# Movie Berks



## Orang Utan (Dec 3, 2008)

Jeffrey Jones as Rooney in Ferris Bueller's Day Off





Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho:




Anthony Heald as Dr Frederick Chilton in Silence Of The Lambs




William Atherton as Walter Peck in Ghostbusters (also great as Thornburg in Die Hard




Paul Gleason as Clarence Beaks in Trading Places:


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## Orang Utan (Dec 3, 2008)

Hart Bochner as Ellis in Die Hard:


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## ajk (Dec 3, 2008)

Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin.

"I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast"


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## Orang Utan (Dec 3, 2008)

ajk said:


> Christopher McDonald as Shooter McGavin.
> 
> "I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast"



in what film?


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## ajk (Dec 3, 2008)

Happy Gilmore.


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## Augie March (Dec 3, 2008)

John Getz as Stahis Borans (The Fly)





Glenn Shadix as Otho (Beetlejuice)





Tom Cruise as Frank TJ Mackey (Magnolia)





Earl Boen as Dr Peter Silberman (All the Terminators)





Matthew Broderick as Jim Mcallister (Election)


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## Dillinger4 (Dec 3, 2008)

How are we classifying 'Berks'?


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## Augie March (Dec 3, 2008)

Dillinger4 said:


> How are we classifying 'Berks'?



Do they antagonize the hero? 
Do they irritate as soon as they appear on the screen?
Would you care two shits if they die horribly at any point in the film?

Actually, some of my choices you might actually sympathise with by the end of the film. Here's one full-blown berk though:

Paul Reiser as Carter Burke (Aliens)


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

Dillinger4 said:


> How are we classifying 'Berks'?


Odious creeps
(plus what Augie said)
they always get between the hero and his goal with officious weaselly behaviour


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## Bakunin (Dec 4, 2008)

Seeing as there's supposed to be a Red Dwarf film coming out at some point, no list of film berks would be complete without he of the flared nostrils and terminally incorrect selection of Space Corps directives:


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## ajk (Dec 4, 2008)




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## Wolveryeti (Dec 4, 2008)

Sean Penn as David Kleinfeld


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## _float_ (Dec 4, 2008)

Augie March said:


> Do they antagonize the hero?
> Do they irritate as soon as they appear on the screen?
> Would you care two shits if they die horribly at any point in the film?


I agree a berk is 'objectionable' but IMO there also has to be something stupid abut them as well - preferably macho, loud, crass, pig-headed, full of themselves - and usually uncool as well. 

They often appear as the strutting school bully or someone's obnoxious boss: Not really the same thing as a cool, evil, mastermind villian type or the simply sadistic training sergent for example.


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## Bakunin (Dec 4, 2008)

_float_ said:


> the simply sadistic training sergeant



Would you be thinking of this gentleman, perchance?



I'm sure he brings back some happy memories for anyone who's endured the joys of military training.


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## Augie March (Dec 4, 2008)

Another classic berk:

Bill Paxton as Chet Donelly (Weird Sceince)





The 80s seemed to be some kind of golden age for berks.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

This is true - the 80s was berk heaven
Here's another: Gavan O'Herlihy as Brad in Superman III:
(can't find a pic of him in it, but here he is in Willow)


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## QueenOfGoths (Dec 4, 2008)

Augie March said:


> Another classic berk:
> 
> Bill Paxton as Chet Donelly (Weird Sceince)
> 
> ...



Also Bill Paxton as the car salesman in "True Lies"


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## kyser_soze (Dec 4, 2008)

I'm trying to work out which one on Glengarry Glen Ross is the berk - Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin or Kevin Spacey.

SA Dave Kujan, The Usual Suspects:






'I'm smarter than you Verbal'...oh, how he ate his words...


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## butchersapron (Dec 4, 2008)

Biff/Griff Tannen, back to future(s)


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## Griff (Dec 4, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> Hart Bochner as Ellis in Die Hard:



This coked up tosser makes my skin crawl everytime. What a wanker!


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## Augie March (Dec 4, 2008)

QueenOfGoths said:


> Also Bill Paxton as the car salesman in "True Lies"



To a certain extent, he's pretty berkish as Hudson in Aliens too, but in a more likable way.






"Game over man, game over!"


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> I'm trying to work out which one on Glengarry Glen Ross is the berk - Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin or Kevin Spacey.



None of them. They are just bastards. Wrong kind of film for a berk as it's an ensemble piece with no out and out protagonist for the berk to mess with and evetually be foiled by.


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## kyser_soze (Dec 4, 2008)

Augie March said:


> To a certain extent, he's pretty berkish as Hudson in Aliens too, but in a more likable way.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Yeah man, but it's a dry heat


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## Sweet FA (Dec 4, 2008)

I've gone all 80s...

Heather Chandler in Heathers
"Fuck me gently with a chain saw - do I LOOK like Mother Theresa?"






Neidermeyer in Animal House
"Nobly served in Vietnam before being killed by his own men".






Johnny Lawrence from The Karate Kid 
"OK, here's your first lesson: how to take a FALL!"


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## kyser_soze (Dec 4, 2008)

Heather Chandler is _so_ not a movie berk!! She's one of the most perfect screen bitches ever seen on screen!


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

I think Berks have to be fellas


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## Boycey (Dec 4, 2008)

yeah bitches is different and there's no shortage of proper berks in heathers, nearly every male character in fact almost including the lead. 

i <3 that film.


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## spanglechick (Dec 4, 2008)

i can't get imdb or google image so bear with me but:

the head of security in mallrats

the teacher in the breakfast club

ted's dad in bill and ted


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## Scarlette (Dec 4, 2008)

spanglechick said:


> i can't get imdb or google image so bear with me but:
> 
> the head of security in mallrats
> 
> ...



If you're at school you can use msn images.


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## fieryjack (Dec 4, 2008)

nice topic


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## kyser_soze (Dec 4, 2008)

La Fours

Altho I think Shannon Hamilton is a bigger berk


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## spanglechick (Dec 4, 2008)

milly molly said:


> If you're at school you can use msn images.



yes i'm at school! my slacking is over for the term...


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## Flashman (Dec 4, 2008)

spanglechick said:


> i can't get imdb or google image so bear with me but:
> the teacher in the breakfast club









"I'm crackin' skulls!"



Good shout.


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## fieryjack (Dec 4, 2008)

Flashman said:


> "I'm crackin' skulls!"
> 
> 
> 
> Good shout.


except, with the perspective of middle age, if i had to listen to a load of patronising, sophomoric shite from a bunch of young pricks I'd be "crackin' skulls" too. For me, this one's been de-berked.


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## Flashman (Dec 4, 2008)

The kids are the same, you just got old. Janitor had it.


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## damnhippie (Dec 4, 2008)

spanglechick said:


> i can't get imdb or google image so bear with me but:
> 
> the head of security in mallrats



and ben affleck's character - what was he called, 'guy from Fashionable Male'


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## Sweet FA (Dec 4, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> Heather Chandler is _so_ not a movie berk!! She's one of the most perfect screen bitches ever seen on screen!


Fair point. 



Left Turn Clyde said:


> I think Berks have to be fellas


Sexualist


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## Nanker Phelge (Dec 4, 2008)

Lee Donowitz - True Romance


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## kyser_soze (Dec 4, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> La Fours
> 
> Altho I think *Shannon Hamilton* is a bigger berk





damnhippie said:


> and ben affleck's character - what was he called, 'guy from Fashionable Male'



I answered _before you asked the question_


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## souljacker (Dec 4, 2008)

Flashman said:


> "I'm crackin' skulls!"
> 
> 
> 
> Good shout.


 
Mess with bull, you'll get the horns 







Sgt Hulka out of stripes


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## debaser (Dec 4, 2008)




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## The Octagon (Dec 4, 2008)

Sweet FA said:


> I've gone all 80s...
> 
> Neidermeyer in Animal House
> "Nobly served in Vietnam before being killed by his own men".



I always found Marmalade to be the real berk in that film - 

"Greg, is it getting hard yet? My arm's kinda tired."


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## damnhippie (Dec 4, 2008)

kyser_soze said:


> I answered _before you asked the question_



d'oh! thanks for that one, my brain.

i also nominate Rand and BD from long forgotten 90s campus comedy PCU


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

debaser said:


>



Don't just post a pic please - say who it is and in what film


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## QueenOfGoths (Dec 4, 2008)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Lee Donowitz - True Romance



As played by one of my favouirite character actors, Saul Rubinek. He often turns up playing supporting roles on TV and in films and is always great. Same with Kevin Pollack, another favourite of mine


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Lee Donowitz - True Romance



He's not really a berk though. He's a wally.


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## butchersapron (Dec 4, 2008)

Fred Ward, Miami Blues


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## Flashman (Dec 4, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> Don't just post a pic please - say who it is and in what film



I think it's Affleck in Dazed and Confused.

Steff - Pretty in Pink


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

Yes! Steff is a proper berk - Spader is great at playing them
Gary Busey as Mr Joshua in Beverley Hills Cop:


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## fieryjack (Dec 4, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:
			
		

> Don't just post a pic please - say who it is and in what film





fieryjack said:


>


Ooops, Sully from Commando.


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

fieryjack said:


> Ooops, Sully from Commando.



Is he the one Matrix throws off the cliff?
If so, yes, definitely.


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## debaser (Dec 4, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> Don't just post a pic please - say who it is and in what film



Sorry! Ben Affleck, Dazed and confused.


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## fieryjack (Dec 4, 2008)

Left Turn Clyde said:


> If so, yes, definitely.


indeed...


> *Matrix:* Remember, Sully, when I promised to kill you last?
> *Sully:* That's right, Matrix. You did.
> *Matrix:* I lied.
> _*drops berk off cliff*_


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## Orang Utan (Dec 4, 2008)

QueenOfGoths said:


> Also Bill Paxton as the car salesman in "True Lies"


I think he counts as Wally rather than Berk


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## Augie March (Dec 4, 2008)

G.W. Bailey as Lt. Harris (Police Academy)


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## bouncer_the_dog (Dec 4, 2008)

All these guys were total A-holes. But Bob Morton was the worst...


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