Top 10 Greatest Fake Relationship Movies
#10: “What Happens in Vegas” (2008)
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“What Happens in Vegas” stars Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher as Joy and Jack, two people who get married in Vegas after meeting there and partying together. They plan to get a quickie divorce, but their plans change when Jack unexpectedly comes into a significant amount of money. In order to be able to split the funds, the two have to prove to a judge that they’re working on their relationship for six months—even if the last thing they want is to actually be together. This rom-com is full of hilarious moments, and some sweet ones as the two eventually develop feelings for one another.
#9: “Drive Me Crazy” (1999)
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Nicole and Chase, played by Melissa Joan Hart and Adrian Grenier, grew up next door to one another and were great friends... until they went to junior high and ended up in totally different social circles. After they both get dumped before their high school’s centennial dance, the two former BFFs decide to team up in order to make their respective exes jealous. They don’t figure that they’ll actually forget the people who broke up with them and fall for each other, but of course, because this is a romantic comedy, that’s exactly what ends up happening.
#8: “Green Card” (1990)
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Fake relationship movies often begin with a couple who can’t stand each other, and “Green Card” is no exception. Andie MacDowell and Gérard Depardieu play an American woman and a Frenchman who enter into a marriage of convenience so that he can get a green card and stay in the country. She uses their relationship to leverage her way into the New York City apartment that she has always dreamed of. Unfortunately, the Immigration and Naturalization Service becomes skeptical of the legitimacy of their union and the couple has to actually move in together, where they test each other’s tolerance for one another.
#7: “The Wedding Banquet” (1993)
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Ang Lee directed this Taiwanese romantic comedy that makes up one part of what’s been dubbed as his "Father Knows Best" trilogy. This is a story where a fake relationship is central to the plot—but doesn’t result in a love match between the two participants. And that’s because Wai-Tung is gay, and happily in a relationship with Simon in New York. In order to conceal his sexual orientation from his conservative family, he pretends to be engaged to a woman. Meanwhile, Wei-Wei has her own reasons for needing the relationship: she’s living in poverty and needs a green card to stay in the US. However, they certainly didn’t expect Wai-Tung’s parents’ to come from Taiwan to plan the titular banquet with them… but that’s exactly what they have to contend with.
#6: “Can't Buy Me Love” (1987)
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The plot of “Can't Buy Me Love” involves a high school nerd, Ronald, paying one of his popular classmates, Cindy, $1000 to pretend to date him for a month in an attempt to get in with the cool crowd. Unexpectedly, however, Cindy ends up developing a crush on Ronald after their time together starts to come to a close. The problem is that he overdoes it in their faux breakup and he winds up insulting her. Because it’s a rom com however, they of course make it work in the end.
#5: “Easy A” (2010)
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“Easy A” is inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” and also takes inspiration from many of the fake relationship movies that came before it. Emma Stone plays Olive Penderghast, a high schooler who tells a simple lie that ends up spiraling out of control. She soon realizes that she can get benefits for both herself and others by pretending to get physically intimate with guys at school—even though she’s a virgin. “Easy A” breaks the typical fake relationship story mold because Olive doesn’t pretend to be dating the person she ends up with.
#4: “To All the Boys I've Loved Before” (2018)
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“To All the Boys I've Loved Before” became an internet sensation after being released on Netflix in 2018—and for good reason. The love story between introvert Lara Jean and jock Peter Kavinsky plays on many popular high school romance tropes, including the fake relationship. These two start pretend dating to make his ex jealous and cover up Lara Jean’s crush on her sister’s ex-boyfriend. But the two have undeniable chemistry that makes their fake relationship turn real really quickly. The candy-colored cinematography palette, awesome soundtrack, and adorable cast makes this movie all the more lovable.
#3: “Pretty Woman” (1990)
One of the most iconic romance movies of all time is based on a fake relationship. Richard Gere’s Edward Lewis is a successful businessman who hires a streetwalker, Vivian, played by Julia Roberts. After spending the night together, he offers her money to pretend to be his girlfriend for the next few days. It’s a classic fish out of water story with Vivian struggling to fit into Edward’s world and being poorly treated by many of the people he associates with. Despite their differences and the vastly different social sets they occupy, they manage to find common ground and develop real feelings for one another.
#2: “We're the Millers” (2013)
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What is it with Jennifer Aniston and fake relationship movies? In 1997, she starred in “Picture Perfect” where she faked having a fiance to get a promotion. In 2011, she acted alongside Adam Sandler in “Just Go With It” where she pretends to be married to his character. And in 2013, she had a primary role in “We're the Millers”. In that film, she plays a stripper who poses as a suburban wife and mother. Pot dealer David Clark hires her - along with two teens - to act as fake family members that’ll help him with a drug smuggling plot to pay off his debt. Unlike most of the other movies on our list, this isn’t a romance, focusing more on a comedic crime caper.
#1: “The Proposal” (2009)
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Released in 2009, “The Proposal” manages to encompass countless fake relationship tropes. It involves an “opposites attract” romance with the two leads positively loathing one another at the beginning AND it includes a “green card” type plot. The story hinges on Margaret, a high-powered editor and Canadian who is about to be deported from the US. As such, she forces her American assistant Andrew to marry her in order to allow her to stay in the country. As so often happens in this sort of rom-com, however, their faux engagement ultimately leads to a real love story.
