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The 30 Worst Romantic Comedies of All Time

Welcome to our guide to the worst romantic comedies ever: Movies suspiciously light on love and laughs that scored less than 10% on the Tomatometer – after 20 reviews from critics. This bubbly mix of misfires and killjoys includes infamous bombs (Gigli), questionable nuptials (The Big Wedding, License to Wed), vanity projects (Good Luck Chuck, The Hottie and the Nottie), and holiday hokum (New Year’s Eve, Mother’s Day). Expect some big names to show up as well: Forest Whitaker (First Daughter director), David O. Russell (director of Accidental Love…until the money ran out and the movie was then thrown together without him), Tom Cruise (Cocktail), and Sandra Bullock, whose grating All About Steve had the distinct fortune of being Bullock’s first movie to release after her comeback The Proposal.

Now, it’s meet-cutes of the damned in our guide to the worst rom-coms ever made! —Alex Vo

#1

Down to You (2000)
3%

#1
Adjusted Score: 4755%
Critics Consensus: Down to You is ruined by a bland, by-the-numbers plot and an awful script.
Synopsis: College coeds in New York City, Al (Freddie Prinze Jr.), the son of a celebrity chef (Henry Winkler), and Imogen... [More]
Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Julia Stiles, Selma Blair, Shawn Hatosy
Directed By: Kris Isacsson

#2
#2
Adjusted Score: 9989%
Critics Consensus: Overly reliant on caricatures and lacking any human insight, Because I Said So is an unfunny, cliche-ridden mess.
Synopsis: Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton) is the proud mother of three women: Milly (Mandy Moore), Maggie (Lauren Graham) and Mae (Piper... [More]
Starring: Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo
Directed By: Michael Lehmann

#3

Serving Sara (2002)
4%

#3
Adjusted Score: 7361%
Critics Consensus: A romantic comedy that's neither funny nor particularly romantic, Serving Sara is a forgettable time waster.
Synopsis: When Sara (Elizabeth Hurley) is served divorce papers while she is in New York, she is stunned. Not about to... [More]
Starring: Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, Bruce Campbell, Amy Adams
Directed By: Reginald Hudlin

#4
#4
Adjusted Score: 8710%
Critics Consensus: Witless, unfocused, and arguably misogynistic, Playing for Keeps is a dispiriting, lowest-common-denominator Hollywood rom-com.
Synopsis: Long past his soccer-playing heyday, George Dryer (Gerard Butler) is struggling financially and failing in his attempt to reconcile with... [More]
Starring: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Directed By: Gabriele Muccino

#5
#5
Adjusted Score: 5376%
Critics Consensus: A Little Bit of Heaven subjects viewers to a whole bunch of schmaltz - and strands Kate Hudson and Gael García Bernal in a fatally misguided film.
Synopsis: New Orleans ad executive Marley Corbett (Kate Hudson) is a free-spirited woman who embraces her easy sexuality, shuns commitment, and... [More]
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gael García Bernal, Kathy Bates, Lucy Punch
Directed By: Nicole Kassell

#6

Material Girls (2006)
4%

#6
Adjusted Score: 5448%
Critics Consensus: Plagued by paper-thin characterizations and a hackneyed script, Material Girls fails to live up to even the minimum standards of its genre.
Synopsis: Two sibling cosmetics heiresses (Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff) must grow up quickly when a company scandal leaves them penniless. Though... [More]
Starring: Hilary Duff, Haylie Duff, Anjelica Huston, Brent Spiner
Directed By: Martha Coolidge

#7

Good Luck Chuck (2007)
5%

#7
Adjusted Score: 9175%
Critics Consensus: A shortage of laughs and an undercurrent of mean-spiritedness undermine Good Luck Chuck, squandering a decent premise on gross-out humor and shopworn slapstick.
Synopsis: Cursed since childhood, dentist Charlie Kagan (Dane Cook) cannot find the right woman. Even worse, he learns that each of... [More]
Starring: Dane Cook, Jessica Alba, Dan Fogler, Chelan Simmons
Directed By: Mark Helfrich

#8
#8
Adjusted Score: 7081%
Critics Consensus: Utterly bereft of romance or humor, 'Til There Was You is a singularly misguided attempt at romantic comedy.
Synopsis: Gwen Moss (Jeanne Tripplehorn), a writer hired to pen a book about former child star Francesca Lanfield (Sarah Jessica Parker),... [More]
Starring: Jeanne Tripplehorn, Dylan McDermott, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Aniston
Directed By: Scott Winant

#9

Gigli (2003)
6%

#9
Adjusted Score: 12336%
Critics Consensus: Bizarre and clumsily plotted, Gigli is a mess. As for its stars, Affleck and Lopez lack chemistry.
Synopsis: Gigli (Ben Affleck) is ordered to kidnap the psychologically challenged younger brother of a powerful federal prosecutor. When plans go... [More]
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha, Lainie Kazan
Directed By: Martin Brest

#10

All About Steve (2009)
6%

#10
Adjusted Score: 11163%
Critics Consensus: All About Steve is an oddly creepy, sour film, featuring a heroine so desperate and peculiar that audiences may be more likely to pity than root for her.
Synopsis: After a lovely blind date, crossword-puzzle creator Mary Horowitz (Sandra Bullock) falls head over heels in love with Steve (Bradley... [More]
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper, Ken Jeong
Directed By: Phil Traill

#11

The Perfect Man (2005)
6%

#11
Adjusted Score: 10325%
Critics Consensus: Preposterous and predictable, The Perfect Man manages few laughs with its poorly paced sitcom script, cookie-cutter characters and contrived plotting.
Synopsis: Every time Jean (Heather Locklear) goes through a bad breakup, she moves her two daughters elsewhere. Determined to make a... [More]
Starring: Hilary Duff, Heather Locklear, Chris Noth, Mike O'Malley
Directed By: Mark Rosman

#12
#12
Adjusted Score: 8003%
Critics Consensus: The Hottie and the Nottie is a crass, predictable, and ineptly staged gross-out comedy that serves little purpose beyond existing as another monument to Paris Hilton's vanity.
Synopsis: Nate Cooper (Joel David Moore) has never gotten over his first crush from elementary school, Cristabelle (Paris Hilton). Now in... [More]
Starring: Paris Hilton, Joel David Moore, Christine Lakin, Johann Urb
Directed By: Tom Putnam

#13
#13
Adjusted Score: 7695%
Critics Consensus: Flat and unfocused, A Smile Like Yours aims for romantic comedy but settles for tired sitcom formula.
Synopsis: Danny Robertson (Greg Kinnear) and his wife, Jennifer (Lauren Holly), are happily married, except for one major issue -- he... [More]
Starring: Greg Kinnear, Lauren Holly, Joan Cusack, Jay Thomas
Directed By: Keith Samples

#14
#14
Adjusted Score: 6687%
Critics Consensus: Stranding Pierce Brosnan as a charmless cad, this tone-deaf romantic comedy is Some Kind Of something, but it definitely isn't beautiful.
Synopsis: A woman starts to fall in love with a successful college professor who had a baby with her younger sister.... [More]
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek, Jessica Alba, Malcolm McDowell
Directed By: Tom Vaughan

#15

Mr. Wrong (1996)
6%

#15
Adjusted Score: 7452%
Critics Consensus: A mean-spirited joke without a punchline, Mr. Wrong is so painfully unfunny that Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Pullman's lack of chemistry feels like a total drag despite being the point.
Synopsis: All Martha (Ellen DeGeneres) wants is to get married, but she just can't seem to find the right man. On... [More]
Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Pullman, Joan Cusack, Dean Stockwell
Directed By: Nick Castle

#16

New Year's Eve (2011)
7%

#16
Adjusted Score: 12248%
Critics Consensus: Shallow, sappy, and dull, New Year's Eve assembles a star-studded cast for no discernible purpose.
Synopsis: Intertwining stories promise love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and more for a number of New Yorkers on the celebrated night.... [More]
Starring: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin
Directed By: Garry Marshall

#17

License to Wed (2007)
7%

#17
Adjusted Score: 11485%
Critics Consensus: Featuring one of Robin Williams' most shtick-heavy performances, the broad and formulaic License to Wed wrings little out of its slightly creepy, unappealing premise.
Synopsis: Newly engaged couple Sadie (Mandy Moore) and Ben (John Krasinski) look forward to a traditional wedding in St. Augustine's Church... [More]
Starring: Robin Williams, Mandy Moore, John Krasinski, Eric Christian Olsen
Directed By: Ken Kwapis

#18

The Big Wedding (2013)
7%

#18
Adjusted Score: 11539%
Critics Consensus: The Big Wedding's all-star cast is stranded in a contrived, strained plot that features broad stabs at humor but few laughs.
Synopsis: Don (Robert De Niro) and Ellie Griffin (Diane Keaton) are long-divorced, but when their adopted son's ultraconservative biological mother unexpectedly... [More]
Starring: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl
Directed By: Justin Zackham

#19

Man Trouble (1992)
7%

#19
Adjusted Score: 9066%
Critics Consensus: Man Trouble has brilliant stars and the germ of an interesting idea in its favor, which makes the scattered, unfunny results even more of a disappointment.
Synopsis: Harry Bliss (Jack Nicholson) operates a struggling security service and contends with numerous personal problems, including a faltering marriage. When... [More]
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Ellen Barkin, Harry Dean Stanton, Beverly D'Angelo
Directed By: Bob Rafelson

#20

Mother's Day (2016)
8%

#20
Adjusted Score: 15049%
Critics Consensus: Arguably well-intended yet thoroughly misguided, Mother's Day is the cinematic equivalent of a last-minute gift that only underscores its embarrassing lack of effort.
Synopsis: Sandy (Jennifer Aniston) is a stressed-out, single mom who learns that her ex-husband is marrying a younger woman. Her friend... [More]
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Jason Sudeikis
Directed By: Garry Marshall

#21
#21
Adjusted Score: 11341%
Critics Consensus: Surviving Christmas is unpleasant characters attacking each other for 90 minutes before delivering a typical, hollow anti-consumerist message
Synopsis: A wealthy executive, Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) has no close relationships and becomes nostalgic for his childhood home as Christmas... [More]
Starring: Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, Christina Applegate, Catherine O'Hara
Directed By: Mike Mitchell

#22

Post Grad (2009)
8%

#22
Adjusted Score: 11402%
Critics Consensus: A lightweight, unambitious comedy, Post Grad features fine actors that can do little with its middling, uninspiring script.
Synopsis: Recent college graduate Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel) has a grand plan: Find a fabulous apartment and land a job at... [More]
Starring: Alexis Bledel, Zach Gilford, Rodrigo Santoro, Carol Burnett
Directed By: Vicky Jenson

#23

Summer Catch (2001)
8%

#23
Adjusted Score: 10741%
Critics Consensus: A cliched and predictable sports comedy that's mostly devoid of excitement or laughs, Summer Catch is strictly bush-league.
Synopsis: A coming-of-age romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Local boy Ryan Dunne (Freddie Prinze... [More]
Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Jessica Biel, Matthew Lillard, Brian Dennehy
Directed By: Michael Tollin

#24

First Daughter (2004)
8%

#24
Adjusted Score: 10218%
Critics Consensus: First Daughter is a bland and charmless fairy tale that fails to rise above the formula.
Synopsis: Samantha MacKenzie (Katie Holmes), the daughter of the president of the United States (Michael Keaton), arrives at college with a... [More]
Starring: Katie Holmes, Marc Blucas, Ameriie, Margaret Colin
Directed By: Forest Whitaker

#25
#25
Adjusted Score: 9919%
Critics Consensus: Offensive, incoherent, and ineptly acted and directed.
Synopsis: A misunderstanding leads Tom Stansfield (Ashton Kutcher), a mild-mannered publishing house employee, to house-sit for his boss, Jack Taylor (Terence... [More]
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Tara Reid, Jeffrey Tambor, Andy Richter
Directed By: David W. Zucker

#26

Gray Matters (2006)
8%

#26
Adjusted Score: 9939%
Critics Consensus: Gray Matters tries emulating Hollywood screwball classics, but the rapid fire dialogue and witticisms comes off only as a contrived gimmick.
Synopsis: Sam (Tom Cavanagh) and Gray (Heather Graham) are such a well-matched pair that it is difficult to believe they are... [More]
Starring: Heather Graham, Tom Cavanagh, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Cumming
Directed By: Sue Kramer

#27

Marci X (2003)
8%

#27
Adjusted Score: 9405%
Critics Consensus: The material is too thin for feature-length and the jokes are socially outdated and clueless.
Synopsis: When protest breaks out over Dr. S's new CD, the owner of the rapper's record label, Ben Feld, is hospitalized... [More]
Starring: Lisa Kudrow, Damon Wayans, Richard Benjamin, Christine Baranski
Directed By: Richard Benjamin

#28

Accidental Love (2015)
8%

#28
Adjusted Score: 8873%
Critics Consensus: Cobbling together an unfinished satire on the healthcare system and contorting it into a dopey romance, Accidental Love is a cynical repurposing of unrealized potential.
Synopsis: A clueless politician falls in love with a waitress whose erratic behavior is caused by a nail stuck in her... [More]
Starring: Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden, Catherine Keener
Directed By: David O. Russell

#29

Little Fockers (2010)
9%

#29
Adjusted Score: 14671%
Critics Consensus: As star-studded as it is heartbreakingly lazy, Little Fockers takes the top-grossing trilogy to embarrassing new lows.
Synopsis: After 10 years of marriage and two children, it seems that Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has finally earned a place... [More]
Starring: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Dustin Hoffman
Directed By: Paul Weitz

#30

Cocktail (1988)
9%

#30
Adjusted Score: 12533%
Critics Consensus: There are no surprises in Cocktail, a shallow, dramatically inert romance that squanders Tom Cruise's talents in what amounts to a naive barkeep's banal fantasy.
Synopsis: Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) wants a high-paying marketing job, but needs a business degree first. Working as a bartender to... [More]
Starring: Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue, Lisa Banes
Directed By: Roger Donaldson

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