'Uncomfortably relatable': writers on their favourite unlikable movie characters

Here are the articles about various characters from films, grouped by character:

**1. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: Marla Grayson is a court-appointed legal guardian who's like an aggressive leech: sucking vulnerable, helpless elderly people dry of their savings; she's more sharp-tongued and seasoned than first-time killer Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, and at almost every point you don't know if she's going to go in for a comforting hug or if she's going to bait an old person into attacking her (both happen). Grayson expounds on a nasty, quiet part of greed within many of us: if you could take money from someone for yourself, if no one would really know – if you're beautiful and have experienced love and are devilishly self-aware – it's OK to force drugs into a man's body or to convince a judge someone is going senile. It's a heinous thing, being a predator of the lowest rungs, but when Pike appalls you, she supplies a little thrill with it: you feel a little more alive.

**2. Charles Foster Kane - Citizen Kane**

* Author: Radheyan Simonpillai
* Article: Charles Foster Kane is the towering blueprint for so many cynical and enduring cinematic figures we are simultaneously enthralled and repulsed by. Think Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood or Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network, characters who exist a century apart, and in Kane's shadow, embodying an American dream that is insatiable, corruptible and often fuelled by contempt.

**3. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: ... (same as above)

**4. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood**

* Author: Catherine Shoard
* Article: As spirit animals go, Daniel Plainview isn't one you'd immediately race to adopt from the pound, but there's something irresistibly bracing about his approach. Rare is the week in which the line "I can't keep doing this on my own, with these … people" doesn't pop into my conscious.

**5. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: ... (same as above)

**6. Pansy Deacon - Hard Truths**

* Author: Richard Lawson
* Article: Pansy Deacon is the sort of brutally unlikable character who finds little, if any, redemption. She remains pretty much awful from the beginning to the end of Mike Leigh's shattering 2024 character study, Hard Truths.

**7. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: ... (same as above)

**8. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood**

* Author: Catherine Shoard
* Article: Quentin Tarantino thinks There Will Be Blood doesn't work because of Paul Dano – nuts, of course, because the film isn't intended as a two-hander (and Dano is great anyway). What's certain is that the movie wouldn't work were its tar-hearted antihero not also funny, formidable and – whisper it – relatable. Plus: loves bowling!

**9. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: ... (same as above)

**10. Charles Foster Kane - Citizen Kane**

* Author: Radheyan Simonpillai
* Article: For at least half a century, Citizen Kane had been widely named the greatest film of all time (chiefly on the Sight & Sound critics poll), largely celebrated for its form (its use of deep focus taught in almost every intro to film class). But the film's emotional power comes from Orson Welles's enigmatic portrayal of the predatory and rather pathetic Kane, the media baron inspired by William Randolph Hearst, and admired by Donald Trump.

**11. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood**

* Author: Catherine Shoard
* Article: ... (same as above)

**12. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: If Rosamund Pike were standing in front of a decimated building holding a bomb detonator, telling me she didn't do anything, I could believe her. There's a <em>je ne s</em><em>ais quoi</em> to her characters' malice that invites you into different definitions of right and wrong – where the bottom line matters and a vicious heart is still a heart.

**13. Pansy Deacon - Hard Truths**

* Author: Richard Lawson
* Article: There is a moment of cathartic laughter in the film, and a scene of something like reconciliation between Pansy and her cheerful sister. But otherwise, Leigh and actor Marianne Jean-Baptiste's frightening creation remains a howling locus of resentment, anxiety and cruelty.

**14. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood**

* Author: Catherine Shoard
* Article: ... (same as above)

**15. Charles Foster Kane - Citizen Kane**

* Author: Radheyan Simonpillai
* Article: It's easy to be seduced by his ambitions, not to mention the bluster and silky-smooth charisma he so skilfully weaponizes, before it all sours and curdles – you know, like the American dream.

**16. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: It's a heinous thing, being a predator of the lowest rungs, but when Pike appalls you, she supplies a little thrill with it: you feel a little more alive.

**17. Pansy Deacon - Hard Truths**

* Author: Richard Lawson
* Article: Which was disappointing. But that snubbing was also a testament to the dazzling, exacting craft of Hard Truths. I still find myself thinking of Pansy from time to time, hoping dumbly that she's found a way out of her malaise, but knowing that she would probably swat away such sentiment with a derisive laugh, or a monologue about how pointless it is to try to care for her.

**18. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood**

* Author: Catherine Shoard
* Article: Plus: loves bowling!

**19. Charles Foster Kane - Citizen Kane**

* Author: Radheyan Simonpillai
* Article: Kane preaches about speaking truth to power, but only insofar as it serves him. His youthful idealism and principles are as thin as and disposable (literally) as the paper they're printed on.

**20. Marla Grayson - I Care a Lot**

* Author: Tammy Tarng
* Article: It's a nasty, quiet part of greed within many of us: if you could take money from someone for yourself, if no one would really know – if you're beautiful and have experienced love and are devilishly self-aware – it's OK to force drugs into a man's body or to convince a judge someone is going senile.

**21. Pansy Deacon - Hard Truths**

* Author: Richard Lawson
* Article: Hard Truths is the sort of brutally unlikable character who finds little, if any, redemption.

**22. Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood**

* Author: Catherine Shoard
* Article: ... (same as above)
 
Rosamund Pike's portrayal of Marla Grayson in "I Care a Lot" is so mesmerizing 🤯 it's like she has this... aura around her. And I'm not just saying that because she's a great actress, but also because of the way her character operates on multiple levels - you can't help but be drawn into this world where right and wrong are blurred, even if it makes you squirm in your seat 😳. What I love about Marla Grayson is how complex she is: you want to hate her, but at the same time, you feel for her because she's just so... human 💔.
 
I'm really fascinated by these characters and how they're all complex and multi-dimensional 😊. I think what's so interesting about them is that they're not just one-dimensional villains, but rather they have layers to their personalities and motivations. Marla Grayson, for example, is this super manipulative and ruthless character who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, but at the same time, you can't help but feel a little bit of sympathy for her 💔.

And then there's Daniel Plainview, who on the surface seems like this huge egomaniacal oil tycoon, but beneath that facade is actually someone who's desperate for connection and validation. It's so humanizing to see these characters in such a nuanced way 🤯.

I also love how each of these articles highlights different aspects of these characters' personalities and makes them feel more relatable and real 💬. And can we talk about the casting? Rosamund Pike as Marla Grayson is just incredible 👏.

Anyway, I think what's really interesting here is that these characters all exist on this spectrum of being completely despicable to being sort of... forgivable 🤔. It makes you question what makes someone a "bad" person and how we should be holding them accountable for their actions 🔮.

What do you guys think? Have any favorite characters from these articles? 💬
 
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🤔 these characters are all so messed up in some way, but i think that's what makes them so interesting to watch... marla grayson is like a dark mirror held up to our own darker impulses, you know? she's not even pretending to be anything other than a sociopath. 🙅‍♀️ and pansy deacon is just a toxic waste dump of emotions, but i think that's what makes her so fascinating... her anger and resentment are so palpable, it's like you can feel the tension radiating off the screen. 🌪️ and daniel plainview... wow, he's just a masterclass in charisma and manipulation. he's got this whole "i'm a nice guy but really i'm not" thing down pat, and it's both captivating and terrifying at the same time. 😱
 
I'm so obsessed with Marla Grayson from I Care a Lot 🤯... Rosamund Pike's performance is like a masterclass in subtlety, she has this ability to make you feel uncomfortable and yet, at the same time, kinda fascinated by her characters' darkness. It's like watching a train wreck, you don't want to look, but can't help yourself 😱. I think what I love most about Pike's portrayal is how nuanced it is, she brings this level of depth to Marla that makes her more than just a one-dimensional villain - she's a complex human being with her own motivations and desires 🤔. Anyway, I'm totally here for more Marla Grayson goodness, who else loves Rosamund Pike as much as I do? 😍
 
I feel like Marla Grayson from I Care a Lot is so similar to Catherine Tramell from Basic Instinct, you know? Like both are just super manipulative and charismatic in their own ways. 🤩 I mean, Rosamund Pike's performance is just so captivating, it's hard not to get drawn into her world of sleaze and deceit. And Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood, oh man, he's like the anti-hero of all time. He's got this raw, unapologetic energy that's just infectious. I think what I love most about him is how he's both repulsive and relatable at the same time - like, you know he's a total sociopath, but there's still something fascinating about him. And can we talk about Charles Foster Kane for a second? He's like the ultimate symbol of the American dream gone wrong. Like, this guy built an empire from scratch, but it was all just a facade to hide his own emptiness and loneliness... feels so familiar, right? 😔
 
The characters in these films all have one thing in common... 🤯 They're all complex, multi-dimensional humans with flaws and imperfections that make them relatable and human. I think this is what makes their stories so compelling - we can't help but be drawn into their worlds and understand the motivations behind their actions.

It's also a reminder that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to being good or bad. Marla Grayson, for example, might be seen as a villain by some, but her actions are driven by a deep-seated desperation and loneliness. Similarly, Daniel Plainview is a character who elicits both disgust and admiration.

I think this complexity is what makes art so powerful - it challenges us to see the world in different ways, to question our assumptions and to consider multiple perspectives. It's a reminder that people are messy and multifaceted, and that there's no clear-cut right or wrong when it comes to human behavior 🤝
 
I'm a bit concerned that some of these articles are focusing on characters who exhibit predatory behavior towards vulnerable individuals, particularly the elderly 🤔. While it's understandable to explore complex themes and moral ambiguities in fiction, it's essential to approach this topic with sensitivity and respect for those who may be impacted by such portrayals 💕.

As a reminder, our community guidelines emphasize promoting respectful dialogue and avoiding gratuitous or exploitative content 📝. Let's strive to have thoughtful discussions that prioritize empathy and understanding for all individuals involved 💬.
 
omg u guys i just watched hard truths with my girl and we both died lol pansy deacon is literally the most iconic villain ever she's so ruthless but at the same time kinda pitiful? like i feel bad for her but also she's still super cruel and that's what makes her so great 🤣💀 i mean, marianne jean-baptiste is just a genius in that role... anyway, after watching hard truths we had the craziest dream last night where pansy was chasing us down the street with a rolling pin 🤪😱 has anyone else ever had one of those dreams? 😴
 
I feel so bad for Pansy Deacon 🤕. She's like the embodiment of how our own flaws and shortcomings can be really hard to deal with, even when we try to hide or pretend they don't exist. Her story is a reminder that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we're stuck with who we are, and it's okay to acknowledge and accept that about ourselves ⚖️.

It's also interesting to think about how our perception of others can shape our own sense of self-worth. Pansy Deacon may be a really difficult character to root for, but at the same time, she's also got this underlying complexity that makes us wonder... what if? 🤔

Anyway, I guess the takeaway here is that being vulnerable and taking responsibility for who we are is kind of a brave (and hard) thing to do 💪.
 
Pike's Marla Grayson is actually kinda fascinating 🤔. She's like that one aunt at the family reunion who always says what everyone thinks but doesn't have the guts to do anything about it 😂. Her whole thing is so messed up, and I think that's why she's relatable – we've all got a little bit of Marla in us, whether we realize it or not 🤷‍♀️. And honestly, Pike does an amazing job of capturing her complexity and charisma 💁‍♀️. She's not just the "villain" of the movie; she's more like this dark, twisted mirror held up to society 👀.
 
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