The 90s was full of iconic teen romance films, but none were quite like Cruel Intentions. The bully romance was every hopeless romantic’s dream, as the lead couple in the film actually got hitched and started a family in real life. The union between Reese Witherspoon co-star Ryan Phillippe was born of young love, and didn’t last til the very end, but they did have two children together. Well, Cruel Intentions fans, prepare to geek out, because Withspoon and Phillippe just reunited to celebrate their son’s 18th birthday – feel old yet?
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe got married within a year of Cruel Intention’s release, and they had their son Deacon a few years later. With their oldest child ringing in his 18th year, that makes Cruel Intentions over 2 decades old, and my ‘90s kid’s heart is breaking at that bitter realization.
Even so, the bite of years gone by is certainly lessened by the fact that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe were together once more for their son’s birthday (although, they’re definitely not watching Cruel Intentions) and honestly not looking that much older than they were when on screen together. Phillippe took to his Instagram to share a photo of the two with their son, and they’re all smiles. Check it out:
The photos shared by Ryan Phillippe are second only to his caption, which is full of love for his son. His words have a sense of unity to them, speaking for both himself and Reese Witherspoon as he says how lucky they are to have him as a son. My heart can hardly take it.
Ryan Phillippe isn’t the only one who has a message for their son on Deacon Phillippe’s 18th birthday, though, as Reese Witherspoon has posted her own tribute to the just-turned adult. Witherspoon shares many photos of her son throughout the years, reminiscing about watching him grow up and change. You can see the heartfelt post for yourself below:
While both Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon have tear-jerkers of a post dedicated to their son and even came together to celebrate one of the people they both share a great love for, probably the best part of this whole feel-good story is that Deacon Phillippe comments his love back to both parents on each post. The birthday boy can be seen in the comments of both posts sharing his thanks for the kind and touching words, and he sends his love individually to Phillippe and Witherspoon.
It’s clear that there is a lot of love in the Witherspoon/Phillippe family, despite the fact that Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe have been divorced for over 10 years. It’s great that they can come together as co-parents and share experiences together that have meaning to their children.