We all have our favorite Black love story couples. It could be a famous real-life pairing like Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyonce and Jay-Z, or Jada and Will Smith – couples who have the longevity and power that many crave. Maybe we admire a couple in our personal lives with a strong foundation of healthy love and commitment. Or, perhaps it is a fictional TV couple like Black Lightning’s Anissa and Grace or Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert.
Like the average couple, all of these couples go through their share of relationship ups and downs. That’s what makes them so relatable to anyone who has been in or is currently in a relationship. But we have to admit that some of our favorite Black love story couples, particularly in movies, are actually trash.
Yes, we watch those beloved movies over and over again for the drama, nostalgia, and thrill of passionate love. It’s beautiful to see stories featuring and led by Black casts and to see imperfect people navigating the complexities of romance. However, these Black love story couples are actually trash – even though we will love them and their messy stories forever.
Quincy & Monica – Love & Basketball
Quincy and Monica’s love affair with basketball is the only real love story here. Sure, they are both under pressure to either up or maintain their game but Quincy isn’t great to Monica most of the time.
Instead of respecting her hard work and desire to follow the team’s rules in college, he cheats on her and adds to her stress. He’s understandably young, full of ego, and going through personal pain.
But, the idea that emotional support is a one-way street from a woman to a man is a problem. He finally decides to be with Monica after he’s no longer “the man” and she literally begs him to be with her in a one-on-one game for his heart. Sigh.
He eventually became a supportive husband who cheered her on from the sidelines but it took a lot of mess to get to that point.
Darius & Nina – Love Jones
I will personally admit that this is one of my favorite movies of all-time. I love Darius, Nina, and their group of intelligent and effortlessly cool friends. The aesthetics, poetry, music, and drama pull me like I’ve never seen it before.
However, Darius and Nina do some incredibly trash things throughout their quest for love. She plays with Darius’ head when she basically moves in with her ex. Darius is too stupid to admit that he wants her to stay in Chicago.
He expresses his hurt by hooking up with another woman and Nina is somehow upset about this reaction. So, Nina starts dating his shady friend Hollywood. It’s all very yikes.
They go through a lot of arguing and trust issues before Darius lets Nina slip through his fingers…again. Bad decisions abound in this love story but a little distance (and a lot of success) led to a happy ending.
Carmen & Joe – Carmen Jones
It’s very easy to see why Joe fell for a gorgeous, seductive, and intriguing woman like Carmen. But, he’s trash for leaving his sweet fiancé Cindy Lou at the drop of a hat. Joe gives up his whole life and becomes a paranoid deserter who wants to keep Carmen locked up with him.
Carmen gets an ominous warning about her impending demise so she slides right on to the next guy, who happens to be a rich and famous boxer. Welp.
Meanwhile, Cindy Lou puts on a metaphorical clown nose and wig and comes looking for Joe until Carmen talks some common sense into her.
In the end, Cindy Lou is the only winner in this twisted love triangle after Joe strangles Carmen to death and goes to prison.
Harper & Robyn (and Mia…and Jordan) – The Best Man
This might be one of the juiciest Black love movies of all-time – probably because it’s filled with Harper’s trash decisions. He got away with the one-night stand with Mia and, instead of shutting up forever, he decided to write a whole book about the experience with thinly veiled characters.
Sure, Harper has a right to tell his life story but maybe leave that part out – especially when Lance and Mia are about to get married. He blames everyone else for revealing his “secret,” lies to his girlfriend Robyn, almost sleeps with Jordan, and then proposes to his girlfriend at another person’s wedding. THE WORST.
Lance should have blacked his other eye right then because Harper is the worst best man ever. Speaking of Lance…he dished out a lot of cheating but could barely take this one indiscretion from Mia that happened years ago.
Oh, and Quentin hooks up with Murch’s ex that night. Hopefully, no one has this much drama in their life!
This list only breaks the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Black movies with people who make really, really bad decisions in love. Sometimes, those decisions are simply rooted in childishness while others lead to deadly results. Either way, these Black love story couples are all deeply rooted in our minds as Black couples that we will always love in all their messy glory.
Featured Image: New Line Cinema
