Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
The Nasty Argument: The title reckons Jim Stark (James Dean) doesn't need a reason for his wild behaviour. But he gives one anyway, snapping at prim parents Jim Backus and Ann Doran that "you're tearing me apart!"
Make-Up Or Break-Up: He's a teenager, so it's probably just a phase... even though it takes the death of his best friend Plato (Sal Mineo) to provoke the reconciliation.
Fargo (1996)
The Nasty Argument: Terrible car salesman Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy) tries to rip off a customer by selling him optional extra Truecoat as a done deal, forcing the innocent man to use a word he's clearly unused to saying - "you're a bald-faced liar. A…fucking liar."
Make-Up Or Break-Up: Jerry wins the battle, but loses the war. It'll take more than one sale of Truecoat to get him out of his financial hole.
Step Brothers (2008)
The Nasty Argument: When their parents get together, immature 40-somethings Brennan Huff (Will Ferrell) and Dale Doback (John C. Reilly) are forced to live together. Cue a passive/aggressive spat at the dinner table over Fancy Sauce that soon escalates into Brennan rubbing his testicles over Dale's prized drum kit.
Make-Up Or Break-Up: They're clearly made for each other. They just don't know it yet.
The Hill (1965)
The Nasty Argument: As events in a British military detention centre in the African desert spiral out of control, prisoner Joe Roberts (Sean Connery) rounds on the camp's de-facto boss, RSM Wilson (Harry Wilson) for supporting his sadistic assistant Williams (Ian Hendry): "Oh, you crazy bastard! You'd prop up dead men and inspect them if you was ordered to!"
Make-Up Or Break-Up: Total meltdown as the argument explodes outwards, with fellow officers trying to report sadistic Williams while Roberts' cellmates take more drastic measures.
Death Becomes Her (1992)
The Nasty Argument: Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) berates weak-willed husband Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis) for his lack of prowess: "tragic, flaccid clown. You're not even a man anymore and I need a man!"
Make-Up Or Break-Up: Ernest thinks it's over after pushing her down the stairs. Little does he know she's immortal.
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
The Nasty Argument: When Liberty Valance (Lee Marvin) trips up Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart), Tom Doniphon (John Wayne) steps in to deal with him. But Ransom isn't done.
Make-Up Or Break-Up: This triangle will ultimately repeat with fatal consequences - but who is the man who shot Liberty Valance?
Midnight Run (1988)
The Nasty Argument: The relationship between Jack Walsh (Robert De Niro) and quarry Jonathan Mardukas (Charles Grodin) has been shaky from the start, so imagine the disgruntlement when each man discovers the other is a lying son of a bitch: "you didn't know I was lying to you when you lied to me down by the river. So as far as you knew, you lied to me first!"
Make-Up Or Break-Up: Straight cop Jack and modern day Robin Hood Jonathan are on the same side, really. They just gotta figure that out.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
The Nasty Argument: Dr Evil (Mike Myers) doesn't want to listen to goody-two-shoes son Scott (Seth Green) any more, so cuts him short with endless variations on the phrase "Zip it." Highlight: "would you like to have a suckle of my zipple?"
Make-Up Or Break-Up: Scott attempts to go bad in the next movie, Austin Powers in Goldmember , only to find that dad is going straight. Poor guy can't win.
Toy Story (1995)
The Nasty Argument: Accidentally abandoned by owner Andy, Woody (Tom Hanks) rounds on the oblivious Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), who still thinks he's a real space ranger. "You are a toy! You're a child's plaything!" Buzz calmly replies, "you are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity."
Make-Up Or Break-Up: A couple of nights in the house of sadistic neighbour Sid is enough to bring Buzz to his senses, and for Woody to realise he's got a friend in Buzz.
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
The Nasty Argument: Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando) lays down the law for wife Stella (Kim Hunter) and sister-in-law Blanche Dubois (Vivien Leigh), clearing his plates by smashing things and announcing, "every man's a king and I'm the King around here, and don't you forget it."
Make-Up Or Break-Up: Blanche suffers a mental breakdown after being raped by Stanley, but Stella has had enough and refuses to let her husband back (although that's not the case in the original play).
