that the pair wouldn’t come to regret their spontaneous decision.