Romantic comedies have always been cheesy at the best of times. Unfortunately, sometimes the ideas that launch classic (and not so classic) films are not exactly the type of idea that could be made nowadays.
There are some pretty terrible and pretty great romcoms out there, but not all of them have aged well. The performances, ideas, or joke may significantly date these cheesy flicks. Here are 10 romantic comedies that have definitely aged poorly.
The Switch
There are so may great rom coms based on the idea that former lovers could reignite their spark and get back together once again. That it doesn’t matter who stands in the way, true love will triumph and good couples will break up just to get back with the exes.
Unfortunately, in The Switch, the reason the couple reunites once more is that Jennifer Anniston’s character Kassie was artificially inseminated with Jason Bateman’s DNA sample. It seems like a court case waiting to happen.
This Means War
Chris Pine and Tom Hardy are now major blockbuster, action heroes. Reese Witherspoon is at the top of this genre. So, how on Earth did this crazy, romantic comedy, action film ever get made? It’s truly terrible from the moment the opening titles roll.
The movie is based around two CIA agents who happen to be dating the same woman. A battle ensues over who gets to have her, in a plot that reminds us more of medieval jousting tournaments for the affection of a maiden, than of modern relationships.
When In Rome
Kristen Bell is also at the top of the industry right now, featuring in a number of amazing comedies and films including The Good Place and the recently released Frozen 2. It’s a shame therefore that this film sticks out so much in her portfolio of work.
The movie is about a maid of honor who falls in love with her brother in law’s cousin… at their wedding in Rome. Add in a magic well that makes men sexually harass her, and you’ve got a bizarre film for the current decade. The biggest shock isn’t just that it was made in the past ten years, but that it was made at all.
Clueless
We know that Clueless is a classic within the genre, but it’s difficult to argue this is just as strong as when it was first released. There’s a number of problems with this comedy that make it feel incredibly dated. For starters, the protagonist actually falls in love with her stepbrother.
What’s more, the stereotypes of women for the era were terrible and the main character eventually defies these; a character just wouldn’t be written the same way now. It’s poorly filmed, looking cheap and the Paul Rudd charm just isn’t there yet!
Two Night Stand
The one-night stand trope that turns into some more is pretty overdone in this genre. In fact, by the point Two Night Stand had been released, this idea had been explored hundreds of times. This already makes the film feel dated just by its concept.
The online messaging idea has also since passed with more basic apps like Tinder taking over. The film actually puts forward quite a dangerous idea, to meet someone online to sleep with them one time. On top of this, the characters don’t exactly have a lot of chemistry.
Shallow Hal
Jack Black is a comedy genius but this is a huge failure in his career. The concept that Shallow Hal is based upon is deeply troubling. The basic premise is that this character, Hal, will only date particularly skinny women, because of his shallow personality.
However, after some romantic comedy magic, he sees his lover completely differently. Although in real life she may be curvier, in Hal’s mind, she is almost a size zero. The general idea is ridiculous, and we know there’s a message here eventually about being shallow, but it could have been made in a different way.
Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed is just one of those traditional films about a student falling in love with her teacher… and a teacher falling in love with his student… and the teacher and the student eventually getting together in a completely illegal happy ending.
Of course, it’s not actually illegal because our protagonist here, 25-year-old Josie, is undercover in a school. But that doesn’t explain the behavior of her teacher, Sam, who didn’t know this detail for quite some time. There’s a lot of issues with this one.
Rumor Has It
Jennifer Anniston is back on this list again, trying to deal with the strange family that she’s been brought up in. It appears that both her mother and her grandmother have slept with the same man at some point in their life, almost making it a tradition amongst the women.
With the potential that this man could actually be her father when you really break it down, Rumor Has It sees Anniston forget all about her boyfriend, Mark Ruffalo, and embark on a passionate experience with the same man that has been with her older family. It’s pretty weird.
What Happens In Vegas
The notion that two people would get married in Vegas while completely drunk is a pretty common one. We’ve seen it in countless comedies over the years, including Friends and the Hangover. However, it’s rare to see it be the driving point of a whole movie.
What’s more bizarre is that the court ruling for this troublesome couple is that they have to stay together in order to get the money that they’ve won in the casino, to prove they are actually working on the marriage. It might be fun, but it’s certainly aged poorly.
That Awkward Moment
When you put together big names like Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordon, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis and Jessica Lucas, you’d think that the film they were all starring in would be an outright success. However, this modern cheesy rom-com is still problematic.
The film showcases many issues with modern dating, and, on a re-watch, it’s clear that there are some major errors. The male attitude towards women is appalling here, and the idea that a committed relationship is something to be completely avoided is a dangerous concept. At least they end up together, though?
