Studies have shown that Valentine’s Day is not only known for pushing diamond ads and boosting already overpriced restaurant sales; it’s also known to be one of the most popular days of the year for break-ups. Yes, that same day when you’re struggling to come up with the most elaborately romantic plan, other dudes are plotting to kick their girls to the curb.
So if you or a friend hopes to make the leap to bachelorhood this V-Day, get inspired with our list of the most memorable breakup scenes from movies.
10. Ali (Will and Jada Smith): We all thought it was cute seeing this real-life couple Jada Pinkett and Will Smith portray husband and wife Sonji Roi and Muhammad Ali in Ali. But their onscreen newlywed bliss quickly turned sour once Sonji started flaunting flashy clothes in public while Ali was trying to lead the simple Muslim life. With less than two years of marriage and a quickie divorce, this once promising couple was a thing of the past.
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9. Ray (Hit the Road, Jack): When Margie Hendricks of the Raelettes (Regina King) tells Ray Charles she’s pregnant with his baby, it should have been a happy moment. It would have been if Ray didn’t already have a wife (Kerry Washington) and family waiting for him at home. So when Charles didn’t take the news as she had hoped, she went off on him as he sat at his famous piano, inspiring one of his most popular songs to date, “Hit the Road, Jack.”
8. Why Do Fools Fall in Love?: Ladies, if your man has you on the streets hooking to pay the rent like Elizabeth “Mickey” Waters had to do to keep a roof over hers and late singer Frankie Lymon’s head, you know there is something wrong in your relationship. AND he drops your dog out the window? It’s time for him to go.
7. Jungle Fever: You know you did something wrong when you come home to find your good suits sprawled out all over the concrete, your jilted wife hanging out the window screaming obscenities, and all your neighbors on the block instigating the whole thing.
6. The Color Purple: Just how much heartbreak can one woman take? Ask Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), the woeful and abused wife of tyrant Albert (Danny Glover) who seemed destined to spend the rest of her life as a victim. We all cheered when she found the courage to stand up to him, leaving him for the first time speechless in the movie’s pivotal dinner table scene.
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5. Something New: We thought Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) and her pale boo Brian (Simon Baker) had it going on in this movie, until he said one thing out of pocket, on the wrong day. Their argument in the grocery store about office politics between blacks and whites was one of the most honest scenes in recent romantic movies.
4. Mahogany: Even one of the most iconic cinematic romances of all time hit a few snags along the way. On the one hand we have a high-powered fashion fatale (Diana Ross) well on her way to superstardom, and her lover (Billy Dee Williams) whose adoration for her means leaving her career behind. They just don’t make romantic dramas like this anymore.
3. Middle of Nowhere: In one of last year’s most profound and slept on films, this independent gem featured a young woman (Emayatzy Corinealdi) yearning to hold on to the love between her imprisoned boo (Omari Hardwick). But when a new beau (David Oyelowo) comes into her life, she must learn to part ways with her former love. Heart-wrenching, powerful and an instant classic, this film reminds us that breakups can be both devastating and freeing at the same time.
2. Waiting to Exhale: Her man cheated on her, paraded around her office with another woman, and she worked for him. Even the female Keith Sweat herself, Mary J. Blige, had to sing about it. But while watching your car burst into flames would bring a tear to anyone’s eye, it sure did look good to watch Angela Bassett singe her man’s whip in an act of revenge in the movie.
1. What’s Love Got to Do With It? It was clear early on in this movie that forever and ever really had to be cut short, what with Ike Turner slinging Tina from one side of the room to another. But as the film progressed, we weren’t sure when would be enough for the badass icon. So when Tina finally stood up against her hubby in this clip, it was all we could do to keep from giving her a standing ovation.
Candice Frederick is a former Essence magazine editor and an NABJ award-winning journalist. She is also the co-host of “Cinema in Noir” and the film blogger for Reel Talk. Follow her on twitter.
