Films where the female protagonist chooses the jerk over the decent man

Watched The Apartment (with Jack Lemmon) for the first time last night. I was actually expecting a comedy and it was anything but, although it did have a few humorous moments. Good film but it got me thinking after seeing the predictable Hollywood ending. Are there any films which are more true to life, where the female protagonist chooses the jerk over the decent man? You know, like in the real world. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is The Pad (And How to Use It). Any others?

 

Hard to list movies that meet the OP's criteria without spoiling the ending!

Many Woody Allen films have the "real life" element that the OP is looking for, including one of his best:

Spoiler

Crimes and Misdemeanors.

One thing I love about Woody's films is that when you watch them again, you can see how the "decent man" is a jerk too, and that contributes to him losing the girl. Real life that the world is not separated into good guys and bad guys, but people, relationships and choices are complex.

 

Pretty in Pink?

 

Decent men have no money, they are suicidal and nervous wrecks... The same with decent women. Jerks chooses jerks. I think that the more airheaded you are, the more you will thrive in this world. People who think and feel too much, go down the drain. They are struggling to adapt. But they can be interesting people to talk to. Films? Is that what we are talking about...

 

Sounds like someone made a movie of my dating life ...

 

I'm sorry, what movie are you speaking of in the OP that you just watched last night? I'm not seeing the name of it in the post.

I'd say Pretty in Pink is the best example offered so far. The original ending actually had Molly Ringwald ending up with her sweet friend Duckie, but test audiences wanted her to get together with the preppy rich boy played by Andrew McCarthy so they reshot the ending. He wasn't a total jerk, but he wasn't really a great guy either.

 

I had The Apartment starring Jack Lemmon as the thread title and someone changed it.

 

I think Duckie and Blane both had elements of good guy AND jerk. But I do think that most people identified more with the Duckie character, which makes it extra weird that the test audiences preferred the reshot ending.

 

Purple Rose of Cairo is an interesting twist on this theme too

 

The Last American Virgin

 

This is a tough one. There are many movies with a love triangle, but having trouble with the female ending up with the jerk.

 

Fast Times At Ridgemont High

 

X-Men
Jean Grey is with Cyclops rather than Logan. Cyclops was a bigger jerk than Logan in the first film.

 

Stacey ends up with Rat in the end though, even if they still haven't gone All The Way...

 

Bernadette Peters got "The Jerk" in the end, but he was the good guy! Okay, just jerking your chain.

 

Dumb And Dumber

 

The Graduate.

 

Diner

 

Blonde Venus (1932)

Marlene Dietrich chooses Herbert Marshall (and their son) over Cary Grant.

 

Stranger Things. Nancy stuck with the jerk!

Also, I don't think that the Apartment is a typical comedy. She also waited till like the third act to really notice him as a romantic interest. The whole movie she wanted Mr.Sheldrake

 

Yeah, I totally didn't expect what started out as another Porky's wannabe to turn so dark (and honest.)

 

In "Demons", written by this guy over to the left, darn near ALL of the female characters fall for the jerk (the same jerk) over the good guys. Doesn't matter that he's married, or they're married, or they're engaged, or ...



This good-looking guy right here (kind of got a David Cassidy thing going on, doesn't he?)

Not to give away any spoilers. but these romances generally doesn't work out so well.

 

Broadcast news

 

Both guys were kind of jerks. I empathize more with Albert Brooks' character, but by current standards what William Hurt's character did was no big thing. Single camera and shot his reaction afterwards? OK.