"Bad boys" are fine to admire from afar. Especially when they're fictional. I mean, we probably wouldn't want a boyfriend who wears a leather jacket IRL, but in movies it's fine. And that's just the point: the rebels we'd be with in a heartbeat if they jumped off the screen wouldn't actually be that fun to hang out with in real life.
There's the dangerous rebel, who will never show up where he's suppose to be. The charming quipper, who's actually just bigging himself up and putting other people down. And then of course, there are flat out criminals and sociopaths.
Why are we so obsessed with horrible men? Maybe it's time to shift our affection to more stable fantasy guys? Ones that wouldn't neg you on a date or forget your birthday. Ahead is a list of some of the other crappy things our favourite on-screen bad boys would do.
Opener Photo: Moviestore Collection/Rex/REX USA.
Ferris from Ferris Bueller's Day Off(1986)
On screen, it's fun to watch Mr. Bueller crash a parade and possibly give his BFF long lasting psychological damage. In real life, he'd grow up to be the kind of guy who doesn't tip, then explains why his lack of tip is actually better for the waiter.
Jess from Gilmore Girls(2000 — 2007)
Being into Jack Kerouac in your teens is all well and good. But once you're in your twenties, well, it's just a bit lame.
Damon from The Vampire Diaries (2009 — Present)
Yes, he is by far the most interesting guy in the whole town. But he's also a mass murderer. Um yeah.
Romeo from Romeo + Juliet(1996)
One word: Rosalind. Poor, discarded Rosalind. This, well, Romeo would be onto his next conquest quicker than you can say "apothecary."
Don Draper from Mad Men (2007 — 2015)
OK, so he can sip on an Old Fashioned like a pro, but this guy's cheated more times than Lance Armstrong.
Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer(1997 — 2003)
A sense of humour can be very attractive so Spike's quick wit would have us feeling weak-kneed. But can you actually date a guy who models himself on Billy Idol? Oh, and drinks blood.
House from House M.D.(2004 — 2012)
He might be a brilliant physician but he wasn't exactly into equal opportunities in the workplace.
Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl (2007 — 2012)
You could stay in his suite at one of New York's fancy hotels and take limos everywhere but after a while you'd just be a bit over sharing him with prostitutes, right?
Ryan from The OC(2003 — 2007)
I don't condone violence, but anyone who uses the "we come from different worlds" line kind of deserves to be punched.
Jordan from My So-Called Life(1994)
Resist the pull of the choker and those baby blues and hold onto some disdain for the man who sparked the first ever "Claire Danes cry face."
Patrick Verona from 10 Things I Hate About You(1999)
Dating a girl for money is pretty much like being a male escort, right?
Mark from Love Actually (2003)
Yeah, yeah, his big reveal of his feelings was very sweet, but Mark, isn't Keira's husband supposed to be your mate?
Han Solo from Star Wars (1977 — present)
That fact that you thought Han Solo was super cool might have blinded you to his biggest flaw — Han Solo thinks Han Solo is super cool.
J.D. from Heathers (1988)
It's hard for high schoolers to find interesting boyfriends. But they should look for ones with hobbies other than mildly creative suicide staging.
Daniel Desario from Freaks and Geeks (1999 — 2000)
Such a hottie. Such an intense creeper.
Troy Dyer from Reality Bites(1994)
Troy is arguably the most feared/coveted archetype of all the bad boys: the tragically misunderstood. "I might do mean things and I might hurt you," should probably not be included in your declaration of love.
Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones's Diary(2001)
We've all met someone like Daniel. So smooth, so suave, with lies that make him seem so appealing. I mean, Bridget did fall for him, like, three times.
Roger Sterling from Mad Men (2007 — 2015)
Yes he was a total silver fox and his misogynistic quips were so impressively delivered as to almost make him fanciable, but his latent sexism and general opinion that women shouldn't have careers would probably wear you down after a while.
Mark Sloan from Grey's Anatomy(2005 — present)
It seems mean to speak ill of the (fictionally) dead, but despite his undeniably steaminess, Sloan still slept with his best friend's wife. Bad karma forever.
Dean from Supernatural (2005 — present)
He has a good heart (and a soul that's been kind of run down by the forces of evil). But daddy issues upon daddy issues.
Mr. Big from Sex and the City (2008)
He might have committed all kinds of terrible dating sins - cheating, chasing younger women, leaving people at the alter - but we are missing his most obvious flaw: never, ever trust a man with silk bedsheets.
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