Movies That Make You Hate The Good Guy
Nothing evokes intense emotion like a good film. Movies give us all the feels: utter sadness, immense joy and sheer terror. The actors who portray our favorite and most detested characters capture our attention in ways that wouldn't otherwise be possible, and before we know it, we're completely emotionally invested in the onscreen story. We become one with the characters and the plot from the dark of the cineplex and the comfort of our own couches. While our favorite films typically have us rooting for the good guys and loving to hate the villains, sometimes roles are more complex, and feelings for protagonists can get surprisingly twisted. Characters that we are intended to side with end up being fundamentally flawed — maybe they're simply irritating, or too manipulative to love. With all that in mind, we're taking a look back at some of the least compelling protagonists in film. No matter how hard we tried to cheer them on, they never quite won our hearts. These are movies that make you hate the good guy.
Katniss Everdeen in Hunger Games
When talented, drop-dead gorgeous, and incredibly likable Jennifer Lawrence landed the role of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games trilogy, it seemed without a doubt that she'd rise to the challenge of bringing the Heroine of All Heroines to life onscreen. In the Hunger Games films, it's Everdeen who becomes the beacon of hope and light for an entire world that is utterly falling apart at the seams. She's the character who must bring down the man, so to speak, and unite droves of desperate people in a single mission. We want to love her; we're supposed to love her. The problem is... we just don't. As a bad-to-the-bone, arrow-flinging survivalist she's okay — but then she basically rips poor Peeta's heart from his sweet, bread-baking chest, and we can't handle it. He loves her — like really, really loves her — and she just toys with his emotions. It's truly hard to watch. Peeta deserved better, dammit.
Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga
There's no shortage of annoyances in The Twilight Saga, and the cast of characters is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to bothersome film components. Still, if we were to line up all the major players and boot one of them off the island, it would have to be angsty, depressed, Ms. "I Won't Be Happy Until I Have Fangs" Bella Swan. Give the casting director this much: they managed to find an actor who fits Swan's personality to a tee. Kristen Stewart isn't any more likable in the role than Bella Swan was on the page — she's just another one of those female leads who spends most of her time toying with the emotions of the leading males. Will it be Team Jacob or Team Edward? On top of her wishy-washy torn-up love triangle, she manages to nearly destroy the universe in her quest to become immortal. Way to open up Pandora's Box of Crazy Vampires and Werewolves with your desire to becomes one with the Cullens, kid — that was a pretty selfish move. Also, nice move breaking your poor father's heart. Seriously, Bella, the world doesn't revolve around you and your dream of connecting with the undead. Get over it, and get therapy.
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Not everyone is a fan of in-your-face, obnoxious comedy. Actors and comedians like Jim Carrey and Mike Myers have built their entire careers out of jokes told in poor taste and over-the-top facial expressions that, for many audience members, start to get old ten minutes into the movie. Myers' character Austin Powers is one such one trick pony — and that one trick fizzles out pretty fast. Even though fans found the first and second movie entertaining, by the third installment, 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember, Powers' randy '60s shtick had lost its appeal. The offbeat accent, the tired sex jokes, and the world's most irritating laugh make it darn near impossible to find much that glitters in this ostensible comedy — even with the incomparable Beyonce Knowles sharing the screen. Looking back, maybe Myers should have learned his lesson about making too many sequels when he flopped with the second Wayne's World — the first two Austin Powers movies had their moments, but they never needed to start a franchise.
Adam Sandler in Little Nicky
Adam Sandler has made millions acting like a ninny onscreen. In recent years, he's altered his craft and taken on a handful of roles with more depth — we like this new Adam. He arrived not a moment too soon, as evidenced by the played-out doofus humor Sandler fell back on for Little Nicky. Sandler's character is the youngest son of the devil and an angel, giving him compassion and a conscience. He has to use these traits to save his father from his evil brothers, who've crossed over into Earth and are wreaking havoc. Little Nicky to the rescue! So why can't we get behind someone who's supposed to be a lovable character destined for carrying out good deeds? Well, for one thing, look at his hair. It's beyond obnoxious. The flat script doesn't help at all, and the supporting cast doesn't do enough to pull the film along. Even though good prevails over evil in the end, the best parts of the film ended up being the many times Nicky accidentally walked into traffic and got sent back to hell.
Rachel Ferrier in War of the Worlds
When Steven Spielberg was casting the part of Rachel Ferrier in War of Worlds, his criteria had to be pretty minimal. The part might have read something like this: "Child actress; must be easy on the eyes, but also must be able to screech loud enough to wake the dead for extended periods of time." Enter Dakota Fanning. She's talented to be sure, but she doesn't show her range here, despite the literally global stakes — she just does a lot of doe-eyed screaming. It's pretty hard to hate a child in a film unless the film is a creepy horror flick and the kid becomes possessed, but Fanning does a lovely job of making audiences okay with the idea of her character getting offed. Even though she's supposed to be part of a heroic, Earth-saving team along with other family members, she does nothing but create more work for her father and brother, and it's hard not to assume she even started to get on their nerves.
Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings trilogy wouldn't be the same if trusty Samwise Gamgee hadn't been by Frodo's side to support him in his quest to resist the ring and move along in his epic journey of journeys. He's a worthy sidekick if ever there was one, but as a movie hero, he falls short. The Lord of the Ring movies are long, and there are three of them. That's almost ten solid hours of Frodo, Samwise and ring temptations. While there's plenty of action and a classic story in here, there's also a lot of complaining and whining, and nearly all of that comes from Frodo's buddy Samwise. He makes it his job in life to protect Frodo from the ring's powers... and to annoy the living daylights out of viewers with his "Are we there yet?" mentality. Throughout the characters' trek into the unknown, Gamgee "entertains" his party with dreams of food and memories of happier times back in the Shire. Gamgee is lucky that one of his fellow travelers didn't push him off the side of a cliff. Heaven knows that's what plenty of viewers wanted to do more than once.
Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Out
Ferris Bueller's Day Out is a classic film with a massive cult following, but under his fast-talking charm, its teenage hero is kind of a creep. Bueller, played by Matthew Broderick, is supposed to be the poster boy for teen freedom. Life is supposed to be fun — and what better way to have a bit of fun than skip school, lie to your parents, and cause all sorts of concern and drama? Younger viewers may find it easy to identify with Ferris and his playful attitude toward life, but the adults in the audience are probably more inclined to ground Ferris and send him off to a boot camp in the desert. This kid is a nightmare. He lies, manipulates, and has one single purpose in life: to please himself, with complete disregard for the people around him. Just look at how he treats his best friend, Cameron. He doesn't give a rip about how Cam is feeling or what kind of trouble his pal will be in after their epic hooky is over. We all remember the car scene, right? Is it even possible to like Ferris after he pulls that stunt? The answer is a solid no. He's a jerk with a smirk.
Doug Dorsey In The Cutting Edge
The Cutting Edge is so bad it's good — and for many kids of the '90s, it helped define our sporty childhoods. D.B. Sweeney plays hockey great turned awkward figure skater in a last-ditch effort to have a meaningful career on the ice. The only catch is he has to pair up with the ultimate ice princess, played by Moira Kelly. They essentially hate one another, and it's easy to hate her and love him — until you realize he's a selfish, clueless man-child. Sure, viewers feel bad for him as he takes his rich, stuck-up partner's verbal abuse on the daily, but he's no Prince Charming. He shoots back plenty of rude comebacks, drinks way too much, drags his driven athlete partner down into his self-destructive behavior, and then breaks her heart when he shacks up with the pair's skating rival. These two lovebirds might have ended up together at the end of the movie, but he didn't deserve it — and this romance clearly had no chance over the long term. The duo got a figure-skating daughter in a belated sequel, but based on what we see here, a more believable story would have found him skipping out on child support.
Maverick in Top Gun
Tom Cruise soared to worldwide superstardom in 1986 when he played the wild child, hold nothing back, dreamboat jet pilot Maverick in the action-packed blockbuster Top Gun. Cruise's good looks and his character's cocky attitude are almost enough to make you forget that Maverick isn't all that likable. Look past all the smoldering stares and smooth-talking lines, and what you're left with is a selfish guy who knows he's the best at what he does and takes complete advantage of it to justify his self-centered and immature behavior. He takes too many chances with other people's safety, and whether he's in the cockpit or out, he's completely reckless and self-absorbed. None of these are stellar qualities in a jet pilot. Looking back, it's a lot easier to identify with Maverick's chief rival in the classroom, Val Kilmer's Iceman. In fact, he might even be the movie's misunderstood hero.