Sometimes, even the most popular movie characters can fail to strike a chord with some members of the audience. If a character turns the viewer off, it may even turn them off from the entire film and ruin the viewing experience.
Users on Reddit have a lot of strong opinions about many of the popular characters from cinematic history and even a few classics have drawn their ire. From family films like Aladdin to comedy staples like The Big Lebowski, Redditors had a lot to say about popular film characters.
Gordon Gekko – Wall Street (1987)
Sometimes a character who is supposed to be reviled becomes popular with viewers who share that character’s worldview. Wall Street tells of the exploits of a greedy stock market broker who stops at nothing to secure his fortune. User avantvernacular wrote “Gordon Gekko from Wall Street. Everyone I knew in college who studied finance or business forgets that he’s a destructive and despicable character.”
There’s no doubt that Gekko struck a chord with certain viewers and has become a popular character. Though the intention was for him to be perceived as a villain, many viewers look up to him because of his success and wealth.
Billy Madison – Billy Madison (1995)
In narrative films, the point of the story is not only for the character to go on a journey but for them to grow as people as well. Adam Sandler’s classic comedy Billy Madison follows a rich young man who must go back to school to make good with his father. User captainbaugh wrote of the character “Everyone just enabled him through the whole movie even when they knew he was cheating.”
Although the character of Billy Madison isn’t supposed to be particularly likable, he does get a chance to grow as the story progresses. In absurdist comedies like Billy Madison, a lot of the humor is derived from how over the top the characters can be. If that joke doesn’t land with certain viewers though, the movie can suffer.
Severus Snape – The Harry Potter Series
A character’s actions and behaviors can sometimes be judged differently depending on who is watching. The Harry Potter film series featured many divisive characters, but few were as challenging as Severus Snape. User bluepunchbuggy said of Snape “I just see him as petty and selfish. He doesn’t do anything for Harry, not really. He does it for his unrequited High School crush who is dead.”
Many fans of the Potter series were shocked by Snape’s revelation in the final film and it changed the way they saw him. However, the reveal didn’t satisfy all viewers and some questioned the truth of his convictions. Though Snape is a beloved character in the franchise, not every viewer was sold on his motivations.
Batman – The Dark Knight (2008)
A popular character can often be revived and renewed over the years into new visions of the original concepts. The Dark Knight brought Batman into the twenty-first century and gave him a dark facelift. When asked which popular character they didn’t like, user rabbiddolphin8 wrote “The new darker Batman. Ok fine don’t use the really lighthearted Adam West Batman, but why must they use the super dark, depressed Batman?”
Though many fans gravitated towards Nolan’s darker vision of Batman, some fans were turned off by the character being taken into unfamiliar territory. Previous installments had been darker than others, but Batman had never been taken to that extreme before.
Boba Fett – The Star Wars Series
The bounty hunter Boba Fett captured viewers’ imaginations when he appeared first in The Empire Strikes Back and he quickly became a fan favorite. User Lepton78 was less impressed when they wrote “He could’ve been replaced with any generic bounty-hunter and there would’ve even no difference to the story. Take the armor off and no one would know who he was.”
Boba Fett is quite popular with many Star Wars fans and his appearances go beyond his limited screen time in the movies. Despite this, taken only at face value, the character has less to offer for casual fans. Though the costume is iconic, some viewers were not as impressed by the character as others.
Aladdin – Aladdin (1992)
The popularity of a character is often contingent on a viewer’s personal view of them. Aladdin is a classic tale that was given the Disney makeover during their Renaissance period in the ’90s. Despite the popularity of the film, a deleted user wrote of Aladdin “He was a homeless bum who stole a nation using magic and lies.”
Though Aladdin can be viewed that way, many viewers took away from the film the intended moral and saw Aladdin in a different light. Though he starts out with nothing, he uses his cunning to improve his station in life. He has magical assistance, but in the end, his biggest achievements came from within himself and were won with honesty.
Napoleon Dynamite – Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
Some films can be so utterly unique that they make an indelible mark on popular culture and assure themselves a place in movie history. Napoleon Dynamite tells the story of an awkward teen who helps a friend run for the class presidency. User Oh_jeffery wrote of the character “my mates seem to think he’s funny but I just hate everything about the character.”
Comedies like Napoleon Dynamite don’t necessarily strive to give their characters traits common in films. Instead, Napoleon’s strange and awkward personality is where the humor is supposed to be derived from. The fact that he isn’t particularly likable is offset by the even less likable characters around him.
Ferris Bueller – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Nostalgia can often cloud viewers’ memories and they may hold characters in higher esteem than they normally would. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off tells the story of a precocious teen who decides to take a sick day from school and drags his friends along for an adventure. User jdjrokr had a less than rosy view of the character when they wrote “Ferris Bueller. He’s just such a douche.”
Though it is one of John Hughe’s greatest ’80s films, there are aspects of Bueller’s character that are glossed over. The film is exciting escapism but some of Ferris’ choices put his friends in really tight spots. Deciding to borrow Cameron’s father’s puts the character in a difficult position and no doubt had a bad effect on his life.
Tony Stark – Iron Man (2008)
The context of a character’s lifestyle can make it difficult for some viewers to suspend their disbelief. Billionaire Tony Stark is often shown using his tremendous wealth to solve problems and that didn’t sit well with some viewers. A deleted user wrote of Stark, “Billionaire capitalists who spend billions on weapons of mass destruction…when that money could feed, give water, vaccinate, and educate millions.”
In a real world situation, a character like Stark would be a lot more complicated than he is in the films. Though many MCU fans love Stark’s signature wit and hilarious quotes, he may not have been as likable if he was a real person. Some viewers of the films couldn’t suspend their disbelief when it came to Stark and his tremendous wealth.
The Dude – The Big Lebowski (1998)
The Dude from The Big Lebowski is one of cinema’s most quotable characters and the film itself is considered a classic. However, not all viewers were impressed and user Gaybrosauros wrote “The two main guys in The Big Lebowski. I don’t understand why anyone likes them. They’re both just really stupid and annoying.”
Many of the Coen Brothers’ classic films feature regular characters who get in a situation way over their heads. The Dude’s eccentricities often clash with the other characters on screen and some viewers failed to see the humor in his washed up hippy persona.
