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Movies with unlikeable characters

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Giftorcurse
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28 Nov 2010, 5:51 pm

Characters can make or break your work. They don't always have to be likeable, but they should always have a spark that defines them. Take To Live and Die in L.A. for example; a majority of them are just downright as*holes, but they had reasons for being as*holes. William Petersen's character, Richard Chance, was a misogynistic, revenge-driven jerk, yet he has a charm to him that pulls you into his character, no matter how detestable his actions. However, this thread isn't about movies likeable unlikeable characters; this is about movies with characters so obnoxious, sick, selfish, and cold that their sheer presence cause you to get sucked out of the story. Examples, for me, would be films like Juno or, dare I say it, The Breakfast Club.

I'm sorry, Molly.


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Shadwell
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28 Nov 2010, 5:58 pm

Giftorcurse wrote:
Characters can make or break your work. They don't always have to be likeable, but they should always have a spark that defines them. Take To Live and Die in L.A. for example; a majority of them are just downright as*holes, but they had reasons for being as*holes. William Petersen's character, Richard Chance, was a misogynistic, revenge-driven jerk, yet he has a charm to him that pulls you into his character, no matter how detestable his actions. However, this thread isn't about movies likeable unlikeable characters; this is about movies with characters so obnoxious, sick, selfish, and cold that their sheer presence cause you to get sucked out of the story. Examples, for me, would be films like Juno or, dare I say it, The Breakfast Club.

I'm sorry, Molly.


Werner Herzog's version of Bad Lieutenant has Nick Cage playing a totally detestable character who yet also has moments of humanity. Dwight from the Office is endearing in his way. I really didn't care for Juno either and I feel Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is Hughes finest film.



RICKY5
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28 Nov 2010, 6:11 pm

Anything with Tom Cruise NOT playing the bad guy. I've always found him more entertaining as a villain.



Shadwell
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28 Nov 2010, 6:34 pm

RICKY5 wrote:
Anything with Tom Cruise NOT playing the bad guy. I've always found him more entertaining as a villain.


Great Lestat performance.



Prof_Pretorius
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28 Nov 2010, 7:15 pm

Pretty much any Kubrick movie. He was able to showcase unlikeable characters in such a way that they fascinate you.


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IdahoRose
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28 Nov 2010, 7:16 pm

Shadwell wrote:
RICKY5 wrote:
Anything with Tom Cruise NOT playing the bad guy. I've always found him more entertaining as a villain.


Great Lestat performance.

Agreed, he made a perfect Lestat. I wish he had more screen time.

In my opinion, the movie with the most unlikable characters is Ghost World. The main characters weren't mean in an entertaining way - they were just downright horrible.



danandlouie
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28 Nov 2010, 8:59 pm

remember seeing a movie many years ago....'.way of the gun.'......by the end of it i was hoping all the characters would die.............and THEY DID!

always loved william petersen's insane bowed legs. he was great in lector movie 'manhunter'.



auntblabby
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29 Nov 2010, 7:00 am

any quentin tarantino flick.



Bunneth
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29 Nov 2010, 12:23 pm

The Twilight films. I've only seen two, but that's enough. Wall-to-wall over-indulgent, self-obsessive, pseudo-angst tosh.



tb86
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30 Nov 2010, 4:49 pm

I didn't really like that Agent Simmons guy from Transformers because he was such a jerk, but he was slightly better in Revenge of the Fallen because he was there to help. Though I like the first movie with douche bag Simmons more than the second movie with get along Simmons. What he will be like in The Dark of the Moon I don't know.



sluice
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02 Dec 2010, 7:18 pm

Religious nutcases like on Mist.



Postures
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03 Dec 2010, 12:52 am

Gummo and Kids.


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Shadi2
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03 Dec 2010, 3:10 am

tb86 wrote:
I didn't really like that Agent Simmons guy from Transformers because he was such a jerk, but he was slightly better in Revenge of the Fallen because he was there to help. Though I like the first movie with douche bag Simmons more than the second movie with get along Simmons. What he will be like in The Dark of the Moon I don't know.


I so like John Turturro! I think he always add something special to any character he plays, yeah sure at the beginning he is a bit of a jerk (when he first meet Sam and Mikaela), but he gets better later in the movie.

Then at some point I learned he was diagnosed with Aspergers, maybe that explains why I always thought he was so cool lol


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tb86
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03 Dec 2010, 5:33 pm

[/b]Shadi2 wrote[b]

Quote:
I so like John Turturro! I think he always add something special to any character he plays, yeah sure at the beginning he is a bit of a jerk (when he first meet Sam and Mikaela), but he gets better later in the movie.


Thats what I thought, especially in the scene where Bumblebee shrank the Allspark. Do you remember his reaction when Jon Voight was asking him something after that.

Also I didn't like that jerk from the 2nd movie. The one who was thrown out of the plane. Ratchet was right to call him a fool.



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03 Dec 2010, 7:33 pm

All characters from the movie JUNO; what was the point?

Same for all three lead characters from The Hangover.


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AnonymousAnonymous
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03 Dec 2010, 7:37 pm

RICKY5 wrote:
Anything with Tom Cruise NOT playing the bad guy. I've always found him more entertaining as a villain.


Seconded.

Tom was so cool in Collateral that it's one of my favorite movies.


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