# Movies in which the title character is not the main character **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 29, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205 "2009-03-29T19:45:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/1 "2009-03-29T19:45:40Z")
Just watched “Rachel Getting Married”. Not exactly a happy film, btw. But I didn’t know, going in, that Rachel would not be the main character. What other films can you name where the character named in the title would not be considered the leading role? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/2 "2009-03-29T19:50:44Z")
I was just mentioning to Pepper Mill that I could think of two movies where the nominal title character isn’t really the main character – it’s all really about the female lead. One is **Tarzan – The Ape Man** The 1980 Bo Derek version, in which the infamous Miles and Miles O’Keefe hardly has any screen time, and no dialogue. The other is the recent **Phantom of the Opera** , the Andrew lloyd Webber musical, which has a lot to recommend it. The Phantom isn’t one of them. As the Phantom, Gerald Butler is a great Spartan General. His singing is – off. Even with the makeup on, he isn’t appropriately hideous. Perhaps to make up for all this, the movie is rea;lly Christine daae’s show. I couldn’t see them shoring, say, Michael Crawford this way. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/3 "2009-03-29T19:58:19Z")
_The Wizard of Oz_ is all about Dorothy. _Finding Nemo_ focuses on Marlin and Dory, although I suppose Nemo shares screentime. Would _Harvey_ count? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/4 "2009-03-29T19:59:24Z")
The Great Gatsby comes to mind, except that could be an example of how the main character isn’t the narrator. I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/5 "2009-03-29T20:06:02Z")
The Lord of the Rings, of course. No dialog; only appears (looking like inflamed labia majora) in a couple of scenes. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/6 "2009-03-29T20:06:33Z")
**Bride of Frankenstein**. I suppose this touches on the definition of main character, as Elsa Lanchester as the bride is certainly iconic and most of the movie builds up to her appearance, but she’s only on screen for a few minutes. (Elsa has another couple of minutes as Mary Shelley, but even so it doesn’t add up to much time.) In **The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini** , the titular (knock it off) ghost has a relatively small role. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/7 "2009-03-29T20:12:25Z")
**Rebecca**. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/8 "2009-03-29T20:23:43Z")
The main character in Miyazaki’s **Princess Mononoke** is really Ashitaka: a male warrior. The princess is a fairly important character though. According to [Nausicaa.net](http://Nausicaa.net): > [@](#): > > Originally, Miyazaki had planned to make “Mononoke Hime” as a story about a princess who was forced to marry a Mononoke by her feudal lord father. You have probably seen a picture of Mononoke who looks like Catbus in Totoro’s body and a girl in a Kimono (see the picture below). That is from a picturebook “Mononoke Hime”, which compiled image boards Miyazaki wrote back in 1980. Miyazaki tried to make it into anime, but the project never materialized (it was even considered as the second project by Tokuma after “Nausicaa”, but eventually, “Laputa” was chosen), and Miyazaki put it in the book. > > The story of the movie “Mononoke Hime” is completely different from that in the picturebook. Mononoke Hime is a girl who was raised by Mononoke, not who marries one. There is a new character, Ashitaka, as the hero. In fact, Miyazaki even wanted to change the title to “Ashitaka Sekki (The Tale of Ashitaka)”. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/9 "2009-03-29T20:30:04Z")
[Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100911/) Roxy Carmichael doesn’t even speak in the movie and has less than five minutes of screen time. The main character is Winona Ryder’s Dinky Bossetti. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/10 "2009-03-29T20:37:04Z")
When you say “main character” and include any of the James Bond titles that refer to some person, like Goldfinger, Octopussy, Dr. No, and the various “Man with something”, the best the title character can do is share billing with Bond. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/11 "2009-03-29T20:42:57Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > The Great Gatsby comes to mind, except that could be an example of how the main character isn’t the narrator. I’m not sure. Oops, read this is as books. Sorry… To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar count? ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/12 "2009-03-29T21:04:19Z")
_Waiting for Godot_ is a play, but there have been filmed versions. Not sure if any of them have played theaters. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/13 "2009-03-29T21:13:16Z")
In **The Trouble with Harry** , Harry has no dialog. He is just the McGuffin, not the main character. John Malkovich isn’t really the main character of **Being John Malkovich** – that’s the John Cusak character. Caligary isn’t the main character of **The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary**. **Bend it like Beckham** only had a cameo of David Beckham. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/14 "2009-03-29T21:17:35Z")
> [@Promethea](#): > > **Rebecca**. Beat me to it. Yes, the title character is, in fact, already dead . . . but she totally \*\*\*owns \*\*\*the movie. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/15 "2009-03-29T21:24:03Z")
**Marvin’s Room** ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/16 "2009-03-29T21:25:29Z")
Any movie version of Shakespeare’s _Julius Caesar_. The play should have been called _Brutus_. The movie versions of _Moby Dick_. They should have been called _Captain Ahab._ The movie versions of \*The Three Musketeers \*which should have been called after the main character whose name I can’t spell and I am too lazy to look up. _God Is My Co-pilot_. He never makes an appearance. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/17 "2009-03-29T21:27:34Z")
Raising Arizona Bringing Up Baby Alien The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Rosemary’s Baby A Fish Called Wanda ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/18 "2009-03-29T21:46:44Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > Any movie version of Shakespeare’s _Julius Caesar_. The play should have been called _Brutus_. > > The movie versions of _Moby Dick_. They should have been called _Captain Ahab._ > > The movie versions of \*The Three Musketeers \*which should have been called > after the main character whose name I can’t spell and I am too lazy to look up. > > _God Is My Co-pilot_. He never makes an appearance. Right. The main character of _The Three Musketeers_ is D’artagnan, who is not a musketeer. _Saving Private Ryan_ is mostly not about Private Ryan. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/19 "2009-03-29T21:48:15Z")
Jeffrey “Big” Lebowski wasn’t really the main character in _The Big Lebowski_; the main character was really Jeffrey “the Dude” Lebowski. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205/20 "2009-03-29T21:52:06Z")
**Chasing Amy**. A story told by ‘Silent Bob’ relating to the situation his friend was in. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-title-character-is-not-the-main-character/491205.md?page=2)