We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which fictional characters moviegoers are too hard on, and characters moviegoers glorify way too much. Here's what they had to say:
Note: Some submissions are from this Reddit thread by user u/Shirizuna and this Reddit thread by user u/tandyman234.
Note: This post includes topics of domestic abuse, verbal abuse, and violence. Please proceed with caution.
1. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Kimmy Wallace from My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)
"When I was younger, I felt so awful for Julianne losing out on her best friend/soulmate who she didn't see right in front of her, but watching it now, I see all of the ways poor Kimmy was dumped on DURING HER WEDDING WEEK. Michael flirted with Jules, told her she looked good without her clothes on, joked about having a yearly affair, and spent a lottttt of time reminiscing about their past relationship (all while preparing to marry another woman). If I found out that was how my future husband was spending his time right before our wedding, I’d see it as a major red flag and bail."
"The movie portrayed her as being this naïve person who didn't notice her fiancé’s best friend trying to steal him away. It shouldn’t be considered 'dumb' to fully trust your fiancé and feel secure enough in your relationship that you aren’t looking out for other women who are considered 'friends.' I think that made Kimmy a great girlfriend, fiancé, and wife. People are too hard on her."
2. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz (1939)
"She stole the Wicked Witch of the East's shoes and gave them to Dorothy. She then tells Dorothy that if she wants to go home, she should go see the Wizard. After the Wizard is revealed as a fraud, Glinda shows up and is all like: 'You could've gone home any time you'd like by clicking your heels together.'"
3. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Cho Chang from the Harry Potter movies
"Cedric had just been murdered, and she was feeling guilty over her blooming feelings for Harry. It's normal for teenage girls to have emotions, and she was feeling that 10x as much. Also, she was *not* the one who snitched on Dumbledore's Army — that was Marietta Edgecombe!"
4. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Tony Montana from Scarface (1983)
"This kind of character was meant to be compelling, and designed to be pitied. But, without fail, people gravitated toward him and latched on to him. They saw him as a fiercely independent 'badass' who said and did whatever he wanted."
"Hollywood tried to portray Tony Montana as a hero, but you were not meant to aspire to be like him."
5. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Rose Tico from the Star Wars movies
"There are so many Star Wars characters who could fit into this category, but I would definitely say Rose Tico from the sequels. She wasn't a bad character — she just got caught up in some bad writing, yet people hated her about as much as Jar Jar Binks. The bullying Kelly Marie Tran received because of her character was absolutely unacceptable. If you don't like a character, don't take your hatred out on the actor — it's not their fault, and bullying them is NOT OKAY."
6. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Maui from Moana (2016)
"He straight-up doomed the world for selfish reasons and attempted to murder a child on several occasions."
7. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Ruby Rhod from The Fifth Element (1997)
"I really don't understand why so many people believe Ruby is an over-the-top movie character. His personality was dynamic, fun, and really gave the movie the kind of comedic relief it needed — especially during the intense fighting scenes. I couldn't imagine The Fifth Element without his character — I don't care how 'annoying' he might've seemed to others."
—BuzzFeed
8. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Joel Goodsen from Risky Business (1983)
"There's a setup in the beginning that he's in some business class where they're supposed to come up with some business idea. Then, his parents go away for the weekend. Cue that famous scene. Tom Cruise, the protagonist and high school student, orders a sex worker. The sex worker turns out to be a man. But that sex worker gives him another number to call, and he finally gets a girl, and they bang. Something happens where Cruise now needs money. He and the sex worker he's 'befriended' decide to start a brothel in his parents' house. A brothel that caters exclusively to Cruise's high school friends."
"They make the money they need and then some. His parents come home none the wiser. We end with Tom Cruise back in the business class failing the assignment because he was busy doing the whole child brothel thing, but it ends with a voiceover where he's proudly saying how much money he made. Turns out he actually was a businessman!"
9. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Summer Finn from 500 Days of Summer (2009)
"Summer told Tom from the beginning that their relationship could never go anywhere, but he didn't want to hear it. Then, when she ended it, she was made out to be the villain. She found happiness with another man she did feel something for, and Tom couldn't handle that. I know the movie was supposed to be told through Tom's eyes only, but they could've shown her side of things for a moment just to make the movie a bit more fair."
10. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Tinker Bell from Peter Pan (1953)
"She blames everything on everyone else when it’s her fault. She’s not some fairy hero — just someone who messes up things, then has to clean up for it after blaming a series of people."
11. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Foxxy Cleopatra from Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
"I liked Foxxy Cleopatra from Goldmember! Beyoncé delivered hilarious one-liners, rocked amazing outfits, and sang catchy songs — I don't know why she got so much hate for taking this role. She absolutely killed it."
12. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Tony Stark/Iron Man from the Marvel movies
"He's arrogant, spiteful, and manipulative. He risked the life of every person on the Helicarrier by instigating Banner, and risked the life of a 15-year-old for the sake of his own ego. Arguably, Stark is the villain in the MCU movies — people say he 'grew' when he 'discovered' his company was 'making weapons,' like he didn't create Ultron and E.D.I.T.H. after all of that."
13. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Eleanor Sung-Young from Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
"Eleanor just wanted to protect her family and continue their traditions — what's so wrong with that? They were a super high-profile family, and that typically comes with certain responsibilities and sacrifices."
14. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Sophie Sheridan from Mamma Mia! (2008)
"What kind of jerk invites her mother's ex-lovers to her mother's hotel on the eve of her wedding — without telling her — to try and force a situation where her real father will be revealed? Then she bails on the whole wedding anyway to go traveling around the world. If I was a wedding guest having forked out thousands to get there for a non-wedding, I'd be livid."
15. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Rue from The Hunger Games movies
"Rue from The Hunger Games. Both the character and the actor were unfairly hated on, and she deserved so much better from audiences."
16. A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: Jacob Black from the Twilight Saga
"Jacob was a totally awful guy who just wanted to control Bella. He never let her make any decisions for herself — he always acted like he knew better than her, and was mean to her every chance he got. He also imprinted on her daughter, sooooo...yeah, super creepy."
17. A character movie audiences are too hard on: Baroness Elsa von Schraeder from The Sound of Music (1965)
"She'd been seeing Captain von Trapp for some time, and they were on the brink of getting engaged — then, all of a sudden, he was mooning over a random nun who just showed up! I maintain most people would do what they could to stay with their partner in those circumstances, and the Baroness tried with such grace and dignity. She wasn't a very warm character, but she was clearly kind and cared about the Captain, and I think people hated on her far too much."
18. And finally: A character movie audiences weirdly glorify: The Joker from the Suicide Squad movies
"The Joker is someone we shouldn't be idolizing. His relationship with Harley Quinn was obviously abusive — the movie was supposed to show you why he did the things he did, not promote them."
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity
Let's flip the script a little here, folks: Which TV characters do you believe people unfortunately glorify? Let us know in the comments below.
