Top five toxic film relationships

Romantic films set a precedent for relationships, about how we should act and how we should love, but not all films succeed in setting a good precedent

Crazy Rich Asians promo poster: IMDB

Unlike the eternal love they promise, not all romantic films last. In fact, as time goes on it seems that more and more are being looked at through the lens of gen Z cringe and analytic perspective. For many love movies the rose-tinted shades have faded to brown, and the dreamy relationships they profess have slipped into uncomfortable notoriety. It seems incredible that even in the last ten years filmmakers have produced couples that simply seep awkwardness and promote a worrying level of toxicity. So, if you’re looking to base your in-depth love fantasies on a particular movie or fandom, I would avoid these five.

1.The Notebook

Although the dementia-based ending to this film is devastatingly perfect and impossible to watch without tears, the start to Noah and Allie’s long-lasting marriage is concerning and manipulative. Within the first ten minutes a flat-capped Ryan Gosling hangs himself from a Ferris wheel and threatens to injure himself if Rachel McAdams doesn’t go out with him; A classic display of emotional control that continues throughout the movie as Allie is constantly blamed and shamed by Noah and his inferiority complex. When watching it is sometimes better to disconnect the kindly old man from the truculent youth.

2. Breakfast at Tiffany’s

A much loved classic with an undeniably deep and delicate performance from Audrey Hepburn. But aside from Mickey Rooney’s incredibly racist side plot, the problems of this film lie in some of the dialogue exchanges:

Paul: ‘I love you, you belong to me!’

Holly Golightly : ‘No. People don't belong to people.’

Paul Varjak : ‘Of course they do!’

Yes, George Peppard’s character is trying to liberate Holly Golightly from her own self-entrapment, but that doesn’t take away from the possessive and sometimes nasty nature of his character.

The Shape of Water official trailer: 20th Century Fox

3. Cruel Intentions

It may it not technically be incest but step siblings getting together will never not be wrong. Especially when they’re two sadistic and emotionally imbalanced siblings such as these. But even the supposedly ‘healthy’ relationship of the film, between Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon, is built on lies, betting, and the insufferable privilege of a rich entitled teen. Then, when (spoiler alert) Phillippe’s character Sebastian supposedly transforms and improves, he gets randomly hit by a truck. Thus reinforcing a terrible sense of nihilism.

4. The Shape of Water

Fish sex. I can say no more.

5. Crazy Rich Asians

I know, I’ll take my girlfriend who I want to marry to meet my family and not tell her that we’re the richest family in Singapore. No! Every bit of humiliation and upset that Rachel faces in this movie is down to Henry and his inability to communicate. Maybe if she (Constance Wu) had been a little bit prepared the trip might have not been so disastrous. And, as much as I love Henry Golding, the chemistry between them is lacking.

And one more from TV…

6. Modern Family

I want it made clear that I love Mitch and Cam, they are the most hilarious part of Modern Family for me and the actors (Jesse Tyler-Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet) always bring their A-game. But that doesn’t change the fact that every single plotline about their partnership involves lies, pettiness and one attempting to change the other. The amount of times they say ‘the problem with you is’ to each other is too much for a healthy, loving relationship. It just would have been nice to see more mutual and united moments between them.