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22. Charlie Chaplin (City Lights, Modern Times, The Gold Rush, etc...)
This guy is perhaps the most classic person to make my list: Charlie Chaplin's silent, goofy, nameless hero, referred to simply as the tramp (or sometimes the little tramp, for whatever reason). Chaplin played this same character in each of his movies and while the settings were very different (New York City in City Lights, the California gold rush era in Gold Rush, the then distant future in Modern Times and many more), the tramp's basic personality remained the same: both slightly klutzy/goofy and dignified at the same time, a kind-hearted guy with a sense of honor (despite, of course, a mischievious streak) and basically a friend to all. He starts out each movie with little money/status, but usually ends up with a happy ending (at least one in which he gets the girl he's been pining for all movie long. Though sometimes, as in Gold Rush, he also ends up rich and famous). Charlie Chaplin's tramp is also notably driven and creative in pursuing his goals, which often leads him into hilariously strange situations. Charlie Chaplin's films may have been made years ago, but they are still entertaining today and the tramp's struggles to make something of himself are still relatable.




21. Lars (Lars and the Real Girl)
If you thought Andy was socially inept, then wait until you meet this guy! Lars and the Real Girl is a somewhat obscure indie film with an even more obscure plot. In it, Ryan Gossling plays Lars, a young man who believes a life-sized doll (that's right, folks, a sex doll - Lol) is his girlfriend. Lars starts out the film as an extreme loner who lives in the garage across from his brother and his brother's wife. He hates to be touched (especially by his brother's overly affectionate wife) and never wants to come over for dinner at his brother's house no matter how many times he is asked. He has a job as some sort of office worker, but he pretty much never socializes at work. Then, one day, Lars shows up at his brother's house and announces that he has a new girlfriend named Bianca. As it turns out, however, Bianca is in fact, a life-sized doll. Upset about the turn of events, Lars' brother takes him to a therapist who tells them that Lars has invented Bianca as a sort of delusion, but he will get rid of her when he no longer needs her. The therapist also suggests that everyone in the family try to play along with it to make Lars feel more at home. Through his "relationship" with Bianca, Lars begins to open up. However, when Bianca "makes other friends" (as the whole town adopts her as a kind of mascot), Lars becomes jealous and possessive. In the end, Bianca leads Lars into a relationship with his coworker, Margo, at which point, he stops needing Bianca and has her "die" of a terminal illness. Okay, so pretty strange movie, but interesting as well. I suggest everyone who has not seen it check it out.

20. Marjane (Persepolis)
This character is from the most obscure movie on my list and likely one most people have never heard of. Persepolis, an animated French movie about a young woman growing up in Iran (confused yet?) was based on a graphic novel written by Marjane Satiri about her life (an art form which is becomming increasingly popular - and much more fun than the more classic memoir. No, really. It seems like everyone these days is writing graphic novels about their lives!) Anyway, Persepolis the movie uses the same black and white, crudly drawn animation seen in the graphic novel, which adds a lot of charm to the story. Marjane starts the movie as a quirky, loud-mouthed ten year old living in Iran with her parents just before everything falls to shit. She tells us that her main hobby is trying to become the next masiah (yep, really!). Marjane quickly becomes disillusioned with God, when her favorite uncle is thrown in prison for standing up to the government. As she gets older, Marjane becomes so outspoken that her parents decide to send her to Europe, fearing she will be thrown in prison or worse if she stays in Iran. In France, fifteen year old Marjane goes through all the typical teenage angst (finding/losing her first boyfriend, making new friends, coming to terms with her Middle Eastern identity, etc...) until she eventually decides to return home to Iran. Marjane's quirky narrations make this somewhat cliche story much more interesting and fun to watch. My favorite scene is her rendition of "Eye of the Tiger": Here is the link. It's definitely worth seeing as is the rest of the movie!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlIAmCfHzbg





19. Lester Burnhum (American Beauty)
Just before the new millenium, American Beauty showed us just how much life in suburbun America, well, sucks! Lester Burnhum, the weary and woe-begone hero of the movie lives in a beautiful suburban neighborhood (complete with white picket fences and all) with his overly perky wife, Caroline (who, it turns out, is all facade and little substance) and his moody teenage daughter, Jane, whom he knows pretty much nothing about. Lester works at a dead-end office job he hates, where he is pretty much the low man on the totem pole and constantly getting yelled at by his much younger boss. At the start of the movie, Lester pretty much just goes through the motions, feeling more dead than alive. All that changes, however, when Lester accidently falls for Jane's bff, Angela. Yes, this subplot is disturbing, but at the same time, the movie handles it well and Lester doesn't act on his crush anyway (until the end when he decides not to sleep with her upon discovering she is a virgin!) After Lester is awakened, he decides to just say fuck it to everything in his bland suburban life. He quits his job and starts working at a Mr. Smiley's fast food joint, buys a new car and even takes up smoking pot! Through these experiences, Lester finds the beauty in life. Unfortunately, he also dies at the end, but, hey, at least he dies happy! I like Lester for his snarky attitude and I, like pretty much everyone, can relate to the whole hating your job thing. Lol.



18. Edward Scissorshands (Edward Scissorshands)
Sorry Captain Jack Sparrow fans! Only one Jonny Depp character makes the list and this is it! I liked Jack Sparrow and the Pirates of the Carribean franchise, but in the end, I prefer Depp's much more subtle performance in his earlier film, Edward Scissorshands. One of the many films Depp and director Tim Burton teamed up for, Edward Scissorshands tells the surreal story of a lonely scientist, living just outside suburban Anywhere, USA who creates a friendly monster to keep him company. Edward may look scary, but he's really kind-hearted and gentle. As the story goes, the scientist was meant to give Edward real hands, but ran out of materials and had to give him a couple pairs of scissors instead. Unfortuntely, the scientist died before he was able to give Edward his new hands, leaving his creation alone. One day, a woman from the suburban town comes across Edward's mansion and feeling sorry for him, invites him to live with her. At first, the town's people are afraid of Edward, but their fear soon turns to curiosity. Likewise, Edward is initially intimidated by all the new people, but soon, he finds his calling as a kind of barber for the town, giving people strange, but groovy haircuts. He also strikes up an unlikely friendship with Kim, the daughter of the woman who rescued him. Edward isn't sure what to make of his new found popularity and just goes through each event in his quiet, polite way. Eventually, however, thanks to Kim's jealous boyfriend, the whole town (minus the family who has come to love Edward) turns on him and he is forced back to his empty mansion.




17. Norman Bates (Psycho)
The legenday Norman Bates is the second crazy person to make my list (although, Lester Burnhum, Lars and Marjane are debatably pretty nuts as well). Lets just say, he's the second certifyable psychopath on the list, the first being Gregory Anton. Unlike Gregory, however, Norman isn't a bad guy and doesn't enjoy being a villain. When we first meet Norman, he seems like a typical shy, nerdy, good-natured mama's boy, who we feel sorry for because he has to take care of his mean, bossy mother and isn't allowed to have friends or a life, even though he's probably almost thirty. That said, even upon his introduction, there's something creepy about Norman. His favorite hobby is stuffing birds (because stuffing beasts like dogs, cats, chimps - chimps? really? just seems too strange). His office is filled with hawks, owls, ravens and dozens of other birds he has stuffed over the years. After Norman and "Mother" murder Marion Crane, a young woman who stays at the mostly rundown Bates Motel, we learn the truth about Norman. His mother has been dead for years and the "Mother" he talks to is really just his other personlity. Oh, shit, that's not a spoiler is it? Everyone has pretty much seen this movie, right? Or at least knows the ending? Anyway, creepy but likable guy and probably the most iconic of Hitchcock's characters.