10 Romantic Movies That Were Actually Super Toxic (And Aged Poorly)

There are some romance movies that you may have swooned at back in the day, but now realize were incredibly cringeworthy and toxic. Here are the top movies that didn’t stand the test of time and get criticized today for being filled with problematic red flags.

1. 50 First Dates

In this movie, the protagonist can’t have a romantic relationship due to her condition, and Adam Sandler’s character is ultimately taking advantage of a person with a mental disability. It’s horrifying when you realize the daily terror she must experience having a child and husband that she has absolutely no memory of.

2. While You Were Sleeping

In this 90s rom-com, the main character lets a man and his family believe she’s his secret fiancée, but then she goes ahead and falls in love with his brother. Encouraging a woman to hide her identity in order to find true love? No thanks.

3. Mrs. Doubtfire

A classic example of the patriarchy, “Mrs. Doubtfire” shows a male protagonist who always could take care of his family and put in the work — he was just lazy and decided not to until his wife couldn’t handle it anymore. Was this the only alternative to accepting the consequences of being a lazy man-child? Commit fraud and deceive your family, of course.

4. Big

This film about a young boy being trapped in a man’s body had an icky scene where he kisses and makes love to a woman when trapped in the body. Many viewers thought it was romantic that when she found out after, she still wanted to be with him when he got older, but rewatching it, this feels a bit creepy.