21 Things That Are Only Romantic in Movies

More than just about any other art form, movies provide an escape into a world where everything is just less stupid. (Unless it’s an Adam Sandler movie, but that’s a fun kind of stupid, not “customers don’t understand the concept of a menu” stupid.) Everyone is hotter and everything is more exciting, whether it’s a terrorist attack or a first date.

In fact, romance especially is served up in an overly idealized format on screen. In a movie, you never have to go over your budget for next month or remind anyone to take out the trash. Love conquers all, you never have to say you’re sorry and grand gestures are as routine as dental cleanings.

But those grand gestures can get pretty damn creepy. Like, do you actually want someone to show up at your office with flowers and an acoustic guitar? We would be embarrassed, and we write about jokes for a living. That’s just one example — after user Dabrigstar asked r/AskReddit, “What’s something that is romantic in movies but creepy in real life?,” Reddit came up with plenty of others.