Breakups are never easy, especially when they’re handled poorly by the person initiating the split.
Sure, you can get some tips in our guide on how not to break up with someone, but if you’re looking for the best movie breakups of all time, look no further.
We rounded up 12 of the greatest breakup scenes to ever hit the silver screen so that you don’t have to re-live your past relationship drama.
Singing telegrams and abrupt call-outs aside, here’s what you should learn from some of Hollywood’s finest on how to breakup (or, should I say, how not to!)
Some of them are pretty straightforward, while others are a little more cryptic.
A couple of these could also be considered comedy films – at least after the breakup scene, anyway!
Best Movie Breakup Scenes
What Are movie breakup scenes?
Breakups are tough and the movies know that. They’ll try to put you in a good mood no matter what you are feeling at the moment.
If you need a good laugh or even just a decent cry, try one of these movie breakup scenes. You’ll be glad you did!
Sometimes it’s just a single line, sometimes it’s a whole scene. But no matter what, the best movie breakups are memorable.
They’re heartbreaking, they’re infuriating and often times they’re even a little bit funny. It doesn’t matter if we know the relationship is headed for a crash and burn, or if we didn’t know it was in trouble at all.
Either way, we can’t look away when our favorite characters are breaking up on screen.
Best Movie Breakup Scenes
Here’s our list of the best movie breakup scenes.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
One of them is lying. So is the other.
2003 • 1h 56min • ★ 6.8/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Donald Petrie
Cast: Kate Hudson, Matthew McConaughey, Kathryn Hahn, Annie Parisse, Adam Goldberg
It's the battle of wills, as Andie needs to prove she can dump a guy in 10 days, whereas Ben needs to prove he can win a girl in 10 days. Now, the clock is ticking—and the wildly entertaining comedy smash is off and running in this irresistible tale of sex, lies and outrageous romantic fireworks!
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) starring Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, follows the story of a writer who is writing a tell-all article on how to lose a guy in 10 days.
Will she be able to complete the article and keep her job, or will she fall head over heels for her new subject?
Like the book, this movie follows the details of a woman who makes a bet to show how she can make any man fall in love with her and then dump him in 10 days.
This romantic comedy film was directed by Donald Petrie.
- Amazon Prime Video (Video on Demand)
- Kate Hudson, Adam Goldberg, Shalom Harlow (Actors)
- Donald Petrie (Director) - Brian Regan (Writer) - Robert Evans (Producer)
- (Playback Language)
- Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
Cruel Intentions (1999)
Cruel Intentions
In the game of seduction, there is only one rule: Never fall in love.
1999 • 1h 38min • ★ 6.807/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Roger Kumble
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Louise Fletcher
Slaking a thirst for dangerous games, Kathryn challenges her stepbrother, Sebastian, to deflower their headmaster's daughter before the summer ends. If he succeeds, the prize is the chance to bed Kathryn. But if he loses, Kathryn will claim his most prized possession.
High school students make a bet with complicated consequences, in this take-off on the French novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses”. Love, treachery, and revenge are part of the fun in this film version of the hit play starring Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
Director Roger Kumble dynamically mixes both humor and suspense for a movie that’s as outrageous as it is innocent.
When Kathryn gives her stepbrother she despises a “kiss of death” at her birthday party, he sets out to seduce her, promising an experience and a secret that will change her life.
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Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
Dangerous Liaisons
Lust. Seduction. Revenge. The game as you've never seen it played before.
1988 • 1h 59min • ★ 7.2/10 • United Kingdom
Directed by: Stephen Frears
Cast: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz, Keanu Reeves
In 18th century France, Marquise de Merteuil asks her ex-lover Vicomte de Valmont to seduce the future wife of another ex-lover of hers in return for one last night with her. Yet things don’t go as planned.
Before Glenn Close locked up Oscar gold for her under-the-radar performance in The Big Chill (1983), she played a young woman hungry for finer things in life in Dangerous Liaisons (1988).
Dangerous Liaisons is a 1988 drama film directed by Stephen Frears. It tells the story of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two rivals with different views on love and romance who use manipulation and seduction as weapons to gain power over their enemies.
John Malkovich stars in this film based on the influential French novel. He is Valmont, a wealthy bachelor who enters into a series of manipulative relationships with the women surrounding him.
These include Cécile de Volanges (Natasha Richardson), the virginal daughter of his aunt (Glenne Headly); and her friend, Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer), who is engaged to his friend, Danceny (Keanu Reeves).
![Le Relazioni Pericolose [Italian Edition]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Dg2WXY8nL.jpg)
- French, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Portuguese (Subtitles)
The Social Network (2010)
The Social Network
You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.
2010 • 2h 1min • ★ 7.4/10 • United States of America
Directed by: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, Josh Pence, Justin Timberlake
In 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programmer Mark Zuckerberg begins work on a new concept that eventually turns into the global social network known as Facebook. Six years later, Mark is one of the youngest billionaires ever, but his unprecedented success leads to both personal and legal complications when he ends up on the receiving end of two lawsuits, one involving his former friend.
The untold story of the world’s most notorious startup, The Social Network illuminates the roiling conflict at the heart of the social media revolution. When Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg designs a campus-wide hot-or-not survey,
The Facebook site launches at Harvard –– then spreads to rival Ivy League schools across the country. Saverin and Zuckerberg are joined in Facebook by three co-founders, each a visualizer who helps envision the company.
The film also features Justin Timberlake as Napster founder Sean Parker, Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, and Armie Hammer as the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler.
The movie explores questions regarding friendship, existence, and loyalty.
![The Social Network (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZgyODD4hL.jpg)
- The story of the founders of the social networking website Facebook, and how overnight success and...
- Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake (Actors)
- David Fincher (Director)
- English, French, Spanish (Subtitles)
- English (Publication Language)
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Good Will Hunting
Some people can never believe in themselves, until someone believes in them.
1997 • 2h 7min • ★ 8.158/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgård, Minnie Driver
Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-level math problems, his talents are discovered by Professor Gerald Lambeau, who decides to help the misguided youth reach his potential. When Will is arrested for attacking a police officer, Professor Lambeau makes a deal to get leniency for him if he gets court-ordered therapy. Eventually, therapist Dr. Sean Maguire helps Will confront the demons that are holding him back.
Good Will Hunting is a 1997 drama film about a dysfunctional boy genius and the unconventional therapist who unlocks his potential. Written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, with Gus Van Sant directing, it stars Damon, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, and Stellan Skarsgård.
Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work on the film. Set in working-class Boston, the film was shot with a modest budget of $10 million.
The film was released on December 5, 1997 in only four theaters. It broke the record for the highest opening weekend gross for a movie playing in four theaters; at the time it was only beaten by fifty percent by Titanic which had been released one week earlier.
The film was then widely-released on January 31, 1998, by Miramax Films to both critical acclaim and commercial success.
In the film, Will Hunting, is facing both a jail sentence and the possibility of having his work stolen by Professor Lambeau (Stellan Skarsgård).
- Good Will Hunting (Blu-ray + Digital)
- Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck (Actors)
- English, German, French (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Jerry Maguire
Everybody loved him... Everybody disappeared. The journey is everything.
1996 • 2h 19min • ★ 6.966/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger, Cuba Gooding Jr., Kelly Preston, Jerry O'Connell
Jerry Maguire used to be a typical sports agent: willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients, plus a nice commission for himself. Then, one day, he suddenly has second thoughts about what he's really doing. When he voices these doubts, he ends up losing his job and all of his clients, save Rod Tidwell, an egomaniacal football player.
Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) tries to cut a quantum leap in his career and quits his high-powered sports management company to work for the low-key, family-oriented Sports Plus. When he realizes that he has lost his touch, he begins his long road back from self-doubt and loneliness but only after he risks everything for one last chance of success.
With his career in shambles, his job prospects suddenly look up when he meets Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a talented but volatile wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals. The brash Maguire signs Rod to a record contract, then sets out to make a splash in the sports agency business once again.
He hooks up with Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger), a single woman who’s always dreamed of forming her own company. If Dorothy can convince clients to sign with her fledgling firm, Jerry will become her silent partner.
![Jerry Maguire (+ BD Live) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51QZZtUPCsL.jpg)
- Tom Cruise is in top form as a sports agent who suddenly discovers his scruples in this romantic...
- Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger (Actors)
- Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Indonesian (Playback Languages)
- Arabic, Dutch, English, French, Indonesian (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
The Notebook (2004)
The Notebook
Behind every great love is a great story.
2004 • 2h 3min • ★ 7.89/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Joan Allen
An epic love story centered around an older man who reads aloud to a woman with Alzheimer's. From a faded notebook, the old man's words bring to life the story about a couple who is separated by World War II, and is then passionately reunited, seven years later, after they have taken different paths.
The Notebook is a novel by Nicholas Sparks. You’ll fall in love with this haunting story that is based on Sparks’s beloved and best-selling novel.
The Notebook is a 2004 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks. It stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams as a young couple who fall in love during the early 1940s. Their story is narrated from the present day by an elderly man (James Garner) telling the tale to a fellow nursing home resident (Gena Rowlands).
- English (Subtitle)
- English (Publication Language)
Casablanca (1942)
Casablanca
They had a date with fate in Casablanca!
1943 • 1h 43min • ★ 8.157/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt
In Casablanca, Morocco in December 1941, a cynical American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
One of the world’s most beloved and revered films, Casablanca is about Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), a cynical nightclub owner forced to choose between his love for the ongoing struggles of freedom in Europe and a beautiful but doomed woman.
Set in WWII-era Morocco, it’s one of the most memorable movies ever made with a screenplay by the legendary Julius J. and Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch that’s still quoted today.
What do you see? I see a film about Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid fighting Nazis in Casablanca.
It won three Academy Awards (including Best Picture) and was nominated for six more.
The film follows the lives of Rick, the worldly American bar owner, and Laszlo a famous Resistance leader, and his loyal wife, Madeleine, Major Strasser, an unfeeling German military official, and his ill-fated lover.
Each is in Casablanca for different reasons. As war rages on, their individual stories converge as they seek what they need most: freedom.
![Casablanca (70th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dny4S1-eL.jpg)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Gone with the Wind
The greatest romance of all time!
1939 • 3h 53min • ★ 7.9/10 • United States of America
Directed by: Victor Fleming
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel
The spoiled daughter of a Georgia plantation owner conducts a tumultuous romance with a cynical profiteer during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
This epic romance was so big it swept the nation, and still stands today as one of the best movie love stories ever told, and one of the most beloved films ever.
One of the top 10 movie blockbusters of all time, the film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s Pulitzer-winning novel tells the story of Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara in the years following the Civil War.
This epic American film is famous for its historical setting and memorable parts. With a sweeping romance and adventure, this classic Hollywood movie is filled with memorable characters and heartfelt moments.
Vivien Leigh’s portrayal of Scarlett O’Hara is both sexy and strong, while Clark Gable makes a dashing hero as Rhett Butler.
The production design is a site to behold, with Technicolor and beautiful landscapes throughout.
One is between Scarlett and Ashley, and the second is when Rhett leaves Scarlett.
![Gone with the Wind (70th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JYkUgM3tL.jpg)
- Factory sealed DVD
- Clark Gable, Thomas Mitchell, Vivien Leigh (Actors)
- Victor Fleming (Director)
- English, French, Spanish (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Saddest Movie Breakups
There are some movies that have one of the saddest movie breakups ever. There are a lot of people who like to watch these kinds of movies and feel sad for the characters.
They also like to watch how the characters handle their breakups. Gone with the Wind (1939) is one of the saddest movie breakups that a lot of people really liked.
There are tons of heart-breaking movie breakups out there, everything from Harry Potter to Bridget Jones’s Diary.
From out-of-this-world breakups like The Martian to the saddest movie breakups like Gone with the Wind (1939) movie breakups are always heart-wrenching.
