10 Movies About Forgiving Your Ex and Moving On (and Maybe Disposing of a Body)

No problem – check out these movies about characters getting over their ex, sometimes with extreme prejudice.

Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

When her ex-lover Bill attempts to assassinate her on her wedding day, The Bride winds up in a coma for four years. When she awakes, she vows revenge and embarks on a bloodthirsty trail of carnage on her way to Bill himself.

If what you need for catharsis is revenge, blood, and gore, you can't do better than to start with Quentin Tarantino 's masterpiece.

Practical Magic (1998)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 24%

Jillian and Sally Owens come from a family of witches and are as close as two sisters can be. When Gillian's abusive boyfriend Jimmy goes a step too far, Sally comes to rescue her sister – and they end up accidentally killing him.

In spite of the body being buried in the rose garden, Jimmy seems to be coming back to haunt the sisters, and it takes love, community, tequila, and a sexy policeman to drive him out.

We're almost offended to include the low RT score here. When Practical Magic came out, critics were confused by its mashup of genres (a little comedy, a little horror, a little drama, a little rom-com) but PM has stood the test of time and is beloved to this day.

Midsommar (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

Director Ari Aster famously described this horror movie as a 'breakup movie', and it certainly puts a clear perspective on the viewing experience.

After she loses her entire family to a shocking tragedy, Dani needs emotional support from her boyfriend Christian, who is on the verge of dumping her. The relationship's cracks are revealed on a trip to an isolated Swedish community, and Dani's eventual freedom and catharsis comes in an unexpected fashion.

Gone Girl (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

It's hard to describe the revenge and body count of Gone Girl without spoiling the movie. Suffice it to say, if you identify with the wife in the story, you'll get a lot of satisfaction seeing how thoroughly she gets revenge on her cheating worm of a husband.
If you identify with the husband, you may decide that you're better off single.

The First Wives Club (1996)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50%

If you enjoy watching a terrible ex getting what they deserve, you'll really enjoy watching THREE terrible exes getting what they deserve. Annie, Brenda, Elise are old college buddies who reconnect in middle age, after their husbands have traded them in for younger models.

There are no literal bodies in The First Wives Club, but you'll watch with great satisfaction as the three 'first wives' manage to bury their husbands' reputations and careers.

Heathers (1988)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

If you've never seen this black comedy cult classic, the time is now. Tired of the tyranny of their high school's popular girls, Veronica and her new boyfriend JD decide to get their revenge. When she realizes that JD is a legit psychopath, Veronica must extricate herself from his web and save the rest of the kids at school. The relationship ends… er… with a bang.

War of the Roses (1989)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

After a bad breakup, isn't it tempting to just go nuclear and give in to all of your absolute worst impulses? Although we don't recommend that in real life, you can live vicariously through Barbara and Oliver Rose, who are so determined to 'win' their divorce that they wreck absolutely everything, including each other. (And yes, someone is dead by the end.)

Ready or Not (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

By the end of this satirical black comedy, more than one couple calls it quits in an explosive (no pun intended) way.

Grace marries the love of her life 'for better or for worse', but in spite of his half-hearted warnings she doesn't quite understand how depraved his family is. On her wedding night, she is inducted into the family by participating in an old tradition – one that involves her playing 'hide and go seek' as they hunt her down with axes, guns, and knives.

Renfield (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 58%

The relationship between Renfield and his master, Dracula, is not a romantic one. However, the movie is very overt about the fact that it's about the difficulty of leaving a toxic relationship. Renfield attends a support group for people in codependent relationships and reads books on how to love himself first.

Nicholas Hoult is typically charming and Nicholas Cage is typically demented in this fun movie about moving past toxic relationships and embracing the light. Oh, and there's lots of murder.

Revenge (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Jen is having a romantic weekend away with her boyfriend – until his two friends show up. When Jen is assaulted and left for dead, she clings to survival and returns to wreak havoc on all three of them.

If a break-up has ever left you feeling like you've been thrown off a cliff… if you wonder how you're going to possibly survive… watch Revenge and take comfort in the idea that if Jen can make it, you can too.