7 Of The Most Unforgivable Rom-Com Betrayals

Rom-coms are usually pretty much all-round feel-good movies that’ll leave you with a lighter heart and have you believing in love again. Sadly, most of those movies also have someone getting betrayed massively by someone they trusted or loved in the course of the movie. It’s not a pretty sight, but it happens.

Some of these betrayals are so shocking that we remember them more vividly than the plot of the actual movie. Let’s take a look at some of these borderline unforgivable betrayals that have graced the silver screen in the last few decades.

Love Actually (2003)

That one scene where Emma Thompson’s Karen finds a necklace between her husband’s things, thinking it’s a gift for her, only to later realize that professor Snape was cheating on her still breaks our hearts. It is a good and powerfully executed scene though, but unlike Snape Alan Rickman’s Harry doesn’t get a redemption arc in this movie. He’s just an idiot that starts an affair with someone from work and gets caught.

Juno (2007)

Juno is a child of its generation where rom-coms were allowed to be just a bit darker than what we were used to. A story revolving around teen pregnancy is dark enough, but then they decided to have her find the perfect adoption parents and have the father-to-be hit on her. I think we were all glad when the couple split up and the pervy guy ended up all alone.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

It’s hard to stay mad at Heath Ledger, but boy did his character Patrick mess up in this movie. Starting to date a girl because someone pays you to so they can go out with the sister? Doesn’t matter that Patrick genuinely fell for Kat, it’s just not a very nice thing to do to a person.

Sliding Doors (1998)

Remember that one guy from that one movie that claimed to be writing on his new book as his wife went to work to support the family, only to have it turn out that he wasn’t writing a book at all but he was entertaining his ex-girlfriend? Yeah, Gary was that man. The movie then splits into two parallel realities, but Gary remains a top-grade douchebag in each one.

He’s Just Not That Into You (2009)

Bradley Cooper in this movie plays a guy that cheats on Jennifer Connely with Scarlett Johansson, only to then have Scarlett Johansson hide in the closet while he gets intimate with Jennifer Connely. I’m not sure which of these women I should feel most sorry for right now, but I’m absolutely positive that Bradley Cooper’s Ben doesn’t deserve either of them.

Bride Wars (2009)

It doesn’t always have to be partners that betray each other. In this movie, two lifelong friends, Emma and Liv, want to get married on the same date but there’s only one venue available. What follows is a movie that leaves you wondering “why are women so mean?” and “are these two ever really going to be friends after this?” While I don’t know the answer to the first question, the second one is definitely a resounding “no”.

John Tucker Must Die (2006)

You can probably tell from the title of this movie that John Tucker isn’t the nicest of fellows. John Tucker is your typical high school heartthrob that managed to perfect high school sociology to an alarming degree. He dates girls from different social circles because he’s absolutely positive that the popular cheerleader is never going to talk to the nerdy smart girl or vegan eco-activist. When the girls eventually find out (guys, they always find out), they’re not too happy about things.