Special Report

The 20 Worst Romantic Movies Ever Made

With restaurants and other date options still mostly closed because of COVID-19, many couples will likely cozy up and put on a romantic movie to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2021. While films about love and relationships usually take one of two approaches —  sweet and lovable or steamy and intimate — some notable exceptions achieve neither and end up as misguided messes.

24/7 Tempo reviewed audience and critic ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, as well as viewer ratings on IMDb, for romantic movies in order to determine the 20 worst romance movies ever made. 

In a romantic film, the key to success is to have convincing characters, plausible plot, and a believable relationship between the characters. But all this can be thrown off by poor performances from actors, unrealistic dialogue, unfocused directing, or a story that does not make sense. Each film on this list was criticized for having at least one of these flaws — or even all of them in some cases.

Many of the films on this list came out in early February, in the hopes of cashing in on couples going to the movies to see a romantic film for Valentine’s Day. Though the films on this list were not critically well received, some still managed to capture the top spot at the box office. These are the most popular movies for Valentine’s Day since 1980.

This list also consists largely of sequels. Studios see a winning formula in a movie and hope that audiences will come back to see the same characters in new situations. Unfortunately, these follow-ups often come across as lazy cash grabs, as much of the original magic from the first film is lost. These are the 50 worst movie sequels ever made.

Click here to see the 20 worst romance movies ever made

To determine the 20 worst romantic movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. We created an index based on the average critic rating from Rotten Tomatoes, the average audience rating from Rotten Tomatoes, and the average user rating from IMDb. We only considered romantic feature films with at least 5,000 Rotten Tomatoes audience reviews, 10 Rotten Tomatoes critic reviews, and 10,000 IMDb user reviews. All data is for the most recent period available. Data was collected February 2021.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

20. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
> Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
> Director(s): Sam Taylor-Johnson
> Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Eloise Mumford
> Box office gross: $166.2 million

“Fifty Shades of Grey” is the film adaptation of E. L. James’s best-selling novel by the same name. It follows the story of literature student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and her affair with the wealthy Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) as she learns about his unconventional desires. Most audience members who rated the film for Rotten Tomatoes disliked it, as did more than three-quarters of movie critics. Despite the poor reviews, the movie pulled in over $166 million at the box office.

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Courtesy of FilmDistrict

19. Playing for Keeps (2012)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sport
> Director(s): Gabriele Muccino
> Starring: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid, Noah Lomax
> Box office gross: $13.1 million

There was apparently very little to like about the 2012 rom-com “Playing for Keeps,” which tells the story of a former soccer player (Gerard Butler) trying to reconcile with his ex-wife by coaching his son’s soccer team. Critics despised the movie, with just 4% of pro reviewers giving the film a positive review, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Michael Compton of the Bowling Green Daily News called it “a predictable piece of romantic comedy fluff that just goes through the motions.” “Playing for Keeps” fared better among moviegoers, but still, only 41% of audience members said they liked it.

Courtesy of Warner Bros.

18. Sex and the City 2 (2010)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
> Director(s): Michael Patrick King
> Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon
> Box office gross: $95.4 million

“Sex and the City 2” follows familiar faces Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha as they head to Abu Dhabi for vacation, but critics felt the film left all the charms of the original series back in New York City. Reviewers said the film was bloated with a two-and-a-half hour run-time, and just 16% gave it a positive review, per Rotten Tomatoes. Unlike the first SATC film, which 77% of audience members enjoyed, moviegoers largely disliked the sequel, with an audience score of just 43%.

Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

17. Aloha (2015)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
> Director(s): Cameron Crowe
> Starring: Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Emma Stone, Alec Baldwin
> Box office gross: $21.0 million

Rom-com “Aloha” is the story of a military contractor (Bradley Cooper) who finds himself smitten with an old flame (Rachel McAdams) as well as a fighter pilot (Emma Stone) assigned to work with him. The film is the worst-reviewed project from acclaimed director Cameron Crowe, as just 20% of reviewers and 28% of audience members said they liked the film, per Rotten Tomatoes. The film also drew criticism — and eventually apologies from Crowe and the actress herself — for casting Emma Stone as a character with Hawaiian and Asian heritage.

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Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

16. Sex Tape (2014)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Jake Kasdan
> Starring: Jason Segel, Cameron Diaz, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper
> Box office gross: $38.5 million

As the title suggests, “Sex Tape” is about an adult film — specifically one made by a married couple (Segel and Diaz), parents of two, who aim to reignite their romantic life. But the film gets inadvertently uploaded to the internet. Critics largely found the movie uninteresting and unfunny, with just 16% of those listed on Rotten Tomatoes giving the film a positive review. Audiences largely disliked “Sex Tape” as well, with just 33% saying they enjoyed it.

Courtesy of Blue Sky Media

15. The Accidental Husband (2008)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Griffin Dunne
> Starring: Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Justina Machado, Colin Firth
> Box office gross: $22 million worldwide

In “The Accidental Husband,” radio DJ Emma (Uma Thurman) learns her upcoming wedding has been spoiled because she has been married without her knowledge. After she advised a listener to break off her engagement, that listener’s fianceé (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) fakes a marriage certificate to Emma without her knowledge. Critics pilloried the film — Anthony Quinn of the Independent said it had “insufferable silliness,” Richard Cline said it had a “hodge-podge of random story elements,” and Matthew Turner from ViewLondon called it a “romantic comedy that gets everything wrong.” Just 36% of Rotten Tomatoes users who reviewed the movie said it was worth watching.

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Courtesy of Screen Media Films

14. The Lifeguard (2013)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director(s): Liz W. Garcia
> Starring: Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Joshua Harto
> Box office gross: N/A

In romantic drama “The Lifeguard,” Kristen Bell stars as a high-achieving reporter who quits her job in New York to return to her hometown where she takes a job as a lifeguard and sparks up a romance with a troubled teen. Reviewers took issue with the tone, soundtrack, and actors’ performances, with just 16% positive reviews of the reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes. The film didn’t fare much better with audiences, with a 26% audience score.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

13. Little Fockers (2010)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Paul Weitz
> Starring: Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson
> Box office gross: $148.4 million

“Little Fockers” is the third installment of the Meet the Parents film franchise after “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers.” Most critics agreed that the dynamics of these fictional families was already well-trod territory. Just 34% of audience members and 9% of reviewers said they liked the film on Rotten Tomatoes. Allen Almachar of The MacGuffin wrote, “There is nothing new here, no interesting character developments and no new insight to the dynamics of these people.”

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

12. I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Chris Columbus
> Starring: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack Carpenter, Lauren London
> Box office gross: $14.8 million

In 2009’s rom-com “I Love You, Beth Cooper,” the nerdy high school valedictorian (Paul Rust) confesses his love for the most popular girl in school (Hayden Panettiere) and is surprised to receive an invitation to her graduation party. Film reviewers were unsparing in their criticism. Daily Telegraph called the movie “soul-starved and lethally bland.” Empire Magazine said it was “painfully unfunny.” Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema crazed even called the film a “mean spirited exercise in sadism.” Just 13% of critics and 32% of moviegoers on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive review.

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Courtesy of New Line Cinema

11. Mr. Woodcock (2007)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sport
> Director(s): Craig Gillespie
> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Seann William Scott, Susan Sarandon, Amy Poehler
> Box office gross: $25.6 million

In “Mr. Woodcock,” an author (Seann William Scott) sets out to stop his mother (Susan Sarandon) from marrying his former gym teacher and grade school tormentor (Billy Bob Thornton). Critics found the film bland and predictable, and 35,000 reviewers on IMDb gave the film a combined score of 5.2/10.

Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

10. I Don’t Know How She Does It (2011)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Douglas McGrath
> Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Kelsey Grammer, Greg Kinnear
> Box office gross: $9.7 million

The movie’s plot centers around a financial executive who loves her job and her family but struggles to balance both. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes describes “I Don’t Know How She Does It” as “a limp comedy with a hopelessly outdated viewpoint on gender.” Just 17% of critics gave the movie a positive review, while fans were a bit more positive with 32% liking it.

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Courtesy of Asmik Ace Entertainment

9. Silk (2007)
> Genre: Drama, Romance
> Director(s): François Girard
> Starring: Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Kôji Yakusho, Sei Ashina
> Box office gross: $1.1 million

“Silk” is a movie about a love triangle — while he is on a trip away from his wife, a married man becomes obsessed with the concubine of a local man. Anna Smith of Empire Magazine writes about the movie: “A flat story, lean characters and a miscast lead make this a poor facsimile of period epics like Farewell My Concubine.” Just 7% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 29% of audiences liked the movie.

Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

8. Serena (2014)
> Genre: Drama, History, Romance
> Director(s): Susanne Bier
> Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Rhys Ifans, Toby Jones
> Box office gross: $180,000

Even award-winning actors such as Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence who starred together in critically-acclaimed “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle” could not save “Serena.” The film follows a timber baron and his wife, who can’t have children, and her plans to murder the mother of her husband’s illegitimate son. Only 16% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a positive rating.

Courtesy of Universal Pictures

7. Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
> Genre: Drama, Romance, Thriller
> Director(s): James Foley
> Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Eloise Mumford
> Box office gross: $100.4 million

“Fifty Shades Freed” is the third and final installment in the Fifty Shades franchise. Christian Grey and Anastasia, now his new wife, must fight to prevent their secrets from coming to light. Just 11% of reviewers and 37% of audience members on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a positive review, and over 56,000 reviewers on IMDb gave the film a score of 4.5/10. Reviewers panned the movie, with Josh Kupecki of the Austin Chronicle saying it had “no narrative spark whatsoever.”

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Courtesy of Entertainment One

6. Diana (2013)
> Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
> Director(s): Oliver Hirschbiegel
> Starring: Naomi Watts, Naveen Andrews, Cas Anvar, Charles Edwards
> Box office gross: $335,000

“Diana,” starring two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts in the title role, failed to win over both critics and fans. “Naomi Watts tries hard in the title role, but ‘Diana’ buries her efforts under a shoddy script and clumsy direction,” according to Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus. Just 26% of the audience gave the film, which tells the story of the late princess of Wales and her secret love affair with a Pakistani surgeon, a positive review.

Courtesy of Four of a Kind Productions

5. The Romantics (2010)
> Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
> Director(s): Galt Niederhoffer
> Starring: Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman
> Box office gross: $106,000

“The Romantics” follows the story of two best friends who have been in love with the same man and one of them is about to marry him. Directed and written by Galt Niederhoffer, who adopted the screenplay from her own novel, the movie has been described as “pretty” but having “no idea how silly it is” by Jennie Yabroff of Newsweek.

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Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

4. Miss March (2009)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore
> Starring: Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore, Raquel Alessi, Molly Stanton
> Box office gross: $4.5 million

“Miss March” is a teen rom-com about a young man in high school who falls into a coma before his senior prom and awakens four years later to discover his ex-girlfriend has posed for Playboy. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes said that “even by the modest standards of the teen sex comedy genre, the crass, poorly made ‘Miss March’ misses the mark.” Little wonder the film only has a 5% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

3. All About Steve (2009)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Phil Traill
> Starring: Sandra Bullock, Bradley Cooper, Thomas Haden Church, Ken Jeong
> Box office gross: $33.9 million

Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock (Best Actress, “The Blind Side”) and eight-time Oscar-nominee Bradley Cooper star in this romantic comedy about a talkative crossword puzzle writer who falls in love with a news station cameraman. Only 6% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes returned positive reviews for what is described by Critics Consensus as “an oddly creepy, sour film.” Audience members were slightly more generous, with 30% liking it.

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

2. The Love Guru (2008)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance, Sport
> Director(s): Marco Schnabel
> Starring: Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Romany Malco, Jessica Simpson
> Box office gross: $32.2 million

Mike Myers (of the Austin Powers franchise) plays a man raised in an Indian ashram returning to his native America to become a self-help expert. However, he’s struggling in helping a star hockey player save his marriage. Only 14% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a positive rating. Audiences were more forgiving, with 33% of them liking the rom-com.

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Courtesy of Regent Releasing

1. The Hottie & the Nottie (2008)
> Genre: Comedy, Romance
> Director(s): Tom Putnam
> Starring: Paris Hilton, Joel David Moore, Christine Lakin, Johann Urb
> Box office gross: $30,000

The cringe-inducing title should be warning enough. David Jenkins of Time Out called “The Hottie & the Nottie” “an execrable Z-grade eugenics parable. The film has a 6% Freshness rating among Rotten Tomatoes critics, and 31% of audiences liked the gross-out, sexist comedy.

 

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