Jerkass/Film: Difference between revisions

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* Biff Tannen, as well as [[In the Blood|his whole family line]] from the ''[[Back to The Future]]'' trilogy.

* Buzz McCallister, along with Harry and Uncle Frank from the first two ''[[Home Alone]]'' movies. Also, the hotel Concierge in the second film.

* Practically every character D-FENS runs into in [[Falling Down]]: the convenience store owner, the two knife-wielding street thugs, the Nazi, the employees at the fast food restaurant, the snooty golfers, the homeless guy, the road crew worker, et al. - all, of course, to "justify" D-FENS's [[Disproportionate Retribution]] toward them as he slowly turns into a psychopath. (Actually, D-FENS himself is one by the movie's climax, at least until his [[Heel Realization]].)

* Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso in the first ''[[Casper (film)|Casper]]'' movie start off as Jerkasses but are also later shown to actually be [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|loving and caring deep down inside]]. (Amusingly, they're ''proud'' of their reputations for being annoying, [[Insult Backfire|even saying "Thank you!" when the film's heroine calls them on their behavior]].)

* The bullies in ''[[Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown]]'', with Lucy and Peppermint Patty to a lesser extent than usual.

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* Sheridan Whiteside of ''The Man Who Came To Dinner'' straddles the line between [[Jerkass]] and [[Villain with Good Publicity]].

** People need to stop saying someone straddles the line between two tropes there is no line between.

* [[Will Smith]]'s new movie ''[[Hancock]]'' is about a [[Jerkass]] who's a subversion of the classic [[Flying Brick]] - all of the powers, none of the [[The Cape|Cape-ness]]. He [[Character Development|realizes (with the urging of a PR Agent whom he saves) that doesn't make for a popular hero and try to change it]]. He is quite sensitive about his Jerkassed nature and [[Berserk Button|does not take kindly to being called an Asshole by anybody, particularly criminals]].

* [[Will Smith]]'s new movie ''[[Hancock]]'' is about a [[Jerkass]] who's a subversion of the classic [[Flying Brick]] - all of the powers, none of the [[The Cape (trope)|Cape-ness]]. He [[Character Development|realizes (with the urging of a PR Agent whom he saves) that doesn't make for a popular hero and try to change it]]. He is quite sensitive about his Jerkassed nature and [[Berserk Button|does not take kindly to being called an Asshole by anybody, particularly criminals]].

* There's usually at least one of these in a horror movie. David and Ed in ''[[Shaun of the Dead]]'' stand out, though.

* Detective James Carter (played by Chris Tucker) is a huge [[Jerkass]] at the start of ''[[Rush Hour]]'' and he knows it. Of course, since he's the hero he's also the [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]] and has [[Badass]] tendencies.

** He gets worse in the second and third movie, becoming increasingly racist and even attempts to use his police status to molest a couple of girls. [[Refuge in Audacity|For humor, of course.]]

* Apollo Creed in ''[[Rocky (film)|Rocky]]'' was a famous [[Jerkass]]. {{spoiler|And in his case, [[Redemption Equals Death]].}}

** More like {{spoiler|cockiness equals death}}. He and Rocky had been fast friends for a while by the time that happened.

* Pick a horror movie centred around a group of four to seven friends. One of them is usually the [[Jerkass]]. Sometimes they get [[Redemption Equals Death]], sometimes not, but they die.

** A particularly egregious example is Trent from the ''Friday the 13th'' remake, who pretty much starts his [[Jerkass]] resume by being a complete dick to Clay, whose sister was missing and he was searching for her. The rest of his time is spent bitching about his drunken friends ruining his cabin, even bitching about a chair broken when one friend fell over it after burned his lips while doing a flaming shot. Add on his 80s hair, and his death couldn't come soon enough.

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* Sy Benson in ''[[My Favorite Year]]''.

* Richard Cameron in ''[[Dead Poets Society]]''. Neil's father is this as well: {{spoiler|He [[Driven to Suicide|drives his son to suicide]] and [[Never My Fault|blames Keating for it, not thinking for a second that he had anything to do with it.]] And sadly, [[Karma Houdini|he gets away with firing Keating]]}}.

* The Emperor from ''[[Curse of the Golden Flower]]''. {{spoiler|At the end of the movie, he gives his rebellious son, who had conspired with the Empress to attempt a (failed) coup a choice -- either he can die horribly, or be pardoned -- as long as he personally serves the Empress the poison that the Emperor has been slowly killing her with. Of course, the son [[Takes a Third Option]]. The Emperor also beats his youngest son to death with a belt.}}

** Some believe that the Emperor is a subtle metaphor of the current Chinese government. You can't beat him, but he's left thoroughly unhappy after destroying all close to him out of paranoia and spite.

* Preston's father in [[Blank Check]] does come across as a jerkass on one more than once occassion. When his son was nearly run over by a car, he scolds his son about the bike that got run over instead and then proceeds to ground him.

** To say nothing of the fact he gives the boy's room to his equally [[Jerkass]] older brothers, lets them steal his life savings and admonishes him, at eight years old, for not starting a 'business' like said older brothers.

* Phil in ''[[The Hangover]]'' seems to count -- he's abrasive in a very frat-boy sort of way and doesn't appear to have any qualms about cheating on his wife, although {{spoiler|he gets better by the end, kind of.}} Extra points because he's a handsome elementary school teacher and they are not typically jerkasses in film.

** He immediately subverts expectations of the kindly male teacher by pocketing the money the kids have handed in with permission forms of some sort to take to Vegas with the other main characters!

** For all his talk, Phil's scenes at the end with his wife and son pretty much negate his earlier impression of hating his life. Although he got pretty messed up during the trip, he stated clearly that he wasn't willing to jeopardize his family.

* The protagonist of ''[[Bruce Almighty]]'' is obnoxious, selfish and whiny whom it takes divine intervention to straighten up. In the sequel they took it [[Up to Eleven]] by making God(!) a jerkass. Instead of a benevolent being who basically "gives a guy a bar of soap and some rope to see if he takes a bath and goes mountain-climbing" we have an arrogant asshole who brutally enforces himself upon an innocent person and humiliates him, doesn't give a damn about his wishes and sprouts lines like "The World Flood story was a love story". [[The Devil's Advocate|Worship THAT?! NEVER!]]

* Roberto Volare from ''[[Brain Donors]]'' has an impressively inflated ego due to his status in the ballet world, and is unrestrained about using it to woo his partner Lisa away from her beau Alan.

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* Anybody in ''[[Loser]]'' that's not Jason Biggs or Mena Suvari. Biggs' roommates and the professor played by Greg Kinnear who sleeps with Suvari's character are horrible human beings.

* Sgt. J.J. Sefton from ''[[Stalag 17]]''. With the exceptions of Cookie and Joey, he sees everyone in the compound as simply an opportunity to get resources to trade for goods (a result after getting his stuff stolen during his first week at the prison). This comes to bite him in the ass in the beginning of the story; when he barters with the Nazi guards using the cigarettes he won from a bet involving a botched escape attempt, he is suspected of being an agent planted by the Germans.

* Moe from [[The Three Stooges]]. ''And then some''.

** In ''Pop Goes The Easel'', his [[Jerkass]] attitude gets cranked [[Up to Eleven]] when, following a clay fight, Moe demands to know who started it, someone says "YOU did!", Moe responds by angrily yelling "Oh YEAH?!", and then promptly spins around with his hand extended, [[Hair-Trigger Temper|slapping Larry, Curly and three or four other guys with one continuous slap]].

* Jason in ''[[Mystery Team]]'' is on the road to becoming this before Kelly sets him straight.