10 Most Toxic Movie Couples of All Time, Ranked

Hollywood may love its romantic ships, but it's just as obsessed with relationships that crash and burn. From poor communication skills to severe cases of abuse, toxic relationships have long been a cinematic staple. Apart from being a major source of conflict — huge enough to propel the momentum of the film itself — problematic lovers give more food for thought about the idea of romance.

Over the decades, audiences have seen these kinds of relationships on screen. Sometimes they're obvious and easy to point out, while others are masked. Revealing how power and desire don't bode well, these film pairings give love a bad name. With that in mind, here are the most toxic movie couples of all time, ranked.

10 Dolores "Lolita" Haze and Humbert Humbert

'Lolita' (1962)

Humbert and Lolita's relationship in Lolita is not only toxic; it is downright illegal. The fact that the film was made in the 1960s does not excuse its depiction of an underage relationship. Humbert (James Mason), a European professor, marries his landlady solely to get closer to her 14-year-old daughter, Dolores (Sue Lyon).

After the landlady's sudden death in an unfortunate accident, Humbert seizes the opportunity to exploit Dolores' grief and emotional dependence. This disturbing caregiver-child dynamic places Dolores in an extremely vulnerable position. With her movements and privacy tightly controlled by Humbert, she is isolated from peers her own age and left with no means of seeking help or escape.

9 Anastasia "Ana" Steele and Christian Grey

'Fifty Shades of Grey' (2015)

Fifty Shades of Grey does the BDSM community no favors, largely because of how toxic the relationship is between Ana Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). From the start, the two didn't specify the boundaries between them. Although Christian does present a lengthy BDSM contract to Ana, it's one that's designed around his desires, leaving not much autonomy for Ana.

However, Christian feels like he needs more dominance over Ana's life outside of bed, even when she doesn't want it. He tracks Ana's whereabouts, showing up uninvited at a bar and later in Georgia. He also makes major decisions on her behalf, including selling her car without permission and replacing it with expensive gifts.

8 Nicole Barber and Charlie Barber

'Marriage Story' (2019)

Work and marriage aren't an ideal mix in Marriage Story. Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) are two equally talented individuals in the theater industry. However, Charlie's career consistently takes priority. Although Nicole is part of his productions, she rarely receives acknowledgment from her husband. Charlie and Nicole have every opportunity to talk about their work dynamics, but they don't.

It's this silence that makes their relationship toxic. The more they avoid communicating openly, the more their emotions are pent-up. The moment keeping the peace no longer works, everything explodes. In the film's breaking point, Charlie admits he wishes Nicole were dead, immediately tearing their entire marriage apart.

7 Amy Dunne and Nicholas Dunne

'Gone Girl' (2014)

Gone Girl proves why you shouldn't begin an affair in the first place. Nick (Ben Affleck) makes the mistake of seeing someone else behind his wife Amy's (Rosamund Pike) back. Instead of talking about their marriage woes, Amy responds with psychological abuse. Pretending to be murdered, she frames Nick by going to extreme lengths, including splattering her own blood in their kitchen.

The toxicity becomes mutual once Nick realizes what Amy is doing. However, every time he believes he has the upper hand, Amy strikes back even harder. Nothing punishes a cheater more cruelly than forcing them to stay in the marriage. Amy ultimately seals Nick's fate by inseminating herself without his consent.

6 Veronica Sawyer and Jason "J.D." Dean

'Heathers' (1989)

While most relationships are built on love and trust, Veronica (Winona Ryder) and J.D.'s (Christian Bale) relationship in Heathers is built on violence. In the beginning, Veronica is attracted to J.D.'s penchant for aggression, which he makes a big display out of firing his gun. With Veronica intrigued by him, J.D. takes the chance and enters her bedroom window without her consent.

Things become openly abusive and murderous when J.D. secretly swaps Veronica's fake hangover cure with drain cleaner, killing Heather Chandler (Kim Walker) without her knowledge. The moment Veronica has had enough, J.D. spirals, prompting him to plan a mass bombing on Veronica's school.

5 Tessa Young and Hardin Scott

'After' (2019)

Emotionally unavailable men shouldn't be put on a pedestal — let alone romanticized. Yet, that's exactly what After does. Tessa Young (Josephine Langford) is a student who begins to let loose after arriving at college. Unluckily for her, she crosses paths with bad boy Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who takes pleasure in testing her limits emotionally.

One minute, Hardin's attracted to Tessa. The next minute, he completely forgets about her. He kisses her and invites her to his lakehouse, but after all's said and done, Hardin moves on with his life without acknowledging Tessa's existence. Even after this treatment, the confused Tessa falls for Hardin again when he apologizes, and the cycle repeats.

4 Anora "Ani" Mikheeva and Ivan "Vanya" Zakharov

'Anora' (2024)

It takes two to tango in Anora, especially when the relationship is transactional. Anora (Mikey Madison) and Vanya (Mark Eydelshteyn) begin with a paid sexual arrangement and a week-long "girlfriend" contract. Although Anora consents to it, Vanya's wealth and family influence give him significantly more power in the relationship, allowing him to end it whenever he wants.

Meanwhile, Anora is economically and socially dependent on Vanya. Sure, it's risky to throw away your job for an immature man, but when the alternative is staying trapped in poverty, it makes sense for Anora to take her chances. Unfortunately, Vanya's emotional immaturity and his rude parents nearly endanger Anora's life at the hands of the Russian mob.

3 Cynthia "Cindy" Heller Pereira and Dean Pereira

'Blue Valentine' (2010)

Showing how a blissful marriage slowly dissolves over time, Blue Valentine exposes the uncomfortable reality of two people trying to preserve their doomed relationship. One example is the way sex is used to avoid conflict. In an attempt to invigorate their marriage with intimacy, Dean (Ryan Gosling) pressures Cindy (Michelle Williams) into sex in the show during a motel getaway, which ends as badly as one would expect.

Another toxic behavior is Dean's repeated insistence that they stay together out of obligation to their daughter, Frankie (Faith Wladyka). When Cindy decides to pursue a divorce, Dean takes his anger out by bursting into Cindy's clinic. Because of his outburst, not only is Cindy's superior injured, but Cindy also loses her job.

2 Stella Kowalski and Stanley Kowalski

'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951)

Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) might be the leading damsel in distress of A Streetcar Named Desire, but it's the dysfunctional couple that sets the tone of the film. When Blanche moves into her sister Stella's (Kim Hunter) home, she is put off by Stella's aggressive husband Stanley (Marlon Brando). Even when Stanley patronizes his wife, Stella seems to tolerate him.

Things boil over when a drunk Stanley turns violent and hits Stella in a rage. Disturbingly, Stella slips right back into a sexual relationship with him afterward — reinforcing the cycle of abuse. Even when Blanche begs her sister to leave, Stella can't bring herself to let go, determined to save the last remnants of their marriage.

1 Andrea "Andy" Sachs and Nate Cooper

'The Devil Wears Prada' (2006)

Getting a job in journalism is hard, especially in New York City. In The Devil Wears Prada, aspiring writer Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) reluctantly joins the fashion publication Runway in hopes of making the right connections. What she doesn't expect is that this supposed stepping stone turns into a full-blown coming-of-age experience.

Unfortunately, her chef boyfriend, Nate Cooper (Adrian Grenier), isn't exactly supportive of her new job. It's fair for him to be skeptical of what he calls the "shallow" fashion industry, but that doesn't give him the right to constantly bring Andy down. Nate turns a blind eye to the pressure she's under. Instead of lifting Andy's spirits up, he breaks up with her before Paris Fashion Week.