I can see it, they're both pretty creepy.

from protagonist to antagonist over a series:

What about Jean Grey - X1 / X2 --> X3?

Aaron Taylor Johnson in Godzilla. Bland, unmemorable, uncharismatic, and, as it turns out, completely inconsequential to the story.

I have to believe at least 97% of males around the world would be rooting for the Asian guys in the bar to pummel JCVD here:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sxH2gK0-bVE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Mitchell

Yeah, I think some people have missed the point of the thread. We're supposed to think Scarlett O'Hara is a spoiled, annoying brat and I'm pretty sure no one is going to sympathize with Leo's character in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Jackie Chan was the hero in one of his early hits (either SNAKE IN THE EAGLE'S SHADOW or DRUNKEN MASTER, from 1978), but he behaves in a childish, shitty fashion towards everyone and I found his character really annoying.

heart pounding! Veins clogging!

Definitely wasn't Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, he was the whipping boy in that.

I see a lot of people that completely miss the point that movie. The female lead had to unite with her would-be assaulters, which thoroughly disgusted her. It led to additional tension, something that wouldn't exist had the kids done something that could have been sloughed off with an "oops, sorry about that".

As for my suggestions of unlikeable protagonists, there's the obvious trio of The Blair Witch Project. Of course, that's what made the movie more real to me, as I remember getting stuck with obnoxious people like that on school projects.

Then for one I think you're supposed to root for, but really isn't that likeable, how about Amy, the female lead of The Funhouse? She really is a snot, isn't she?

I've seen a couple episodes of Girls and find it kind of lurid, creepy and mean and not even slightly funny.

I'm catching up with it now...and agree with you.

I saw that you had quoted me, and just quickly skimmed down to your response. I assumed you had quoted my last post with the video, and I'm thinking "Wait, there were some deeper plot points in JCVD's dance scene in Kickboxer that I missed?"

Regarding Attack the Block, I think you're right that that was the director/writer's intent, and I guess that makes sense---but it just brought me out of the film a bit, because I didn't engage with her having to team up with the thugs.

Jerry Maguire.

Sam Worthington's character on Avatar. Andrew Garfield's hipster take on Peter Parker. Ryan Reynolds frat boy version of Green Lantern. Matt Damon and Gwenth Paltrow from just about everything including real life.

I just finished my Bond 50 box, and after watching twenty-three James Bond movies back to back, I was struck by what an asshole he is.

He's a smug, elitist prick who spends his lesiure time haunting casinos in a tuxedo and sipping martinis, getting his black friends murdered, and seduces and fucks every single attractive woman he comes across, half of which end up getting killed, occasionally by Bond's own hand.

Didn't John Le Carre recently call Bond a fascist?

I've been saying this for years.
She's a spoiled brat punk of a girl who isn't even very pretty but every man in this movie is fawng over her like she is Helen of Troy.
Plus the movie is long, bloated and over rated

Lots of mentions in this topic of protags who were not intended to be likable.

Is that the point of the thread, though? The OP said that his example may not have intended to be likable.

As long as I'm taking shots at Ferris Bueller, I'll throw Napoleon Dynamite in there as well.

Not a minority opinion. There's an entire genre of literary criticism where the authors do nothing but tear James Bond apart as a stooge of a declining British Empire. I think SKYFALL is possibly their greatest success.

Now, there's a real man!

Why do you hate black people?

Bella in the Twilight films. Devoid of any personality or real passion, she's the blandest character in an already shallow pool. Almost every emotion she expresses is told, not shown. Except when it's time to act like a morose crybaby... she has that one nailed.

All of this would be fine if that was the point of her character - to be some sullen unlikable outcast. But 95% of the characters can't get enough of her, and even the 5% who don't like her are passionate about the fact. She has the two male leads fawning over her, and every other character has seemingly decided she's the most important person in the world. Everyone else finds her interesting for whatever reason, yet she can't seem to muster much passion for, well, anything.

I know much of this could be blamed on Kristen Stewart's performance, but I read the book before Twilight was a "thing" and the character was pretty awful there as well.

I've constantly heard this about the Twilight films (Well, from everyone except Mark Kermode anyway), and I'll be honest, I've never had a girlfriend to drag me to one and never had any interest, so I've simply given them a wide berth. Is Stewart any good in other roles? She took on some more esoteric stuff, presumably to show her acting chops, did any of it pan out well? I don't think I've seen her in anything except SWATH.

Not a movie ... But I tried watching East Bound and Down for the first time. The main character is so off-putting that I couldn't even get halfway through the second episode.