Britney Spears's 'Dump Him' shirt is iconic for a reason - some female movie characters should take heed. Many rom-com partners are better off dumped, even in beloved films where we once rooted for the couple. With a newfound awareness of red flags, accountability, and toxic masculinity, we're reevaluating these relationships. Female protagonists sometimes ditch their violent, manipulative, or cheating boyfriends, but often they forgive and forget. Here, we're calling out the worst boyfriends in rom-coms, ranked by how quickly you'd show them the door.
About this list
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What Makes Him So Bad: Glenn Gulia - 'The Wedding Singer' in the list 'Worst Boyfriends In Rom-Coms, Ranked'Glenn Gulia (Matthew Glave) admits his only reason for marrying Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore) is getting a trophy wife. He only likes her looks and treats her like trash. His smirk sends women running.
The Worst Thing He's Done: The guy planned cheating before he even walked down the aisle.The guy planned cheating before he even walked down the aisle.
Can We Fix Him? Take the trash out, ladies.Take the trash out, ladies.
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What Makes Him So Bad: Elton Tiscia manipulates people. He gets what he wants, and when people reject him, he explodes. He obsesses over looks, leading on Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy) for Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) because their dads are rich and they 'should' be together.Elton Tiscia (Jeremy Sisto) ignores consent. He manipulates people for what he wants. When they refuse, he explodes. Elton obsesses over looks. He leads on Tai Frasier (Brittany Murphy) to get to Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone). Their daddies are rich. They should be together.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Elton forces Cher to ride home and demands they date. Elton refuses to accept no, tries to force himself on her, and leaves Cher mugged in a shady spot.This jerk makes Cher get a ride home. He then demands they date. Elton goes further. He forces himself on her. He leaves Cher stranded in a shady spot where she gets mugged.
Can We Fix Him? Take away his trust fund and let him rot in the discount section of the outlet mall.Take away his trust fund. Let him rot in the discount section of the outlet mall.
Also ranks #7 on Clueless Characters List
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What Makes Him So Bad: Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) has more unearned confidence than his whole Harvard Law School class. Despite bad grades and his family name getting him into Harvard, he still looks down on any woman who listens to his pompous voice.Warner Huntington III (Matthew Davis) has more unearned confidence than his whole Harvard Law School class. He condescends to any woman who listens to his pretentious voice.
The guy treats Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) like she is disposable. He insults her smarts and gaslights her, just like he does with other women. He thinks he can do better, but in reality,Theycan do much better thanhim.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Warner makes a big entrance picking up Elle for a date at a fancy restaurant. He kisses her, acts like he's about to propose, then publicly ends their relationship cruelly. He wants her back after seeing she surpasses him in their law careers.Warner makes a big entrance picking up Elle for a date at a fancy restaurant. He kisses her, acts like he's about to propose, then publicly ends their relationship cruelly. He wants her back after seeing she surpasses him in their law careers.
Can We Fix Him? He will make his four ex-wives unhappy one day.He will make his four ex-wives unhappy one day.
Also ranks #6 on Legally Blonde Characters
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What Makes Him So Bad: Sack Lodge (Bradley Cooper) is another cheater. We should stop engaging with guys who think they can fight through any problem. Sack Lodge has violence, and his girlfriend Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams) is better off without him.Ah, yes. Another cheater. We should stop engaging with guys who think they can fight through any problem. Sack Lodge (Bradley Cooper) has violence, and his girlfriend Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams) is better off without him.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Warner intentionally shot his supposed friend Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) during a hunting trip. This is serious.Intentionally shooting his supposed friend Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) during a hunting trip is terrible.
Can We Fix Him? His name says it all.His name says it all.
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What Makes Him So Bad: Have you ever had that ex you can't forget, who keeps pulling you back with hope? That is Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell).Have you ever had that ex you just can't shake, who keeps reeling you in with a glimmer of hope? That is Jasper Bloom (Rufus Sewell).
Jasper cheated on Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) with their coworker, using her for free writing edits and giving her racy gifts while he was engaged. Jasper uses Iris's love to keep her hooked, refusing to let her leave because of some power. Perhaps he just keeps her as a backup if his other relationship fails, which it will. Either way, he sucks.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Cheating while engaged to someone else does not earn him any likeability points.
Can We Fix Him?Give him his own bad behavior and maybe he will learn. Probably not.
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Ted - 'Bridesmaids'MoviesWhat Makes Him So Bad: Before people called it a “situationship,” Ted (Jon Hamm) led casual sex with Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig). He acts like a jerk. He is full of himself and treats Annie like property.
The Worst Thing He's Done: It's pretty Teddy Boy is skeevy. He offered a ride to his part-time lover, expecting them to do something on you while you drive. That is dangerous, Teddy Boy. Annie got out of Dodge. Good job, Annie!
Can We Fix Him?There are not enough self-help books to fix this.
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What Makes Him So Bad: A guy trying to blackmail you into sleeping with him shows true love. Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) crosses every line. Manipulation, constant need for revenge, and commitment problems make him a bad choice.
The Worst Thing He's Done: He slept with his best friend's wife and then lied about it. That is enough.
Can We Fix Him? Has anyone seen a trash can lying around? I need a friend to ask.
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What Makes Him So Bad: Pretentious rock stars rarely make good boyfriends. Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) looks down on people he thinks are beneath him. He cheats with women in relationships and gets jealous when he states he does not want monogamy.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Cheating with Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for a year and showing it to her boyfriend is not an award-winning trait.
Can We Fix Him? There is no fix for being a pretentious jerk.
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What Makes Him So Bad: John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) has two-timing and three-timing without limit. If you date multiple girls in school, consider being more subtle before they plan revenge.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Cheating on several girlfriends and gaslighting them is not cute.
Can We Fix Him? No, John Tucker must die.
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What Makes Him So Bad: Cheating on a pregnant girlfriend is bad. Cheating with a much younger college student just to feel younger is worse. Michael (Zach Braff) seeks praise for avoiding the college student. His self-control is something else!
The Worst Thing He's Done: After stopping himself from sleeping with the college student, he immediately does so after a fight with his pregnant girlfriend Jenna (Jacinda Barrett). He tries to get Jenna to forgive him when he realizes he is not a kid anymore.
Can We Fix Him? Grow up, Michael. You are not a randy teen.
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What Makes Him So Bad: Some cheaters hook up with partners' best friends. This guy is named “Striker,” so imagining him doing this is simple.
The Worst Thing He's Done: It is hard to choose between Striker (Shane West) hooking up with his girlfriend Allison's (Melissa Sagemiller) best friend, or bribing theater techs to hurt her new boyfriend.
Can We Fix Him? Striker has struck out!
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What Makes Him So Bad: Some guys deserve to have their hearts broken. Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) acts like the Nice Guy, but is he real? His obsession with Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel) is creepy and almost stalking. After rejection, Tom viciously attacks the girl he supposedly loved for ages.
The Worst Thing He's Done: After Summer “breaks his heart” because she does not want the relationship Tom expects, he publicly shames her. He uses a greeting card to humiliate her.
Can We Fix Him? Tom has some serious incel vibes, and that is not fixable.
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What Makes Him So Bad: What good can you say about a guy paid to manipulate other men's ex-girlfriends back into relationships? Sherman “Tank” Turner (Dane Cook) agrees to take out single women, increasing the worst behavior imaginable to make them think they had a good life with their exes.
The Worst Thing He's Done: Pursuing his best friend's crush is high on the list. He also ruins a wedding and says bad things to Alexis (Kate Hudson) when he wants to push her away.
Can We Fix Him? No therapy? No. Therapy? Still probably no.
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What Makes Him So Bad: Jake Ryan (Michael Schoeffling) thinks highly of himself and wants others to feel the same. He only notices the unpopular girl when he thinks he can hook up with her. He just likes the attention. He is super creepy about it. He needs to learn what consent means.
The Worst Thing He's Done: This creepy guy leaves his girlfriend Caroline (Haviland Morris) drunk and out. He brags, "I could violate her 10 different ways if I wanted to." Then, he lets a classmate take her in his Rolls, suggesting he assaulted her.
Jake Ryan appears in the list 'Worst Boyfriends In Rom-Coms, Ranked'.Some people excuse "typical teenage boy behavior." Normalizing these predatory acts stops us from seeing change in toxic masculinity and rape culture. No one can change this guy. He must change himself, but that does not erase his actions or the harm he caused.
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This section details what makes Kevin Doyle bad.Kevin Doyle (James Marsden) manipulates a woman into sharing her life story so he can show it to everyone. Kevin Doyle is not the worst movie boyfriend, but he doesn't win any awards for best either. He enters eternal bridesmaid Jane Nichols (Katherine Heigl)'s life for his own goals, aiming for investigative journalism.
This details the worst action Kevin Doyle committed.He records Jane's life without her knowledge or permission. He then publishes a poor piece about her for everyone to see.
Can We Fix Him? Jake Ryan's situation is examined.Fix is a strong word. But with enough groveling, Kevin might get a second chance. His bad behavior comes from wanting career advancement, not from pure malice.
Also ranks #10 on Fictional Characters Named Kevin
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