History JerkWithAHeartOfGold / Film

* Mr. Potato Head from ToyStory. In the first movie, he was a JerkAss, but in the second and third movies, HeGotBetter. [[YourMileageMayVary Arguably]] with some help from his wife.

* Tallahassee from ''{{Zombieland}}'' may act like an AxCrazy BloodKnight and AntiHero most of the time, but he does become visibly angry when Wichita [[spoiler: crushes Columbus' hopes of finding his parents alive]]. And although the true extent of his loyalty to the girls is unquestionable, he does seem to genuinely care about Columbus and sticks by him through the whole movie.

-->2)Later: [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming "You're all clear, kid! Now let's]] [[AccidentalInnuendo blow this thing]] [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming and go home!"]]

-->2)Later: [[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming "You're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!"]]

* Captain James T. Kirk of the new ''[[Film/StarTrek Star Trek]]'' movie fits this trope perfectly. At first, it's almost as if he wakes up in the morning and thinks of new ways to piss off any and every body he encounters. Wrecks his stepdad's car and stands up to the cop who tried to pull him over. Participates in a bar fight that some cadets start (they punched him first) because he kept hitting on Uhura (who's completely uninterested in him). Reprograms an unwinnable test, which is cheating, to prove that he can win it (by thinking outside the box). Shows no remorse when caught because he doesn't feel he's in the wrong. Indeed, Kirk demonstrates the same wheeling, dealing, and conniving traits of a MagnificentBastard. The differences are -- first, Kirk was never out to hurt anyone just for his own ends. Second, it is made clear he's only acting up because he lacks a challenge worthy of his smarts. Most importantly, he uses his cunning to save the universe. This movie states overtly what the series were more subtle about: Kirk's Jerk tendencies are also the qualities that make him [[TheCaptain the captain]] we all know and love.

* Captain James T. Kirk of the new ''[[Film/StarTrek Star Trek]]'' movie fits this trope perfectly. At first, it's almost as if he wakes up in the morning and thinks of new ways to piss off any and every body he encounters. Wrecks his stepdad's car and stands up to the cop who tried to pull him over. Participates in a bar fight that some cadets start (they punched him first) because he kept hitting on Uhura (who's completely uninterested in him). Reprograms an unwinnable test, which is cheating, to prove that he can win it (by thinking outside the box). Shows no remorse when caught because he doesn't feel he's in the wrong. Indeed, Kirk demonstrates the same wheeling, dealing, and conniving traits of a MagnificentBastard. The differences are -- first, Kirk was never out to hurt anyone just for his own ends. Second, it is made clear he's only acting up because he lacks a challenge worthy of his smarts. Most importantly, he uses his cunning to save the universe. This movie states overtly what the series were more subtle about: Kirk's Jerk tendencies are also the qualities that make him TheCaptain we all know and love.

* In ''[[Film/DeadAir2009]]'', Radio DJ Logan Burnhardt and his on-air {{sidekick}} Gil enjoy teasing and even insulting their more [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} colorful]] callers, however both seek to do everything they can to help the citizens when the crisis starts, with Logan manning the airwaves to give advice to the survivors who are listening and Gil volunteering to venture out on his motorcycle to save Logan's wife.

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* Commander Richard Burke in ''{{Alone in the Dark}}''.

* In the movie ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104412/combined Hero]]'', Dustin Hoffman's character is a misanthropic, cynical petty crook, constantly declaring that everyone is out for themselves and no one else. When a plane crashes before his eyes, a young child begs him to save his father and there's no one else to turn to, he goes into the burning wreck and rescues each person he comes across in turn - grumbling the whole time - until he finds the father - then disappears, leaving FakeUltimateHero Andy Garcia to accidentally get stuck with the credit. After Garcia, a genuine NiceGuy, becomes wracked with guilt because of all the undeserved adulation, and ultimately resolves to confess in a suicide note before leaping to his death, Hoffman ''risks his life again'' in order to blackmail Garcia into tearing up the note, going back inside, accepting the credit, and keeping up all the "do-gooder" stuff, which Hoffman realizes is Garcia's natural role in life, in contrast with Hoffman's card-carrying [[Jerkass]].

* In the movie ''Hero'', Dustin Hoffman's character is a misanthropic, cynical petty crook, constantly declaring that everyone is out for themselves and no one else. When a plane crashes before his eyes, a young child begs him to save his father and there's no one else to turn to, he goes into the burning wreck and rescues each person he comes across in turn - grumbling the whole time - until he finds the father - then disappears, leaving FakeUltimateHero Andy Garcia to accidentally get stuck with the credit. After Garcia, a genuine NiceGuy, becomes wracked with guilt because of all the undeserved adulation, and ultimately resolves to confess in a suicide note before leaping to his death, Hoffman ''risks his life again'' in order to blackmail Garcia into tearing up the note, going back inside, accepting the credit, and keeping up all the "do-gooder" stuff, which Hoffman realizes is Garcia's natural role in life, in contrast with Hoffman's card-carrying [[Jerkass]].

-->2)Later: "You're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!"

* [[Main/ThePinkPanther Inspector Jacques Clouseau]] is an arrogant man who believes himself to be the greatest detective in the world, or at least is determined to make sure everyone else thinks he is (PeterSellers's interpretation). In truth he is a chronically clumsy idiot, which is partially the result of this self-confidence, and gets him and many of the people around him in trouble. He is ''also'' genuinely on the side of good, chivalrous with women (even after being betrayed by his own wife), conducts himself with dignity as often as he can, and he ''[[{{Determinator}} simply will not give up]]'' no matter what obstacles are in his way.