Go Back  DVD Talk Forum > Entertainment Discussions > Movie Talk
Reload this Page >

Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Movie Talk A Discussion area for everything movie related including films In The Theaters
View Poll Results: Best a**hole character of the 80's?
Bill Paxton (Chet: Weird Science)
14.81%
William Zabka (Johnny: Karate Kid, among others)
42.59%
Jeffrey Jones (Rooney: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, others)
0
0%
Paul Reiser (Carter: Aliens)
3.70%
G. W. Bailey (Harris: Police Academy)
1.85%
James Spader (Pretty in Pink)
7.41%
Craig Sheffer (Some Kind of Wonderful)
0
0%
Val Kilmer (Top Gun)
0
0%
Ted McGinley (Revenge of the Nerds)
0
0%
Aaron Dozier (Roy Stalin: Better Off Dead)
1.85%
Thomas F. Wilson (Biff: Back to the Future)
22.22%
Other (please specify...)
5.56%
Voters: 54. You may not vote on this poll

Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Old 05-09-16, 10:14 PM
  #1  
Inane Thread Master, 2018 TOTY
Thread Starter
 
OldBoy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Are any of us really anywhere?
Posts: 49,298
Received 888 Likes on 751 Posts
Best a**hole character of the 80's?

was just re-watching Top Gun and was thinking that Val Kilmer played such a great foil to Cruise's Maverick. he was such an a**hole.

but, then got to thinking of the great asshole characters of the 1980's. of course William Zabka holds the gold for me appearing in such classics as Back to School, Just One of the Guys, The Karate Kid, among others i am sure...

RDJ was classic in Weird Science of course.

so who in your opinion was the best asshole character actor of the 1980's?
Old 05-09-16, 10:18 PM
  #2  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
stvn1974's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 7,296
Received 526 Likes on 329 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Biff?
Old 05-09-16, 10:22 PM
  #3  
Banned by request
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Goodbye and Good Luck
Posts: 17,800
Received 778 Likes on 582 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Old 05-09-16, 10:27 PM
  #4  
DVD Talk Hero
 
Why So Blu?'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 38,133
Received 1,177 Likes on 906 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Buddy Revell in "Three O'Clock High."


Old 05-09-16, 10:31 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Tabletopjoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 261
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

William Atherton, in Real Genius, Ghostbusters, and Die Hard.
Old 05-09-16, 10:34 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 777
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

James Spader in every Hughes/teen film.
Old 05-09-16, 10:42 PM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Georgia
Posts: 505
Received 45 Likes on 33 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Paul Gleason in The Breakfast Club & Trading Places
Old 05-09-16, 10:42 PM
  #8  
DVD Talk Gold Edition
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,136
Received 19 Likes on 17 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

I voted Johnny from Karate Kid. God I wanted to kick his ass, even though I knew I couldn't. Biggest douche award goes to Craig Scheffer in Some Kind of Wonderful. That movie is woefully underrated and he plays the kind of character that just needs that surprise knee to the nuts.
Old 05-09-16, 10:47 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Tabletopjoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 261
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Paul Gleason, is a great choice.
Old 05-09-16, 10:49 PM
  #10  
DVD Talk Godfather & 2020 TOTY Winner
 
Decker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Vegas, Baby!
Posts: 75,191
Received 6,033 Likes on 4,118 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by phraseturner
James Spader in every Hughes/teen film.
Spader was my favorite
Old 05-09-16, 10:50 PM
  #11  
Moderator
 
story's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Hope.
Posts: 13,809
Received 1,832 Likes on 1,091 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

This is a poll? How is this a poll?! There's only one answer.

Everyone in that list has true motivations that drive them. Yes, they think little of the people who get in their way and they'll roll over them to get what they want. But they all have motivations beyond their actions, they all have a goal or end game.

Johnny wants to be the best.
Ed Rooney wants power.
Carter wants money.
Captain Harris wants order.
Steff wants popularity.
Hardy wants revenge.
Iceman wants trust.
Gable wants domination.
Roy wants the girl.
Biff wants to be king.

Everyone has motivations... except one.

There's one on that poll list who lives to bully. He has no end game. He has no desire. His motivation for what he does is simply to see the look on peoples' face when he does what he does. There is only one a**hole on that list.

It's Chet from Weird Science.

Don't take it from me. Take it from Gary:

Old 05-09-16, 11:18 PM
  #12  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
Mountain Biker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,416
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Old 05-09-16, 11:48 PM
  #13  
DVD Talk Legend
 
B5Erik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Southern California
Posts: 13,541
Received 457 Likes on 335 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Old 05-10-16, 01:25 AM
  #14  
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
 
davidlynchfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 3,857
Received 91 Likes on 73 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Matt Dillon/My Bodyguard
Old 05-10-16, 01:55 AM
  #15  
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
 
SterlingBen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Tulsa
Posts: 7,739
Received 326 Likes on 198 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Lot of good answers here but Burke from Aliens is the only one would would of gotten the main character killed and beyond that he did get the entire population of LV426 killed.
Old 05-10-16, 03:01 AM
  #16  
Member
 
Brack's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: near Cincinnati
Posts: 10,007
Received 61 Likes on 39 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by Dvdlovr24
Paul Gleason in The Breakfast Club & Trading Places
Don't forget Die Hard.
Old 05-10-16, 06:10 AM
  #17  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Hokeyboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Posts: 20,387
Received 680 Likes on 419 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

That BITCH!!

Old 05-10-16, 08:21 AM
  #18  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
mrhan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,177
Likes: 0
Received 13 Likes on 11 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by Hokeyboy
That BITCH!!
Just in case....

Spoiler:
of the off chance that someone never saw this flick before. That bitch is an asshole for fucking that dude over after all he did for her. That was the most fucked up ending I ever saw when I was a kid but looking back now as an adult; I like the brutal in your face reality of the situation.

Last edited by mrhan; 05-10-16 at 08:30 AM.
Old 05-10-16, 08:27 AM
  #19  
DVD Talk Legend
 
d2cheer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 11,434
Received 257 Likes on 187 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?



Should have suffered more...
Old 05-10-16, 08:28 AM
  #20  
DVD Talk Legend
 
d2cheer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 11,434
Received 257 Likes on 187 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by mrhan
Just in case....

Spoiler:
of the off chance that someone never saw this flick before. That bitch is an asshole for fucking that dude over after all he did for her. That was the most fucked up ending I ever saw when I was a kid but looking back now as an adult I like the brutal in your face reality of the situation.
Agree; that is how it happens in real life.
Old 05-10-16, 08:30 AM
  #21  
DVD Talk Legend
 
Cardsfan111's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 18,480
Likes: 0
Received 366 Likes on 231 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

I don't know if I'd say he was the best, but the guy from Bachelor Party came to mind quickly when I saw the thread title.
Old 05-10-16, 08:32 AM
  #22  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
mrhan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 6,177
Likes: 0
Received 13 Likes on 11 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by d2cheer
Agree; that is how it happens in real life.
I never saw the original version. Is it just as good?
Old 05-10-16, 09:17 AM
  #23  
DVD Talk Limited Edition
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Toronto
Posts: 5,594
Received 582 Likes on 432 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by mrhan
Just in case....

Spoiler:
of the off chance that someone never saw this flick before. That bitch is an asshole for fucking that dude over after all he did for her. That was the most fucked up ending I ever saw when I was a kid but looking back now as an adult; I like the brutal in your face reality of the situation.

Bitch, indeed. He even gave her a miniature Christmas tree and a bag of oranges to cheer her up in the hospital!

I suppose the painful realism of that ending was mitigated somewhat by knowing that in real life, she'd be in for a bit of a surprise from the guy she did end up with.

Last edited by Brian T; 05-10-16 at 09:26 AM.
Old 05-10-16, 09:26 AM
  #24  
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Illadelphia, PA
Posts: 1,974
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

Originally Posted by Tabletopjoe
William Atherton, in Real Genius, Ghostbusters, and Die Hard.
so smug.

"You're laborers. You should be laboring. That's what you get for not having an education!"
Old 05-10-16, 11:18 AM
  #25  
Banned
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Conducting miss-aisle drills and listening to their rock n roll
Posts: 20,052
Received 168 Likes on 126 Posts
Re: Best a**hole character of the 80's?

I voted Zabka. He's like 99.999% pure asshole. Only theorists in quantum mechanics can postulate the possibility of a more pure form of asshole. All these other actors have other roles where they don't play assholes. Zabka just does one thing: He brings his asshole game, and it's a grand slam every time.

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.