8. Ignore Your Friend And Date The Dumb Jock Instead - Pretty In Pink
To be fair, this is a trope that most romantic comedies actually tend to reject, having the female lead hook up with the unexpected friend who just so happens to be her perfect match, so you do sort of have to admire John Hughes a little bit for going the other way, even if the message behind this film's romance is hopelessly nihilistic for friend-zoned men the world over. While many will argue that it's perhaps a more realistic film for this decision, we can't bring ourselves to believe that, so we think it's a pretty terrible message to put into a film. At the end of Hughes' seminal teen classic, Andie (Molly Ringwald) ends up getting with Blane (Andrew McCarthy), the annoying preppie rich-kid who had previously dumped her, while Duckie (Jon Cryer), Andie's friend who clearly has feelings for her, is left to sit at the sidelines and blankly approve of her choice, letting the self-loathing build within him instead. A depressing parable for young men everywhere.