No romance movie is ever complete without a male lead who is impossibly charming and, of course, a total heartthrob. But at the same time, romance movies tend to romanticise habits that are completely toxic in real life.
At the time, we might have thought these movie boyfriends were the ultimate romantic ideals. But looking back, their behaviour is far less dreamy. Here are the top 10 romance movie heartthrobs who may have won us over with their charms, but are actually total red flags.
10. Peter Kavinsky in ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ (2018)
Peter Kavinsky was already a questionable boyfriend before he even got together with Lara Jean. Instead of working on his relationship with Gen, he decides to start a fake relationship with Lara Jean to make Gen jealous, knowing full well their history.
Peter created an unnecessary mess through miscommunication which really hurt everyone around him. And despite creating all this misunderstanding, he barely had to do anything to win her back in the end.
Related: Top 10 Characters We All Love To Hate
9. Tom Hansen in ‘500 Days of Summer’ (2009)
For someone who loves listening to music, Tom refuses to listen to the girl he is supposedly in love with. His biggest problem is that he never really sees Summer as a person.
He idolises her, interprets everything she does or says to fit his romantic fantasy that he has created in his head, while completely ignoring her boundaries. His heartbreak only comes from the reality failing to match his expectations.
8. Nate Cooper in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2006)
Nate was hardly a decent boyfriend to Andy. He constantly criticised her job, clothes and life choices, treating her success at work as a problem rather than ever celebrating it or being there for her during stressful times.
He had little respect for her profession and even got annoyed when she decided to change up her style. His childish anger, lack of empathy and respect and emotional immaturity were all overlooked because the movie tried to frame him as the sympathetic love interest.
7. Mark in ‘Love Actually’ (2003)
The entire storyline of this couple in the movie was a guy getting a crush on his best friend’s fiancée and deciding to basically make her life insufferable by convincing her that he actually hates her.
But then he follows her around at her own wedding with a video camera and shows up at her house with a cheap PowerPoint presentation to confess his feelings. What exactly did he expect? Unfortunately, Juliet kissing him gave him the validation he clearly wanted.
6. Hardin Scott in ‘After’ (2019)
Hardin Scott is the classic example of the “bad boy who can be changed” trope, and there is nothing romantic about it. The entire starting-a-relationship-on-a-bet storyline was never anything but toxic to begin with.
Hardin is jealous and possessive, routinely invades Tessa’s privacy and weaponises his personal trauma. Despite his multiple attempts to change, he completely failed to ever become a trustworthy boyfriend to Tessa.
5. Noah Calhoun in ‘The Notebook’ (2004)
In so many old romance movies, determination and persistence have always been framed as the ultimate romantic gesture, even though it is so deeply problematic in hindsight. You don’t ask someone out by threatening self-harm if they say no.
Noah literally hangs from a Ferris wheel until Allie agrees to go out with him. On top of it, he isn’t even that nice to Allie and never respects her boundaries. While he may have been the ultimate devoted lover icon when it comes to romance movies, he is nothing but a complete douche when it comes to his relationship with Allie.
In Case You Missed It: Top 10 Times TV Shows Failed Their Characters
4. Christian Grey in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ (2015)
Christian Grey being assertive was the entire point of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey‘ but his understanding of boundaries is really messed up. He routinely inserts himself into Ana’s life without her consent, tracks her phone, dictates what she eats, and even buys the company she works for.
Christian and Ana’s entire relationship was heavily dependent on his control over Ana. Plus, enough can’t be said about the age gap and their power dynamic.
3. Edward Cullen in ‘Twilight’ (2008)
Edward Cullen and his entire brooding vampire persona can bring out the emo teenager in all of us, but his romance with Bella is packed with red flags. He openly admits to stalking her, which is somehow rationalised as concern for her safety.
His protective nature veers too much into the territory of control. He also leaves and ghosts her when she needs him the most and they are very dangerously co-dependent on each other. Like many teen romances, ‘Twilight’ frames so many controlling and emotionally manipulative behaviours as love, and unfortunately, we keep falling for it every single time.
2. Noah Flynn in ‘The Kissing Booth’ (2018)
Apart from being charming and having serious anger issues, Noah Flynn didn’t have much of a personality in ‘The Kissing Booth’. One second he is love-bombing Elle and the next he is aggressive, possessive, and doing something impulsive.
Noah seems incapable of responding to conflict with anything other than punching. Moreover, after punching a guy for catcalling Elle, he goes on to shame her for wearing a short skirt. He dictates who she can talk to or date by intimidating other guys behind her back. Not to mention how his immaturity and inability to communicate only gets worse in the sequels.
1. Danny Zucko in ‘Grease’ (1978)
Danny Zucko was the OG rom-com heartthrob who made generations overlook just how problematic his behaviour is. He is quite literally embarrassed to be seen with Sandy and expects her to completely transform herself to fit in with his world.
Then there are the lyrics of “Summer Nights”, which casually hint at whether Sandy “put up a fight” during their sexual encounter. This reference was casually dropped and never even mentioned again and that is deeply troubling.
You Might Also Like To Read: 10 Most Unlikeable Female Movie Characters Who Were Secretly Right
