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{{quote|'''Homer:''' This movie is tired and predictable! You ''know'' she's going to wind up marrying Richard Gere!
<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Viewers are Morons|audience gasps in shock]]]
'''Dr. Hibbert''': I thought she was going to wind up with that rich snob!
|''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', "HOMR"}}
A subtrope of the [[Romantic False Lead]] that is extremely popular in romantic comedies. In order for these movies to last a full two hours, there needs to be some kind of obstacle substantial enough to encourage the leads to continue fighting their feelings for most of the movie. At the same time, the obstacle shouldn't be something that will continue to be a problem after they find their [[Happily Ever After]].
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* '''Minor Flaws:''' This guy wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have such annoying habits. Maybe he writes really bad poetry. He might be embarrassingly nerdy or a total mama's boy. Whatever it is, it's clearly a sign that the heroine has given up on her romantic dreams and decided to settle down...with the wrong guy. This guy doesn't usually kick up a fuss at the break-up, although he can't carry it off with the dignity of Bland Perfection.
** '''[[Green-Eyed Monster|Latent Jealousy]]:''' The more extreme version of the above. Starts out sensible and modest, but turns wildly jealous at the first sign of a [[Love Triangle]], to the point where this overrides his nice qualities and makes his Minor Flaws stand out more. He'll be a sore loser about the heroine rejecting him.
* '''[[Derailing Love Interests|Evil All Along:]]''' This guy is such a
* '''Let's Call the Whole Thing Off:''' Sometimes, while the leads have been agonizing over their feelings for each other, the fiancé has been doing some thinking on his own. Something just isn't right in the relationship. Maybe he realizes that they are [[Better as Friends]] or maybe he has to [[Last Request|make a promise to a dying mother]]. Well, he'll just have to try to break it to her gently. Maybe he [[Pair the Spares|realizes that the bridesmaid he's ignored throughout has lovely eyes.]] Or, heck, maybe he realizes [[Coming Out Story|women aren't for him in the first place]].
Done poorly, this can involve [[Unfortunate Implications]] if the
Sometimes both leads will have a disposable intended and in rare cases, we end up with a [[Pair the Spares]] solution. See also [[Asshole Victim]], which is very similar in certain aspects.
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* Kanae from ''[[Shoujo Kakumei Utena]]''. Either a bizarre deconstruction of the trope, or a hilarious parody, depending on how you watch the show. {{spoiler|She ends up reduced to a completely vegetative state by Akio, serving only to keep him officially in power in her daddy's academy. And it's very debatable whether Akio even ''needs'' her for that, making his actions seem creepy at best and inhumanly cruel at worst.}}▼
* In the anime of ''[[Princess Lover]]'', Charlotte's
== [[Film]] ==
* ''[[Sleepless in Seattle]]'': Bland Perfection, but he does his [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]] moment so well that you hold out hope he'll find a new love soon.
** And, on that note, ''[[You've Got Mail]]'', although in that movie they were merely Disposable Roommates Who Are In Long Term Relationships With The Leads. But that doesn't roll off the tongue nearly as easily, does it?
*** They also filled the roles of being perfectly compatible with the two mains as they perceived themselves and were perceived at the beginning of the film, as they both start to grow and are shaped by the events of the film, they realize they are only compatible with their starting partner on superficial levels but are perfect for each other on deeper levels (even if they are superficially disagreeable with each other). All in all, done better here than most other times, since the audience is perfectly aware that the disposable female is a horrible person and the disposable male leaves amicably as they both realize they aren't really in love with each other at about the same time.
* ''[[Sweet Home Alabama (film)|Sweet Home Alabama ]]'' is of the Bland Perfection type.
* ''[[It Happened One Night]]'' In this one, the fiancé is actually the reason the leads meet as Peter the reporter, hoping to get a good story, follows heiress Ellie along on her trip to meet the guy her father is trying to get her away from. Of course, Ellie never really ''knew'' her original fiancé. He was simply the first man she ever got ''alone'' with and married him to stick it to her overprotective father. Once she spends her time with Peter and finds out what falling in love is actually like, she realizes there's no way she ever loved the first guy.
* ''[[Bringing Up Baby]]''
* ''[[His Girl Friday]]''
* ''[[The Awful Truth]]''
* ''[[The Philadelphia Story]]'' and
* ''[[The Graduate]]'': Probably Bland Perfection, to the extent that the audience even gets to know him in the few minutes of screen time he has. Outside pressure was also most likely a factor in Elaine's swift engagement and marriage. Of course, in that movie, she'd already married the guy by the time she ran out in the wedding dress.
* ''[[The Wedding Planner]]'', of the "lets call the whole thing off" variety. Worked horribly, as the only person you feel sorry for is the fiancé. The man gets romantically involved with another woman (who turns out to be the wedding planner his fiancé has hired) and then berates her for "misinterpreting" his philandering. He then ignores the whole thing and lets his fiancé plan their wedding blissfully unaware that he's falling in love with the planner (who only superficially thinks of ending the whole thing and never lets her client in on what her fiancé is really doing). Meanwhile, the planner is constantly leading on a childhood friend who is desperately in love with her to either serve to make the male lead jealous, or to boost herself up emotionally as she pines for the leading man. At the last second, the ''fiancé'' decides ''she'' doesn't want to get married, giving him the opportunity to run after the female lead. With his behavior, it's kind of hard to imagine how ''either'' woman wants him in the first place.
** And the planner is even less sympathetic, because it's revealed she's been the ''victim'' of this before, when her fiancé got back with his
* ''[[Moonstruck]]''
* ''[[Serendipity]]''
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* ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]''
* ''[[Made Of Honor]]'': Bland Perfection
* Subverted in ''[[My Best Friend's Wedding]]'' where Julia Roberts' character is convinced that her love interest's fiancée is one of this type and does all in her power to break them up but
* ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]] 2'': Not a romantic comedy, per se, but still follows the trope to a T. John Jameson is Bland Perfection, which is probably lucky as if he had any personality at all Mary Jane's jilting him at the altar (with a note) would come across amazingly crass and insensitive.
** [[It's All About Me|It still does]].
* ''[[Spaceballs]]'': As the name would suggest, Prince Valium is a case of Minor Flaws (so boring he puts ''himself'' to sleep). Plus it's an arranged marriage she was being forced into, so she doesn't come off as particularly cruel when she ditches him.
** ... despite violently shoving him from the altar as soon as her love interest shows his face.
*** Valium doesn't seem to care, so why should you?
* ''[[Enchanted]]'' does this both ways, always sympathetically. In the real world, Nancy gets a proper characterization, and the Minor Flaw is more on the side of the lead - Robert's eternal cold feet cause her a certain amount of stress to begin with, and a [[Not What It Looks Like]] situation understandably angers her - and it's ''Giselle'' who suggests the way to make her feel better. Later, when they realize that they're just incompatible with their partners, Giselle forsakes her own (adorably ditzy) [[Disposable
* ''[[Wedding Crashers]]'': Evil All Along (curiously, the main character manages to win back the heroine without even revealing the fiancé's sleaziness). A notable example of the [[Evil All Along]] type, as while Sack Lodge is a [[Jerkass]] he is also charismatic and charming enough that Claire doesn't look like a complete moron for dating him in the first place. This is the hurdle that many romantic comedies using the [[Evil All Along]] [[Disposable
* ''[[Old School]]'': Evil All Along, and the type where he hides it from the love interest. It's employed to juxtapose how the lead is perceived as too immature and chauvinist to get the girl, but her
* Averted in ''[[Imagine Me and You]]'' - the
* [[P. G. Wodehouse|PG Wodehouse]] made frequent use of the Let's Call The Whole Thing Off category, often combining it with [[Pair the Spares]].▼
* ''The Baxter'' is a movie told from the perspective of one of these guys a short while after he's just been dumped at the altar.
* ''Addicted to Love'': subverted in that the
* Subverted in ''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]'' which seems to feature a Bland Perfection type, but he gets to stay with the woman in the end. Instead he just vanishes from the movie after Robin Williams is exposed.
* ''[[Liar Liar]]''. Bland, and pulls an [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]] at the end, when he realizes the relationship isn't just about him and the girl anymore.
* ''[[Whos That Girl]]''. Louden's
* ''[[Ever After (film)|Ever After]]'': Let's Call The Whole Thing Off; {{spoiler|Turns out the Prince's
{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Spanish Princess:''' (Sobs and blubbers in Spanish as she points toward a man in the audience who is also weeping)}}
{{spoiler|'''Henry:'''(laughing) My lady, I ''completely'' understand.}} }}
* ''[[Hope Floats]]'' torpedoes this trope right off the bat by having the would-be disposable
* ''[[Letters to Juliet]]''. From what can be determined from the very detailed trailer, the main character's
▲* Kanae from ''[[Shoujo Kakumei Utena]]''. Either a bizarre deconstruction of the trope, or a hilarious parody, depending on how you watch the show. {{spoiler|She ends up reduced to a completely vegetative state by Akio, serving only to keep him officially in power in her daddy's academy. And it's very debatable whether Akio even ''needs'' her for that, making his actions seem creepy at best and inhumanly cruel at worst.}}
* The original ''[[The Parent Trap (1961 film)|The Parent Trap]]'': Evil All Along, as well as a rare female example. [[The Parent Trap (1998 film)|The remake]] reuses this plot point.▼
▲* ''[[Letters to Juliet]]''. From what can be determined from the very detailed trailer, the main character's fiance neglects her.
* ''[[The Princess Diaries]]
▲* ''[[The Parent Trap]]'': Evil All Along, as well as a rare female example.
▲* ''[[The Princess Diaries]]'' 2: Bland Perfection leaning towards Let's Call The Whole Thing Off. When Mia calls off the wedding at the very last minute, Andrew is perfectly understanding about it, and he's only worried about what his mother's going to think.
* ''L'arnacoeur,'' aka ''Heartbreaker'': Andrew Lincoln's character is definitely Blandly Perfect
* ''[[Coming to America]]'':
▲* In the anime of ''[[Princess Lover]]'', Charlotte's fiance is tossed in at the halfway point of the story, and then rather promptly shot in the back (making him a literal [[Disposable Fiance]]). {{spoiler|Turns out it wasn't a killing shot, and he escapes to become the [[Derailing Love Interests]]}}.
*
** Lisa, the Prince's love interest, has a fiancé too, whose Minor Flaw (sleaziness) makes him veer towards the Evil All Along type.
* ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'': Madeline Kahn has Minor Flaws.
* ''[[What's Up, Doc?]]'': Madeline Kahn again, and here her character Eunice Burns is really the innocent victim of the devious schemes of Barbra Streisand's character. At least Eunice seems to be happier with the millionaire she ends up with!
* Baroness Schraeder in ''[[The Sound of Music]]'' is a combination of Minor Flaws and Let's Call The Whole Thing Off.
* ''[[Cast Away]]'' is a rare aversion; many test audience members who were [[Necessary Weasel|so used to this trope]] reacted negatively to the ending because it doesn't follow this pattern.
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* ''[[Wicker Park]]'' starts with the male lead buying a ring to propose to his Blandly Perfect girlfriend. He then thinks he might be able to find the girl he dated before her, and spends the rest of the movie completely ignoring the woman he was apparently intending to marry, as well as sleeping with someone else. While she has no character, the way he immediately abandons their relationship without even bothering to inform her makes him come off as a [[Jerkass]].
* ''[[Twister]]'' has a rare female example in Melissa. Tends towards Minor Flaws, in that she is somewhat boring and holds back the lead character from doing what he loves.
* ''[[Veer-Zaara]]'': Zaara's fiancé is of the Evil All Along type, who decided to accuse Veer of being an Indian spy and keep him in a Palestinian prison, just to prevent the lovers for ever meeting again. {{Spoiler|In a high amount of irony, it was all for nothing: while the full stunt prevented Veer and Zaara's re-encounter for about 20 years, Zaara still called the wedding off and fled for India when she received (false) news about Veer's death.}}
* ''[[Jab We Met]]'': Geet has ''two'' of these. The first was the childhood friend that her family arranged a marriage with and who fell somewhere near the Let's Call The Whole Thing Off; the second was the boyfriend she spent the first part of the film trying to reach for and turned out to be the [[Wrong Guy First]].
* In ''[[Band Baaja Baaraat]]'' , Shruti's fiancé is so disposable [[The Ghost|he doesn't even appears in screen]] and is only listened from the cellphone, although for what little we know he seems to be of the Bland Perfection type.
* ''[[Vicky Cristina Barcelona]]'': Doug. Subverted however {{spoiler|in that Vicky does end up marrying him in the end}}.
* ''[[3 Idiots]]'': Subhas, Pia's fiance, is such an example of Evil All Along that he manages to fail every [[Secret Test of Character]] he is administrated in order to prove he isn't a materialistic, self-obssesed jerkass, and yet somehow was took back by Pia after he failed the first two times (on her defense, they had reacquainted with enough years of distance to convince her he had changed for the better). She finally dumps him for good after he fails it a third time (and after she has given news of her actual love interest's whereabouts).
== Films (Animated) ==
* ''[[Disney Animated Canon|Pocahontas]]'': Bland Perfection (the best warrior in the tribe) and Minor Flaws (as she puts it, "He's so... serious.").
* In ''[[Monsters vs. Aliens]]'', Susan's
== Literature ==
* In [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]]'
▲* [[P. G.
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
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** And then the guy she dumped to go back to writes a hit romantic-comedy movie about the whole thing, with himself as a [[Mary Sue]] and Ted as pathetic, evil, goofy, jealous monster (to the point where the fact that Stella is even dating him is described as the movie's only flaw). The Ted-expy even drops his [[Paper-Thin Disguise]] altered name ("Jed Mosley") and shouts "I'm TED MOSBY!" at one point during the movie.
** From Stella's point of view, Ted probably fell into the "Bland Perfection" category, as in Robin's words, he was "disappearing into someone else's life". Stella later apologizes for her actions, telling him she was always in love with Tony, but she loved and cared for Ted because he made her believe in romance again (ironically priming her to be swept off her feet by Tony when he realizes he's about to lose her forever to Ted).
* ''[[Glee]]'': With Will/Emma being the primary romance between the show's adults, that pairing alone has a few of these. Ken Tanaka, Emma's
* ''[[Downton Abbey]]'': Lavinia Swire may as well have had this written on her forehead from her first appearance. {{spoiler|She dies during the influenza epidemic, but not before seeing her fiancé kissing another woman and insisting that [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy|she wants him to be happy]] anyway.}}
* In ''[[A Different World]],'' Whitley becomes engaged to the handsome senator Byron Douglas III. He's pretty perfect (quite the political crusader) but not bland. Whitley leaves him at the altar and marries Dwayne. Since Whitley and Dwayne tend to be the [[One True Pairing]], fans didn't think about Byron too much.
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:Disposable Fiancé]]▼
[[Category:Characters As Device]]
[[Category:Love Tropes]]
[[Category:Love Interests]]
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