15 Movies With Realistic Relationships

It would be nice if we had romantic relationships like the ones we see in movies. If we're being honest, we could all use a few Jack Dawsons and Noah Calhouns around here. While we love watching those kinds of perfect relationships on-screen, they can be pretty problematic when they raise our expectations through the roof. Luckily, there are quite a few movies out there which do paint romantic relationships in a much more realistic way. They show us that real couples fight, and that sometimes, mutual love just isn't enough to save a relationship. We've all been there, right? Probably way too many times to count and more times than we want to admit. Some movies take us through the many sad issues that plague a lot of real relationships out there, and some show us that even though these obstacles may occur, it can still work out in the end. Here are 15 movies that definitely show us real life relationships.

15 'Juno'

Juno deals with the story of a sixteen-year-old girl, Juno MacGuff, who finds out she's pregnant after sleeping with her friend Paulie Bleeker. The concept of teenage pregnancy is something that does happen in the real world, but the relationship between Juno and Paulie is pretty convincing, too! Paulie has always been in love with Juno, but she makes an effort to push him away… and then gets mad when he reciprocates by asking someone else to Prom. Being confused about your feelings and being unable to deny them, in the end, is so relatable, especially for teens, since we can all remember being that age and having no clue what to do with our feelings. There's another super realistic relationship in the film: that of Mark and Vanessa, the couple who adopts Juno's baby. They break up before the baby is born because one of them just isn't ready for parenthood. This reinforces that babies do change a lot in a relationship and unfortunately, it's not always a happy ending.

14 'Bridget Jones's Diary'

Okay, so there is a lot in Bridget Jones's Diary that doesn't actually work for a real, actual relationship. You probably won't ever chase a guy through the snow or watch two guys fight over you until they smash a window… although a girl can dream, right? Bridget detests Mark when she first meets him and falls for Daniel who is so wrong for her. Haven't we all been there? Contrary to what many movies would have you believe, love is never, ever simple, and you never really fall in love at first sight, either.  Sometimes you get off on the wrong foot, the timing is totally off, and there are other people in the works whose lies manipulate the situation. The storyline of Mark realizing he loves Bridget and deciding to stay instead of moving to NYC with his new girlfriend might not be super legit, but the rest of the movie is pretty realistic.

13 'Revolutionary Road'

This movie was painfully realistic… and to be honest, we didn't love that! It was our one chance to see Leo and Kate actually get the happy ending that was stolen from them in Titanic. Oh well! This is the story of Frank and Maggie Wheeler, a married couple who trade larger dreams for life in the suburbs when they become pregnant. From the outside, Frank and Maggie seem like a perfect couple, and their friends don't think they have any problems whatsoever. But they actually face a bunch of obstacles. Maggie can't let go of her acting dream which doesn't work out so well, and Frank finds his job mundane. The accuracy lies in the fact that married life can be different to what you were expecting, and it isn't always wise to throw everything away because you think you've found love. Seeming perfect from the outside while struggling also happens a lot in life!

12 'He's Just Not That Into You'

With so many relationships in one movie, there are bound to be a few that were actually pretty spot on. Gigi and Alex are the main couple, as Alex spends the majority of the film teaching Gigi that if a guy acts disinterested in her, it means that he actually is. Hmmm. Generally, that's the way it is in life, too, no matter how much we desperately want to believe otherwise. It gets a little unrealistic when Alex falls for Gigi, but at least what he teaches her before that is accurate! The movie also shows the lifelike effects of forcing someone into a relationship when they don't really want to be in once. Anna agrees to get serious with Connor only because she's feeling scorned, and then leaves him hanging when the stakes rise. Janine apparently pressured Ben into marrying her, and he begins an affair with Anna. The film is right to warn against pressuring others in a relationship because that really never works out all too well.

11 'Mrs Doubtfire'

The premise of Mrs Doubtfire may be totally unrealistic, but that doesn't mean that the main (and strained) relationship between Daniel and his ex-wife Miranda doesn't have a grain of truth. Your ex-husband probably won't ever dress up as a nanny in order to get around his court-ordered custody rights, but Miranda and Daniel's divorce is, of course, realistic and possible. Unlike most movies, there wasn't an affair or some huge, unforgivable act to break the former lovers up. According to Miranda, “Everything just stopped being funny.” This shows us that people sadly do fall out of love, even when there are children in the picture. As Miranda is super serious and a real control freak and Daniel is an actor who can't keep a straight face, it also demonstrates that sometimes the novelty of being with someone who you're not compatible with wears off. Pretty sad stuff for one of the funniest movies ever!

10 '500 Days Of Summer'

We all wish that Tom and Summer could have ended up together in this flick, but the fact that they didn't despite Tom's strong feelings, makes it much more loyal to real life. Summer initially declares to Tom that she doesn't believe in true love, and after they've broken up, she tells him that she does believe in it, and she's found it with someone else. Though this might have been hard to watch, the whole unrequited love thing happens in life much more than we'd like it to. Tom later meets Autumn, who appears to be better suited to him, and we get the idea that even though Tom loved Summer and slipped into depression over her, sometimes there are better options out there for us. While it sucks that the people we love may not love us back, it's nice to know that it doesn't mean the world is ending.

9 'Forrest Gump'

A lot of people who love this movie think that Forrest deserves a whole lot better than Jenny, who only decides to be with him when he becomes famous and she's in some trouble. That doesn't mean that their relationship doesn't have some pretty realistic elements to it, though. Forrest is infatuated with and loyal to Jenny from the first day of school, and he never forgets her despite all he goes through in life (and if you haven't seen it, the dude goes through a lot!). Jenny floats in and out of his life, and she never stays for too long except towards the end when she gets sick. We feel like this is realistic because no matter how bad someone is for you, you can never really control who you love, and of course, Forrest can never suppress his feelings for Jenny. This movie seriously gave us all the feels before that was a thing (and a hashtag).

8 'Valentine's Day'

Here's another film with a huge cast and a million plotlines that actually delivers the goods when it comes to realistic relationship portrayals. The main couple is definitely Edgar and Estelle. The two have been married for years and years and Edgar is still as crazy about Estelle as he ever was. At first, you think this is yet another Hollywood portray, aka an unrealistic love story that would never actually happen in real life. Yawn. But then Estelle admits she actually cheated on Edgar early on in their marriage, and our hearts break for the sweet older man, it's refreshing because that sort of thing does happen in real life. While the way the two reconcile might be embellished, we love the fact that they do because it demonstrates that sometimes love outweighs the serious flaws in a relationship. Every couple determines their own rules, and every couple has their own line that can be crossed.

7 'Nine Months'

Nine Months is the ultimate example of how you don't have to still be in high school to be totally unprepared for a baby. When Rebecca unexpectedly gets pregnant by her boyfriend Samuel, she is thrilled… but he secretly freaks out. That's pretty much what anyone would feel if the baby is a surprise and you're not a baby person to make matters worse, but Samuel keeps freaking out. He keeps overthinking things and his feelings and thoughts start to negatively affect his relationship with Rebecca, and she ends up leaving him. Of course, he comes to his senses after that, reading What To Expect When You're Expecting, apologizing and becoming an awesome dad, and that may not always happen in real life. But it totally can and probably does. The most important thing to learn here is that while a baby may also bring two people closer, it is life changing and can strain things.

6 'Blue Valentine'

This movie is sad and powerful enough to make you wish life really were like the rom-coms we grew up with. Dean and Cindy fall in love while they're still young and are crazy about each other. When she becomes pregnant, Dean loves her enough to want to spend the rest of his life with her and her baby, which he knows may not even be his. Their marriage survives its early stages, but by the time their daughter Frankie is a child, things start to fall apart. Dean and Cindy fight more than they used to and jealousy leads them into making stupid decisions until their relationship is ruined beyond repair and they decide to split. They get to the stage where they can apologize and be civil, but it isn't enough to save their marriage. Blue Valentine reminds us that while we think relationships will last forever, that's not always the case, and it's a truly tragic movie.

5 'Before Sunrise'

Before Sunrise follows the brief meeting of Jesse and Céline, who find each other on a train heading to Vienna. They're both recently out of relationships and have places to be the next day, but they leave the train together and spend the night roaming around Vienna. It's a common dream for many girls to meet a handsome stranger while traveling through Europe, but the relationship between Jesse and Céline is more realistic than a fantasy because rather than living happily ever after, the two continue living their lives afterward. They agree to meet at the same place again in six months, and the film has two sequels, but they don't exchange contact information or uproot their lives for the other, so by the end, you wonder whether they will meet again and whether their one night will be forgotten. We love brief vacation flings, but they rarely change our lives!

4 'Silver Linings Playbook'

In this combo of a rom-com and serious drama, Pat and Tiffany meet when they are both going through some pretty challenging times. Pat has just left a bipolar treatment program and Tiffany is a widow suffering from depression (talk about dark). Despite their problems and Pat's determination to get his estranged wife back, they enter a dance competition together which brings them closer and ultimately leads to them leaving their issues in the past and having a healthy relationship with each other. Things do not exactly run smoothly between Pat and Tiffany, and there is a bit of lying and manipulating going on, but this just shows us that it is totally okay when our relationships do not run smoothly either. Though mistakes are made and it may take people a while to realize how they feel, that definitely does not have to mean that a relationship is doomed.

3 'The Break-Up'

The end of a relationship is just as important as everything else, and The Break-Up portrays a couple's demising relationship in a pretty accurate way. When Gary and Brooke finally decide to split after too many petty arguments and then one huge one, things don't go very well, of course. In life, we'd love for break-ups to just happen swiftly and then allow us to continue with our lives, but as this film rightly points out, it's a little more complicated than that. After such a long time being in love, there might still be feelings there and one person might want to give things another shot when the other doesn't. Often people send mixed messages and say things they don't mean but can't take back, until eventually, the relationship is beyond repair. This movie shows that though there still may be love in the air, it isn't always enough to revive a relationship.

2 'My Sister's Keeper'

Though it's one of the saddest movies ever (and based on an equally beautiful and sad book by Jodi Picoult), My Sister's Keeper also paints a realistic picture of when a family is devastated by a child's terminal illness. When their young daughter Kate is diagnosed with cancer, Sara and her husband Brian's priorities totally change. Sara puts the breaks on her job as an attorney and becomes a full-time mom, ready to cater to Kate's every need, and the relationship between husband and wife understandably fizzles out. As time progresses, Sara and Brian disagree on the best decisions to make regarding Kate's health and quality of life, and these are things that will definitely come up in any relationship that encounters such heartache. The film accurately shows the effect that disease has on all members of the family and highlights the sacrifices and commitments that may be necessary, which may temporarily hurt any romantic relationship.

1 'Once Were Warriors'

It may be hard to stomach, but Once Were Warriors is about as accurate a portrayal of domestic abuse as you're going to get. Set in New Zealand, the film follows a Maori family as they struggle with finding their identity. Beth and Jake Heke throw parties at home every night, but when Beth sees how her lifestyle is affecting her five kids, she wants to turn things around. Jake's temper make this difficult, and in a few graphic scenes, the audience gets to see a truly unhealthy relationship. But unlike many films where the abusive husband is always 100% creepy, Jake and Beth have some beautiful moments together too, which emphasizes why it's so hard for women to leave these types of horrible situations. The bittersweet ending highlights the effect such a lifestyle may have on children but also lets women know that there is always a way out, which is really key. If you want a realistic movie, it's hard to find another one like this.