# Movies You Like w/ No Likable Characters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 23, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377 "2020-02-23T02:28:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/1 "2020-02-23T02:28:29Z")
It’s hard to think of many, but if I had to pick one, it would be “The Incident” (1967). It’s a great movie, too, a favorite of mine. It’s a straight-forward thriller (Martin Sheen’s first role, and possibly Beau Bridges), but it’s also allegorical. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/2 "2020-02-23T02:34:28Z")
_The Usual Suspects_ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/3 "2020-02-23T02:36:01Z")
_Leaving Las Vegas_ ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/4 "2020-02-23T02:39:03Z")
I don’t really “like” anyone in _Ferris Bueller’s Day Off_; even Sloane is kind of dark. If I was fond of anyone in _Lifeboat_ or _Flight of the Phoenix_, I got over it well before the credits rolled. And the most likeable characters in _The Player_ were just people we hadn’t gotten to know very well. \* The Grifters.\* ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/5 "2020-02-23T02:42:49Z")
I don’t know about peripheral characters, but I wouldn’t want to be close with any of the leads in **The Graduate**. Although as I’ve gotten older I find myself feeling sorry for Mrs. Robinson. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/6 "2020-02-23T03:29:47Z")
For a recent example, in _Parasite_ all of the main characters are either scumbags or at best hopelessly naive. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/7 "2020-02-23T03:39:06Z")
pulp fiction although the 3 main characters do one semi redeemable thing in the movie … Julius in the restaurant robbery not just starting a gunfight in the restaurant vincent not banging mia as they both want, and him saving her ta the end when he could have just left her there to die … and bruce Willis going back for Ving Rhames instead of just taking off … ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/8 "2020-02-23T11:46:52Z")
Off the top of my head I can’t think of a likable character in _Catch 22_. I mean, you can be empathetic towards Yossarian, but do you like him? j ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/9 "2020-02-23T11:53:34Z")
_Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind_ comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/10 "2020-02-23T13:00:40Z")
“The Swimmer” (1968) is another great movie (that I like even more than my OP), also no likable characters. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/11 "2020-02-23T14:55:39Z")
My favorite film might be **Miller’s Crossing**. The lead character has strong sense of honor, but he’s also a bad person. No one in the movie is likable — but several are charismatic, and (again) have a code of honor. Maybe that’s true of most films with gangsters as the main characters. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/12 "2020-02-23T15:16:57Z")
_ **Memento** _ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/13 "2020-02-23T15:29:55Z")
> [@Baal\_Houtham](#): > > My favorite film might be **Miller’s Crossing**. The lead character has strong sense of honor, but he’s also a bad person. No one in the movie is likable — but several are charismatic, and (again) have a code of honor. Maybe that’s true of most films with gangsters as the main characters. _Goodfellas_ is another example. Henry Hill might be somewhat charming but everyone in the film is pretty evil. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/14 "2020-02-23T15:29:59Z")
Flesh and Blood Robocop Total Recall Basic Instinct Showgirls Paul Verhoeven has a rather grim view of humanity. There are no heroes in his movies. Some villains are more charismatic than others. Tunes of Glory Dead Ringers Each film starts with a stereotypical Good Guy and an almost cartoonish Bad Guy. As each film progresses, the Good Guy starts to alienate your affections, and the Bad Guy starts to earn a bit of respect. By the end of each film, you just want to slap some sense into both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/15 "2020-02-23T15:44:45Z")
**House of Sand and Fog** fits this bill 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:** [February 23, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/16 "2020-02-23T17:04:30Z")
Godfather Gone With the Wind Two great movies about despicable people. I disagree about Robocop. Both Murphy and Lewis are fine, and Miurphy-as-Robo is a fine honorable “person”. Everyone else with more than one line of dialog, however… ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/17 "2020-02-23T17:32:29Z")
You on Netflix has almost all creepy characters. There’s a child in it, but it’s a lot of creeps in one story line. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/18 "2020-02-23T17:39:33Z")
ETA: I just remembered, the kid turns evil. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/19 "2020-02-23T17:47:56Z")
_The Hateful Eight_ are indeed all pretty hateful. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377/20 "2020-02-23T18:19:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > _The Hateful Eight_ are indeed all pretty hateful. I hated it so much I turned it off after 20 mins! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-you-like-w-no-likable-characters/848377.md?page=2)