11 Breakup Lessons We’ve Learned From Romantic Comedies

By Anna Moeslein

'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'

Give Yourself Time to Grieve (but Not Too Much Time)

After Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) breaks up with her longtime boyfriend, Peter (Jason Segel)—while he’s naked, no less—he spends a big portion of the film wearing sweatpants, sobbing, and singing mopey, self-loathing songs. And you know what? That’s OK. But eventually he picks himself up and starts writing his Dracula Muppet-esque opera, and you should, too.

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1 of 12 Photo: Universal/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'High Fidelity'

Make a List of Relationship DON’Ts

Before the nostalgia and happy memories kick in, take inventory Rob Gorden (John Cusack)-style of what went wrong, so you don’t repeat your mistakes. Extra points if you have a killer soundtrack playing in the background.

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2 of 12 Photo: Touchstone/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'

Get Rid of Relationship Reminders

Although you can’t completely erase your memory of an ex as Joel (Jim Carrey) does in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, you can dump any mementos. If you must keep them, hide them from sight.

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3 of 12 Photo: Focus Features/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'Celeste and Jesse Forever'

Keep Your Distance

After Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) break up, they think they can still be BFFs as usual. False. Once you declare the relationship dunzo, you both need some time and space to regroup.

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4 of 12 Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures

'Sex and the City'

Surround Yourself With Friends

When Carrie’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) commitment-phobic fiancé, Mr. Big, stands her up on her wedding day, it’s her besties Charlotte (Kristin Davis), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) who are really there to pick her back up. Lean on your friends when you’re feeling down too.

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5 of 12 Photo: New Line Cinema/courtesy Everett Collection

'(500) Days of Summer'

Be Realistic

Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) spent so much time thinking that Summer (Zooey Deschanel) was his manic-pixie dream girl, he didn’t listen to her say she didn’t believe in true love. Just because you want somebody to be your soul mate doesn’t mean the person is actually The One.

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6 of 12 Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'Crazy, Stupid, Love'

Treat Yourself to a Makeover

So maybe you don’t have a hot Ryan Gosling available to give you a confidence-boosting makeover like Steve Carell’s character, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spoil yourself with some retail therapy.

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7 of 12 Photo: Warner Bros./Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'The Holiday'

Try a New Location

Both Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Iris (Kate Winslet) need a break from boy problems, so they switch houses and find love in their new surroundings. Who knows? Do the same and maybe you’ll find your own Jude Law look-alike on vacation.

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8 of 12 Photo: Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'Bridget Jones’s Diary'

Try Dating the Nice Guy

If you have a type—say bad boys—like Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) does, try going out with a palate cleanser. Sure, Hugh Grant’s character, Daniel Cleaver, is hot and charming, but it’s Mark Darcy (Colin Firth>) who lasts.

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9 of 12 Photo: Universal Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

'The First Wives Club'

Doing Well Is the Best Revenge

When the women who play the ladies of the First Wives Club (Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, and Diane Keaton) try to get revenge on their cheating ex-husbands, it ends in drama. But once they put that get-even energy into starting a charity, they find real happiness (and totally win the breakup war).

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10 of 12 Photo: Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection