Ideally, a movie hero would be an inspirational character with impressive hopes and dreams. This isn't the case for all protagonists, though, as some characters don't want to achieve anything in life.
These characters aren't powerless to their fates; they just deliberately refuse to do anything productive or think in the long term. For better and worse, these characters have nothing going for them in life, and they're perfectly fine with that.
10 The Harold & Kumar Movies — Harold Lee & Kumar Patel (Initially) Refused To Take Things Seriously
Like many stoners in R-Rated comedies before and after their time, Harold and Kumar wanted nothing more in life than to hang out forever and get high. That being said, their laziness was their escape from the harshness of reality. If Harold found solace in weed since he couldn't stand up for himself, Kumar escaped his overbearing family's expectations through slacking.
Throughout three movies, Harold and Kumar overcame their insecurities and stopped using vices as a crutch. In A Very Harold And Kumar Christmas (2011), Harold became a successful businessman while Kumar ended the movie by getting his life back together after dropping out of school. This, however, didn't stop them from enjoying weed recreationally.
9 Shang-Chi & The Legend Of The Ten Rings — Xu Shang-Chi & Katy Chen Loved Their Carefree Lives
As the son of the immortal warlord Xu Wenwu (better known as The Mandarin), Shang-Chi was trained at an early age to be a fearsome warrior just like his father. Shang-Chi endured terrible abuse and did as his father asked, including murdering the man who killed his mother. Problem was, Shang-Chi's conscience kicked in.
Shang-Chi then went into hiding in San Francisco and took on the name "Shaun." As Shaun, Shang-Chi spent the next ten years doing nothing, save for hanging out with his equally chill best friend Katy and catching up with his lost childhood. Even after accepting their heroic destinies, Shang-Chi and Katy had no problem with their aimless but peaceful lives.
8 Independence Day — David Levinson Was Satisfied With Being A Cable Repairman
David Levinson is canonically one of the smartest people in both Independence Day movies, so much so that he was the one who figured out a way to defeat the aliens through computerized means. That being said, David had to be pushed into becoming mankind's savior since he was an incredibly lazy genius before the alien invasion of 1996.
Despite being one of the smartest students of his batch, David didn't have any goals bigger than living simply. It was this lack of ambition that caused his divorce from Constance Spano, and why someone with his credentials worked as a satellite technician before the invasion. Or, as his father condescendingly put it, a "cable repairman."
7 Shaun Of The Dead — Shaun & Ed Were Too Lazy To Take Charge Of Their Lives
Before the dead came back and attacked the living, Shaun was an unremarkable electronics shop salesman who couldn't be bothered to fix his life. The same went for his best friend Ed, who was arguably even more immature than Shaun was. When Shaun wasn't working his boring job, he was drinking, jamming, and gaming with Ed.
Though they resented their dead-ended lives, Shaun and Ed had no intention of fixing things and were more than content with partying like there was no tomorrow. The two annoying but harmless manchildren were forced to grow up when the zombie apocalypse swept London, but even the end of the world did little to deter their unbreakable friendship.
6 Arthur (1981) — Arthur Bach Was The Definitive Spoiled Manchild
Since he was from a wealthy family, Arthur Bach never had to work a day in his life. As a result, Arthur never grew up even though he was already a young adult when the movie began. With his father's wealth to finance his every wish, Arthur lived a boy's dream and an endless childhood with his trusted butler and best friend Hobson by his side.
While he was a good and fun person at heart, Arthur had no concept of maturity and barely thought about his future. Thankfully, Arthur (slightly) grew up and became less self-centered when he fell for the working class Linda Marolla. The two went on to get married and Arthur finally outgrew some if not all of his childish quirks.
5 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World — Scott Had A Lot Of Growing Up To Do
When he's first introduced, Scott was the incredibly immature and presumably jobless bassist of the directionless band Sex Bob-omb. Scott was so full of himself that when he caught a quick glimpse of Ramona Flowers, he immediately dumped his girlfriend Knives Chau (who was also concerningly still in high school) to pursue her.
Throughout Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010), Scott had no goals beyond dating Ramona, which annoyed everyone in his life. If his younger (and more mature) sister Stacey constantly scolded him, his roommate Wallace Wells barely tolerated him. After facing the Seven Evil Exes and himself, Scott outgrew his worst tendencies and found direction in life.
4 Trainspotting — Everyone Was Too Lost In Addiction To Do Anything Worthwhile
Trainspotting (1996) was a harsh look at the addictive highs and fatal lows of substance abuse, and it didn't hold anything back. When Mark Renton and his friends were high, everything about the world seemed exhilarating and obvious to them. Because of this, they lived life in the shortsighted present and barely gave the future any thought.
This, however, bit back when the bad trips and withdrawal took hold. Renton thought that kicking the habit while not improving himself was enough, but he only delayed his regression in T2 Trainspotting (2017). That being said, Renton at least tried to escape this dead-end whereas his friends languished in it during the 20 years between movies.
3 The 40-Year Old Virgin — Andy Stitzer Saw No Problem With His Non-Existent Love Life
At first glance, Judd Apatow's The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005) was just another adult comedy about immature guys racing to find sex and/or love. However, this wasn't the case for the movie's eponymous virgin, Andy, since he was in no rush to sleep with anyone. In fact, it was his friends who dragged him into the typical raunchy hijinks, much to Andy's annoyance.
Unlike the stereotypical movie virgin, Andy wasn't a loser. If his friends were sexually active but immature, Andy had his life together and was in a better emotional place than they were in. Even though he ended The 40-Year Old Virgin with a relationship, Andy never lost himself to the temptations of a more exciting (if hollow) love life.
2 The Big Lebowski — The Dude Just Wanted His Rug Back
After getting set for life thanks to royalties from an undisclosed source and past, Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski stopped bothering with life and just took his time with things like bowling. Interestingly, The Big Lebowski (1998) never condemned this since The Dude was arguably the most mature and put-together character in the parodic film noir homage.
While everyone else was chasing a fortune or trying to throw their weight around, The Dude just wanted to replace the rug that some annoying nihilists stole from his house. Though he cracked the case behind the "kidnaped" Bunny Lebowski, The Dude had no stakes in the supposed abduction and spent the whole movie just wanting to be left alone.
1 The View Askewniverse — Jay & Silent Bob Were Content With Chilling On Their Corner
While they're not the first of their kind, Jay and Silent Bob from Kevin Smith's interconnected movies are undoubtedly the most iconic cinematic stoners. The inseparable duo always hung out on the curb between the Quick Stop Groceries and RST video rental that Dante and Randal worked in, and they did nothing but smoke and snark.
Jay and Silent Bob occasionally left their humble spot to go on cross-country adventures or strike back against an unauthorized movie adaptation of their personas, but they always found a way to return to where they felt home the most. Beyond getting high, helping their friends, and enjoying life, the two had little in the way of aspirations.
Source: Trendz OH
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