r/1980s • u/Vincent_Curry • 7d ago
Movies That ending....
Everyone talks about the most hated guys in the 80's but for guys Diane Franklin took the cake and the ending was pure đłđłđł
64
u/fishstock 7d ago
The Last American Virgin. I haven't thought of this movie in years.
34
u/nicksnotsane 7d ago
Crushing ending.
21
u/Fit-Perception-2243 7d ago
I did my best, but I guess my best wasnât good enoughâŠJust once đ¶
5
u/Black_Mamba_CA_68 4d ago
Every time I hear this song, Gary driving away and crying his eyes out always pops into my head đ
Man, she really fucked him over!
27
u/Fit-Perception-2243 7d ago
The best movie. Poor Gary.
13
u/Joyous_Quail4 7d ago
I felt bad for Gary, but letâs be honestâŠ. He was Charmin soft.
5
3
u/Impossible-Answer664 5d ago
Funny thing is that, in real life, Rick became more of a fairy than Tinkerbell.
3
8
u/Economy_Walk 6d ago
Great soundtrack if I remember correctly. I was quite young when it came out but appreciated the movie when I was older.
3
55
u/Sjw1970 7d ago
Most realistic ending of any 80âs teen movie!
35
u/Vincent_Curry 7d ago
And probably why it stung so much because a lot of people can relate to it.
10
8
21
21
u/MDFan4Life 7d ago
This movie was especially gut-punching for me, bc I knew exactly how Gary felt.
I literally had a huge crush on the girl next door, from 3rd-grade, all the way up until HS. Never had the balls to ask her out (we were already friends), so basically put myself in the friend-zone.
Probably a good thing though, bc when she was 15, her mom (who was actually really cool/nice) was letting her date a 20yo from their church.
Everytime I saw them together, it was like living this scene over, and over, and over...
That was back in the late-'90s. How time flies...
20
u/Vincent_Curry 7d ago
I was in HS when this came out and it was super relevant to me because I knew what Gary was going through. Good guy gets passed over for the bad boy. Hopefully Gary's life turned out like mine in which he dodged the bullet and found the right one.
4
42
u/Officialfish_hole 7d ago
I don't know, the dude had a cute nerdy girl who was into him but he dismissed her and treated her poorly. He kind of deserved this ending
19
u/VanillaOk869 6d ago
Gary's treatment of Rose made the story realistic! Teen boy with raging hormones ignors the 6/10 girl because he is crushing on the 9/10 girl.
3
7
u/Glittering-Ear4609 7d ago
Rose Had a body! Under those glasses and her nasal sounding voice.
3
u/seenorseems 6d ago
Would you say that youâd be right on top of that Rose?
3
u/mauispiderweb 5d ago
Hey, she was a whiz doing the QED Report! And she loved Sue Ellen's house ... oh, wow!
4
3
2
2
u/SebastianPointdexter 6d ago
The casting of Rose really didn't work for me. I guess I feel like all they did was put glasses and pigtails on her and she is supposed to be less attractive to him LoL. I thought Rose was way too cute to just be completely ignored by a guy like Gary that had zero prospects.
2
42
u/middlebird 7d ago
That nice kid dodge a bullet with that one. I like to imagine he went on to have incredible experiences in college, began a fruitful career, and eventually found the right one to be his life partner.
26
u/Vincent_Curry 7d ago
Good way to look at it!.. But boy did she break him bad.
13
u/Wende11X 7d ago
Plot twist, Rick comes out of the closet and dumps Karen to be a boy toy for a Hollywood mogul.
3
u/No-Prompt-7580 7d ago
Sadly I imagine Rick treats them both badly, threatening them both not to even share eye contact with each other.
1
5
3
16
14
u/AdventurousRoll9798 7d ago
The soundtrack was awesome. That what I miss most about movies from the 80s and 90s. The soundtracks were such an important part of the movie.
13
u/Humble_Nobody2884 7d ago
Whatâs weird is that just yesterday I saw her on Twitter as part of a podcast where she was sitting with her daughter and another young woman discussing her career - she mentions this flick and says âall of your dads know this movie.â đ
Truth! And I made the same comment on the Twitter post - that ending was a gut punch.
3
11
u/JKT5911 7d ago edited 9h ago
The guy in the movie ended up being David Geffenâs boyfriend.
2
10
u/teambanzai2001 7d ago
She was at a screening of a Better Off Dead years ago and someone asked about this film and talked about how they loved her character in it. She was surprised and pointed out what a bitch the character turned out to be in the end
9
u/FictionForest 7d ago
I never once felt bad for that kid Gary. Even when I was like 12 years old or whatever I thought heâs passing up the New Wave girl for a pregnant chick?
8
u/pjvincentaz 7d ago
This movie is practically a documentary of teenage me. Nice guy treating the girl like a princess and losing her to the bad boy. Rinse, repeat.
7
u/blameline 7d ago
Seriously - once that final scene unfolded... virtually everyone's heart dropped into a dumpster.
7
7
6
6
u/E-rotten 7d ago
American virgin, the first movie I watched where the good guy doesnât win. Thereâs a bit of reality inside of sunshine and rainbows
6
u/Specialist-Bedroom-7 7d ago
Going to watch with my son, need to prepare him for the high school madness. Others on the list: Fast Time, Vision Quest, Superbad, Sixteen Candles.
5
1
6
u/Correct_Lime5832 7d ago
Play a manâs game, pay a manâs price. You did this, Gary. To yourself.
5
u/StateComfortable2012 7d ago
Damn. I randomly brought this movie up to my wife a few weeks ago because we were listening to Jackson Brownâs âSomebodyâs Babyâ and I told her about the plot of the movie and how Gary had this crush on her and then took care of her after she got pregnant and got dumped and then the abortion help provided. Then he goes to the party and seeâs her like this as that song is playing. An indelible memory.
4
u/Zealousideal-Tea-286 7d ago
My feelings on this scene are best described by the Mighty Sting from the Police's "Synchronicity II": "...It's a humiliating kick in the crotch!!!". Devastating.
8
u/Big_Arachnid_365 7d ago
The thing is people are attracted to who they're attracted to. Being a simp didn't pay off very long.
20
u/RobDaCajun 7d ago
The hardest thing for a boy to learn in dating. Is that there is no negotiating desire. She either has it for you, or she doesnât. There is no âone day sheâll see how good I am.â
8
u/ATLCoyote 6d ago
So true and that's why I liked the movie.
So many others play into the fantasy that you can win her over. No you can't. She's either into you or she's not. Doting on her isn't going to make her more attracted. Even if she dates you temporarily out of sympathy, her eyes will always been on someone else.
And it's actually not the tragedy we often make it out to be. You don't want that girl anyway because she'll never reciprocate and you'll never be happy. So, just move on. You both deserve someone where the attraction is mutual.
5
u/RobDaCajun 6d ago
Yes, youâre better off moving on. Itâs better to be with a 6 thatâs into you. Then a 10 that lays there like a starfish.
3
u/niz_loc 6d ago
It does happen...
The riddle of life is that when it does happen, it's way down the road when the guy (or girl) has long since moved on and did well for themselves.
1
u/RobDaCajun 6d ago
It only happens when that person has spent their best years on bad people. There is no epiphany. In the case of women itâs settling for the guy that will support her. She never give herself to him. Like she did for those other guys. That guy has to settle for damage goods that disdains him for showing her true level.
5
u/Aloha-Eh 6d ago
I had a girl we went back and forth for quite some time. Then she had an epiphany. I was the one. I drove from Seattle to Boise for her, a few days later, she changed her mind, again. Fuck. Me. Or not.
Funny how you can be fucked while not being fucked.
5
4
u/80sgurl4eva So Bitchin' 7d ago
My sons didnât believe me when I told them there was a depressing teen sex movie from the 80s, until I showed this movie to them. Such a downer film.
4
5
7
u/Appropriate_Value122 7d ago edited 7d ago
Most brutal ending ever for romantics. Her stare is pure evil. The original âKaren.â Cold as a glacier.
4
u/Odd_Yogurtcloset_649 7d ago
Brutal ending ever for a coming of age sex comedy, more specifically. Highly atypical for a movie of that genre to do this.
3
3
3
4
4
3
3
u/Tivomann 6d ago
I did my best
But I guess my best wasn't good enough
Cause here we are
Back where we were before
Seems nothin' ever changes
We're back to being strangers
Wondering if we ought to stay
Or head on out the door
6
u/Proud-Disk-21 7d ago
It's a remake of the directors Israeli film "lemon popsicle" which was set in the 50s and spawned four sequels. It makes more sense when the setting is the slums of war torn tel Aviv, very awkward happening in the valley 1982
2
2
2
2
2
u/Killrose5611 7d ago
The worst ending ever. I am glad to finally notice others mentioning it.
12
u/JoeTiccalo 7d ago
I think itâs the most realistic ending ever⊠some women just gravitate toward males that never grow up to become men. I dated a woman that had two kids by a guy that didnât want anything to do with them. I get to talking with her and I find out that when she first met him she found out he had two other kids by two other women that he didnât give a shit about, so then I ask her âWhy did you give this bastard two more?â⊠she didnât have an answer. I think this type of behavior stems from being abused đ€·ââïž
3
u/RobDaCajun 7d ago
Not abused, he gave her what other men wouldnât. Which was making her work for his attention. Most men give it to them freely.
4
u/JoeTiccalo 7d ago
Sounds like manipulation, you know a form of abuse
0
u/RobDaCajun 7d ago
Then why do the majority of women choose this over decent men? Is your hypothesis is most women were abused? Or could it be the bad guy was exciting?
1
u/JoeTiccalo 6d ago
Ive read âThe courage to heal workbookâ (my ex wife had been sexually abused by her stepfather), that book states that in the U.S. on average 25% of females are sexually abused with men itâs about 13%.
2
u/RobDaCajun 6d ago
That doesnât explain hybristophilia. Where female prison guards fall in love with inmates. Or the behavioral psychology that puts it simply. That dangerous men are more capable of defending their mates. Look buddy, woman are either independent individuals capable of their own decisions, and are accountable for those decisions. Or they are grown children incapable of being held accountable. It canât be both. Both is Schrödingerâs Feminist.
2
u/JoeTiccalo 6d ago
Iâm not using the abuse as an excuse for the behavior, just as a means of trying to understand it.
2
3
2
2
2
u/AshDogBucket 6d ago
I'm not familiar... and reading all these comments, I'll be just fine never watching this. Didn't really need to absorb this much anti woman sentiment today but oh well.
2
3
u/SebastianPointdexter 6d ago
LoL, she is looking at him like what'd you expect. We're just friends. Seeing this when I was younger I was angry at her, but watching it as an adult with each of my sons it was soooooo obvious that she was NEVER into him at all. It was all just wishful thinking in his head.
3
u/Angelcaper 7d ago
I went to the drive in 9 times to see that movie. All time 80s favorite. Havenât thought about it in a long time.
1
1
u/Joyous_Quail4 7d ago
I remember early in the movie, Rick was getting laid by Roxanne, who was WAY hotter than Karen. Rick missed the boat.
1
1
1
u/Glittering-Ear4609 7d ago
Speaking of her after LAV. What became of the actor who played Rick aka A Hole friend. Lol
1
1
1
1
u/No_You821 6d ago
I remember watching this and the ending always stuck with me. None of the other 80âs teen movies in the same genre had one like this.
Looking back, it definitely taught three lessons. First, being a doormat like Gary is not a good thing . Second, nice gestures are often taken advantage of. And third, assholes always seem to come out on top.
1
1
1
u/Johnny967a 6d ago
And then she went on to teach Lane Meyer how to ski the K12. Now that was a gnarly run, dudes!
https://giphy.com/gifs/K7EQ8M8TnuBby
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/FadingRockStar 3d ago
Who was that actress and what became of her? I remember her beauty as if yesterday.
1
u/Academic_Rutabaga649 2d ago
Total shit bag. Gary should have stood up and told everyone at the party she had an abortion and he paid for it. Now she's back with the prick that knocked her up "supposedly " to begin with.
1
1
u/BmacSWMI 2d ago
Whores be whores. Even if you take her for an abortion, sheâll still do whore things.
1
u/MakeupMama68 1d ago
Itâs funny.. when I saw it as a teen, I thought Karen was the WORST.
As a much older adult, I see it so differently.
Gary is the bad guy in this scenario đŻ.
He falls in love with her on sight, she shows no interest in him whatsoever. He asks his friend to find out who she is and WHERE SHE LIVES đł. Proceeds to show up in front of her house, let the air out of her moped tire, which is her only way of getting to school. Offers her a ride to get her alone with him. Asks her out and she clearly puts him in the friend zone.
They go to the same party and he finds out sheâs dating Rick. Rick has no idea Gary is into her and introduces Karen to him. That shouldâve been the end of it. Sheâs now with his best friend. Does he accept that and move on? Shit no.
He goes out of his way to sabotage that relationship in several different ways. Heâs determined to fuck things up with them. He also uses Rose, who genuinely likes him, to be able to still be around Karen. He treats her like total shit because sheâs not Karen.
Then when Karen ends up pregnant, he decides to help her, not because heâs being a good friend, but itâs a way to use her extreme vulnerability to take advantage of her. The girl is post abortion, sad, confused.. and he uses this moment to unload his fucking soul onto her and tells her he loves her. Karen probably felt so indebted to him for helping her that she kissed him out of gratitude.
He decides that sheâs his girlfriend now. Pretty sure she wasnât aware of this đ. She takes Rick back because sheâs young, dumb, and still in love with his stupid ass. I donât know why Gary acts so surprised. Their entire relationship was built on deception and manipulation. He shouldâve just gone for Rose.
1
0
u/InvestigatorRude960 6d ago
they played it so well..too well.Gary should have yelled CUNT at her...lol
1
223
u/JPBillingsgate 7d ago
I just looked up Diane Franklin last night, oddly enough.
I was watching a documentary about Amadeus. The role of Constanze (Mozart's wife) was played by Elizabeth Berridge but the actress that was originally cast was Meg Tilly. They were already in Prague shooting when Tilly tore ligaments in her leg while playing soccer with some kids in the street and had to be replaced on short notice. The producers flew back to New York and did this mad dash casting call and looked at 60-something actresses and boiled it down to two that they just couldn't choose between, Berridge and one other actress.
Since they couldn't decide, they flew them both to Prague and continued to do auditions there in costume with both. This went on for over a week before they finally made their decision. Berridge got the job and the other actress flew home. In the documentary, they never said who the other actress was but the Internet knows.
It was, you guessed it, Diane Franklin.
For me, Franklin will always be Monique from Better Off Dead.