There's nothing quite like curling up on the couch and watching a good rom-com. It's like getting a big hug from the telly.
But as we all know Hollywood is not without its faults and for some of our fave romantic comedies, they have not, er, aged well. It's safe to say that while we have progressed as a society, some of the movies that once offered us great comfort are now stuck in the zeitgeist of some kinda problematic thinking from the time they were released.
But alas, we all have our dirty little secrets and we admit that there are a few films that we can't help but keep watching despite this. In light of the announcement that a new Bridget Jones' Diary movie was in the works, hosts of The Spill Laura Brodnik and Charlie Begg opened up about a bunch of rom-coms that haven't aged well... but we still love to watch anyway.
She's All That (1999)
"Freddie Prinze Jr's character is the hot guy at school, the popular guy and he makes a bet with Paul Walker's character that he can turn any girl into prom queen. They pick the ultimate nerd, which is Rachel Leigh Cook, who is just wearing glasses and overalls and when she takes them off she's beautiful. So much about that movie is problematic." - Laura.
Love Don't Cost A Thing (2003)
"It’s problematic now mainly because of Nick Cannon." - Nicolle
Never Been Kissed (1999)
"Weird that Michael Vartan’s character develops feelings for Drew Barrymore when she poses as a student but gets weirded out when he finds out she's actually an adult woman" - Megan.
The Ugly Truth (2009)
"She (Katherine Hiegl's character Abby) is meant to be playing a smart and successful woman and he (Gerard Butler's character Mike) mansplains everything to her. And it's quite bloody sexist." - Charlie
Pretty Woman (1990)
"I first watched Pretty Woman when I was probably too young so a lot of the context was lost on me. Now rewatching it as an adult I find Richard Gere's rich 'knight in shining armour' character highly problematic. The way the plot suggested that Julia Roberts' job as a sex worker was something she needed to be saved from doesn't sit great with me these days. Shame because really, I do still love this film." - Lisa
Clueless (1995)
"He’s her step brother. I know they’re not related, but it’s weird." - Sumi
My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
"She's trying to break up a wedding to steal the groom - classy!" - Tahli
Shallow Hal (2001)
"Apparently Ivy Snitzer (the actress who played the bigger body double) went on to have serious depression and eating disorders after filming." - Christie
Love Actually (2003)
"Pretty much every storyline in Love Actually is problematic." - Hannah
Feature Image: Paramount Pictures.
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