# Do you like "stupid" characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908 "2022-03-11T17:03:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/81 "2022-03-20T17:07:41Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Lots of actors got their start on stage, which requires a broader acting style. I remember Michael O’Hare demonstrating it at a convention. He gave the example of the actor spotting someone walking across the room. On stage, he would turn his head; in film or TV, he would just use his eyes. Michael Caine said something to the effect of “On stage, you act with your body, on film, with your head, and on TV, with your eyes” ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/82 "2022-03-20T18:03:58Z")
The character of Brad in Extract was funny. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2022, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/83 "2022-03-20T18:36:58Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I’m rather fond of the idiot in Ruthless People I unabashedly love this movie. > [@SuntanLotion](#): > > The character of Brad in Extract was funny. That reminds me…Brad Pitt was hilarious and very stupid in _Burn After Reading._ Until, well, what happened in the closet. Frances McDormand was almost as dumb, but just as funny. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/84 "2022-03-21T01:54:16Z")
If you wanna talk about one scene wonder stupid character there is always this guy from RoboCop 3 (probably the only good thing in the movie): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gaUqdIFUbxE/hqdefault.jpg ""What's it like being a rocket scientist?"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaUqdIFUbxE) ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/85 "2022-03-21T14:01:06Z")
One of my favorite stupid characters is Dale in **Horrible Bosses**. I don’t mind stupid if the person has a good heart. Not that this clip illustrates that, it just cracks me up. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TCXFKo1UDjQ/hqdefault.jpg "Charlie Day - That's Not My Name (Horrible Bosses)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCXFKo1UDjQ) Stupid and mean doesn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/86 "2022-03-21T14:26:35Z")
> [@Author\_Balk](#): > > Randy Disher got worse during the series. He was better at the beginning. I think Randy just feels in awe of Monk (and the kind of cases that draw him in), so he tries too hard. If he’s working a “normal” murder he does fine. If that weren’t so, I would agree he would be too stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/87 "2022-03-21T14:39:15Z")
I was watching an episode of Mr. Bean last night and realized he might be considered stupid. And he is one of my favorite characters. But, a lot of the humor is the creativity of a childish (stupid) person and not making fun of his stupidness. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/88 "2022-03-21T16:40:44Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > No question Abe is of narrow intelligence with some rigidity and not great at the ways of the real world … not as extreme as Sheldon in Big Bang Theory but in the same direction. Both Abe and Sheldon are brilliant when it comes to their particular field, but they lack “emotional intelligence”. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/89 "2022-03-22T12:37:12Z")
Yeah, on the occasions when we see Randy in a normal police situation (or when a Monk case turns into a more normal police situation), Randy does quite well. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/90 "2022-03-22T15:05:51Z")
I never really watched Monk, so I’m not familiar with this character. But I can think of several examples where having an extraordinary main character can make the merely competent and ordinary ones around them seem buffoonish by comparison. A couple of police drama examples are Greg Medavoy on _NYPD Blue_ and Holland Wagenbach (Dutch) on _The Shield_. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/91 "2022-03-22T15:09:55Z")
Many media renditions make Dr. Watson to be a dolt, but in Doyle, he’s clearly a highly competent doctor, and quite intelligent. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/92 "2022-03-23T15:52:33Z")
Greg Medavoy was a good cop on NYPD Blue, but was used as comic relief. I never understood how such a nice guy could work that kind of job. (He reminded me a bit of a Gary Larson comic strip - something like a guy in hell doing some hellish work there, but whistling and happy, and the devils saying, ‘there’s no getting through to that guy!’) ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/93 "2022-03-23T23:33:44Z")
When I was a kid I disliked the scripted grammar errors by The Lone Ranger’s Indigian sidekick, Tonto, played by Jay Silverheels, and later in life I would even refer (internally) to such errors I heard from other people as “tontoisms”. Then much later I got into Spanish and learned that the Spanish word tonto means stupid or dumb in English. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/94 "2022-03-23T23:38:19Z")
Well, any character that thinks a guy called the _Lone_ Ranger needs a sidekick can’t be too bright. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/95 "2022-03-23T23:42:09Z")
> [@Ignatz](#): > > Then much later I got into Spanish and learned that the Spanish word tonto means stupid or dumb in English. Here’s a scene you have to watch: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ITM7VSHzZh8/hqdefault.jpg "wyatt rufus tanto and bass reeves the lone ranger and lucy Timeless 1x12 clip") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITM7VSHzZh8) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2022, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/96 "2022-03-23T23:46:30Z")
What, no love for Beavis & Butthead? 🙁 ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/97 "2022-03-24T04:46:49Z")
I’ve been pondering all through the thread, trying to clarify my own distaste for “stupid” characters, because I know that it’s too inconsistent to just be about stupidity. I think it has to be a combination of stupidity with doing actual damage, or it has to be more about intellectual laziness and willful ignorance. If a character is both stupid and mean-spirited, or if they get away with causing avoidable harm, I find it off-putting. (And I find both all too common with “sitcom-stupid” characters.) On the other hand…there’s Richard Moore, from “Detective Conan”/“Case Closed”. On the face of it, I should hate him. He’s a self-aggrandizing drunkard who perpetually leaps to wrong conclusions because he’s too lazy to think things through. However, when the chips are down (and assuming the protagonist allows him to remain conscious), he displays a streak of honor, acts decisively, and sometimes even manages to get things right. So I think it’s less about the intellectual capability of the character, and more about allowing a “stupid” character to have redeeming features. A character who’s dumb, but aware of their limitations and trying their best. An intellectually lazy character who wakes up and is (briefly) useful when they’re really needed. Give them some little wins to make them less grindingly one-note, and I can tolerate them much better. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/98 "2022-03-24T07:44:26Z")
I never liked Maxwell Smart. I get that Mel Brooks takes a stereotype, reverses it and exaggerates it, but it doesn’t work in a series. It’s OK for one movie (Blazing Saddles is a favourite), but watching the same thing night after night got very samey and frustrating. You can handle the stupid townsfolk of Rock Ridge and the evil cowboys, because they are facing a new situation they haven’t come across before - but the Max Smart situation at Control was ridiculous. It would have made a fun movie (good-hearted idiot somehow gets a job way above his ability and bumbles through) - but only once. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/99 "2022-03-24T14:31:25Z")
> [@Wallaby](#): > > It would have made a fun movie > (good-hearted idiot somehow gets a job way above his ability and bumbles through) - but only once. Tell that to Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2022, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908/100 "2022-03-24T23:47:42Z")
That reminds me of “Spies Like Us” works so well - the bad guys picked two people they thought were dolts because they needed dolts, but one of them was in fact incredibly competent, but was receiving bad reports from a boss who wanted to keep the guy in his current position (doing all the work), and the other, while nowhere near as competent as he thought he was, was a pretty good liar and combined with the other guy’s encyclopedic knowledge, they were a team that could actually get stuff done. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-stupid-characters/960908.md?page=6)