10 Holiday Rom Com Couples That Shouldn’t Have Ended Up Together

Holiday rom-coms feature some of the greatest couples in movies, but there are a few that shouldn’t have ended up together. Whether it was due to a lack of chemistry or unhealthy relationship dynamics, these characters would’ve been better off alone than with one another. In rom-coms, no one wants to be alone for the holidays. However, in many of these movies, it seems as though a large part of what keeps these couples together is the festive spirit. Any other time of year, they wouldn’t have made it work.

It is expected that a rom-com ends with the central couple happy together, but the fact that some of these couples were paired up to begin with makes no sense. There can be strife and conflict that prevents the leads from uniting, but making one or both of them unlikable doesn’t make a relationship worth rooting for. Additionally, the actors do not have to be truly in love in real life, but chemistry is one of the most important parts of a rom-com — and a lack of it can make a couple seem unromantic, and thus, hard to root for.

Related: 15 Best Christmas Movies For Rom-Com Fans

10 Everett Stone And Julie Morton

The Family Stone (2005), Watch on Hulu

Everett (Dermot Mulroney) and Julie (Claire Danes) are not the couple the Stone family is introduced to at the beginning of The Family Stone. Initially, Everett brings home Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker) and intends to propose to her. However, the Stones are so unwelcoming to Meredith that she calls her sister, Julie, to come and rescue her. Unfortunately, when Everett meets Julie, he readily forgets about his relationship with Meredith. Although Meredith and Everett may not have been a perfect fit, leaving someone for their sister is a shocking twist that doesn’t really work in this family-oriented holiday film.

9 Georgia Byrd And Sean Matthews

Last Holiday (2006), Watch on Paramount+

When Georgia (Queen Latifah) is diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2006’s Last Holiday, she uses the opportunity to make the most of her life before she dies. She uses her savings to go to Europe, but she spends much of her time there thinking about her coworker, Sean (LL Cool J). In the end, it turns out that Georgia was misdiagnosed and has many years to live. Happily, Sean also returns her romantic feelings. However, while this ending is upbeat, it would have been nice if Georgia used her new lease on life to assert her independence rather than settle down with someone she doesn’t spend much time dating.

Related: 10 Underrated Gems To Add To Your Holiday Movie Watchlist

8 Sierra Belmont And Jake Russell

Falling for Christmas (2022), Watch on Netflix

In Falling For Christmas, the rich and spoiled Sierra (Lindsay Lohan) loses her memory in a skiing accident. She is rescued by Jake (Chord Overstreet) and charmed by his down-to-Earth lifestyle. The film shows the couple going through the motions of falling in love, and there is little chemistry between the two leads. At the end of Falling For Christmas, she regains her memory of her past life. Despite this, she decides to leave behind her entire life to make things work with Jake after knowing him quite briefly. If the characters seemed more in love, this might have made sense, but Sierra’s choice feels forced.

7 Jonathan Trager And Sara Thomas

Serendipity (2001), Watch on Max

Jonathan (John Cusack) and Sara (Kate Beckinsale) have opposing life philosophies in Serendipity, but they quickly fall head-over-heels for each other anyway. However, it takes many years for them to finally reunite, as Sara believes they must be called back together by destiny. In order to be together, the couple break the hearts of many bystanders and put a lot of stock in their belief that it’s true love — despite only knowing each other for one night. It’s unlikely that the reality of their relationship could live up to the fantasy they create over the course of the rom-com.

6 The Prime Minister and Natalie

Love, Actually (2003), Watch on Netflix

Few of the couples in Love, Actually have a solid foundation for a relationship. The Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) and Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) are especially ill-suited for each other. The movie itself frequently body-shames Natalie, and The Prime Minister does nothing to stop it; he even partakes in it at times. Additionally, the power dynamic between a boss and employee — especially when that boss is the Prime Minister — cannot be overlooked.

Related: 10 Harsh Realities Of Rewatching Love Actually, 20 Years Later

5 Kathleen Kelly And Joe Fox

You’ve Got Mail (1998), Watch on Prime Video

In the play You’ve Got Mail is based on, Kathleen (Meg Ryan) and Joe (Tom Hanks) are workplace rivals, but they’re not nearly as at odds as the leading couple in the film. In You’ve Got Mail, Joe is actively attempting to take away Kathleen’s livelihood and continuously antagonizing her. Even if he is writing romantic letters full of You’ve Got Mail‘s most romantic quotes while this happens, it doesn’t take away from their opposing goals. Working against each other’s futures is a poor way to start a lasting relationship.

4 Natalie Bauer And Josh Lin

Love Hard (2021), Watch on Netflix

In Love Hard, Natalie (Nina Dobrev) and Josh (Jimmy O. Yang) have good chemistry, but it’s difficult to overlook the fact that Josh was catfishing Natalie for the majority of their relationship. When they start their relationship via the internet, Josh uses a picture of his friend instead of himself. Natalie eventually flies across the country to meet him and is shocked to learn the truth. Though Josh is still the person Natalie fell in love with, beginning a relationship on a lie does not bode well.

3 Iris Simpkins And Miles Dumont

The Holiday (2006), Watch on Hulu

In the quotable film The Holiday, Iris (Kate Winslet) travels from her home in England to Amanda’s (Cameron Diaz) in Los Angeles. She wants to get away from a bad boyfriend and have a holiday away from it all. It’s there she meets Miles (Jack Black), a film composer who works with Amanda. He makes her laugh, and they have fun together, but ultimately don’t seem to have much in common or much of a reason to make it work. A cross-continental relationship is a significant distance, and there isn’t enough passion between them to make that worth it.

2 Chris Brander And Jamie Palamino

Just Friends (2005), Watch on Apple TV

Chris (Ryan Reynolds) and Jamie (Amy Smart) were close friends in high school, but Chris always wanted something more. When they reunite years later in Just Friends, Chris feels much more confident about his life and physical appearance. He uses this to make Jamie feel bad and reject her the way he thinks she rejected him in high school. Chris and Jamie ending up together is a terrible choice for both of them, as Chris treats her terribly, and Jamie ends up taking him back despite this. In general, this film exemplifies everything wrong with the trope of the “friend zone.“

1 Harper And Abby

Happiest Season (2020), Watch on Hulu

It seems as though Harper (Mackenzie Davis) and Abby (Kristen Stewart) have a perfect, healthy relationship until they return to Harper’s family home for Christmas, and Harper reveals she has not come out to her parents. While this is Harper’s decision to make, and she must come out on her own terms, making Abby pretend to be her platonic roommate and putting her in many unfair situations is not what a good partner does. It seems as though Abby has had enough, but in the end, she takes Harper back, even though she is clearly not ready for a serious relationship. Abby should have ended up with anyone but Harper.