MovieChat Forums > Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2012) Discussion > the most unlikeable character in cinemat...

the most unlikeable character in cinematic history?

posted 12 years ago by jaccowacco7
217 replies | jump to latest

I disliked this film to quite extreme levels when i watched this partly due to the corny dialogue, partly due to the disrespectful image of tom hanks falling from the twin towers with a cgi background. The worst thing though was how incredibly unlikeable the main boy oscar was. He was a monster. he made jake lloyds anakin look like gary oldman in tinker tailor soldier spy. he was a horrible character who was impossible to relate to. i appreciate that he has a slight disability which covers up the anxiety attacks but this is a character that we should have cared for, and wanted to do well. i hated him more than i have hated any other character in a film. What do you think?

ADDED RECENTLY: I've just re-visited this post and I'm kind of ashamed at the crass title I labelled this chat with. On reflection I wrote this when I was younger and more naïve. I don't beleive the main boy is a monster and the comparison between him and Jake Lloyd in Star Wars was an immature one. I stand by the fact that the film does not work because people shouldn't have to be able to directly relate to a films subject matter to find the character engaging, shown brilliantly in the film 'Shame' by Steve McQueen. I think the central performance in 'Extremely loud' is actually pretty good but the director and the writer fail to make him a likeable by expecting us to simply get on board with a character who is very annoying and hurtful to those around him. The key example is his treatment of the John Goodman character which is directed and written in a way that appears to want the audience to love him and find him cheeky and complex but he just comes across as spoilt and fairly insufferable and the film doesn't explore his nature enough to make me accept it, it simply shows this nature for over two hours. I stand by my opinion of the film and the depiction of the character but I apologise for my immature initiation of this post.

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] TheCineSinge 12 years ago

OP, maybe not the most unlikeable but close enough. Honestly, just really really bad. Annoying in practically every scene.

But I am still debating as to whether the poor character was down to the actor or the writing. I'm inclined to say the writing as it was pretty poor in general but I can't say anything about Thomas Horn as this is his first big film. Guess we'll have to wait and see what he does in the future.

[–] aqua1a 12 years ago

Wow it's surprising you're even able to type as you seem to be missing a heart. There isn't any point arguing why are you completely wrong because for you to have come to such a callous conclusion about this film shows you are in a completely different world and would never understand what made this film so touching. I guess you just either have the ability to feel empathy or you don't. And unfortunately my friend, you don't.

[–] TheCineSinge 12 years ago

I hardly criticised the film, just the character... callous, my arse.

Though I didn't think much of the film either in all honesty.

[–] aqua1a 12 years ago

Yes I know, did you understand that he had Aspergers? At the very least it was borderline. The tambourine you (or other posters) thought was so annoying was his coping mechanism when he was scared and overwhelmed, which happened quite often. You can say, wow that tambourine was always going and was so annoying.. or you could realize it meant he was in constant fear and had to struggle to do things you and I would find easy.

His curt responses and lack of social awareness is also a telltale sign of Aspergers. It is something that can be very difficult for them to deal with because they can be aware that they said/did something wrong, but are not quite sure what the right answer would have been. You can see this when he yells at his mother but apologizes right after or the beautiful scene where he tells his mother he loves her but has to do it through a door because he couldn't do it to her face.

If you could empathize with this character and try to think of how it must feel to carry such a weight around in a mind that has a hard time expressing emotions.. there is no way you could hate this boy. Any child that experienced what Oskar did would be traumatized, when you add the fact that he was unable to express his emotions to his mother, he lost the one person he felt really understood him, and even lived with the crushing guilt of not answering the phone and the debilitating fear of so many things.. it is easy to see why he responds the way he does.

I can understand why someone could just look at his actions and find him un-likeable but that is not seeing the whole picture. It is not seeing everything else that makes up this boy and how he relates to the world. And it is not seeing the unbelievable struggle he goes through daily to cope and try to function at a level most people take for granted.

And just to clarify, my response was referring to the general sentiment I read in this thread (OP, your response, other similar posts) not necessarily one poster in particular.

[–] k57 12 years ago

Yes I know, did you understand that he had Aspergers? At the very least it was borderline.

Had no idea, and by the time I might have cared, I'd given up on the movie. Bad film, all around.

4/10 (that's me being gracious)

---
I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long

[–] Whatsifsowhatsit 12 years ago

Fantastic post! Always good to see not everyone is judgmental about people who are different all the time.

---
My vote history: http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=13037287

[–] parousia1959 12 years ago

You said it all, thank you for this post. I thought this was a very good portrayal and having a nephew with Autism I could see this was done with respect.
I'm feeling much better.

[–] d.lodewijks 12 years ago

I tend to hate the "I agree" type of posts, but man, this was well written, and so spot on that just for once I will have to break my own rule and back this post in public.

I Just wish I could have said something close to this yesterday to a friend who complained that "the annoying kid ruined the movie"....

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] loandbo 12 years ago

Although not the most unlikeable character, I have to say that the actor's portrayal of the character was annoying. I absolutely LOVED Oskar Schell in the book and had a completely different image in my mind of how he would say things,behave, etc. He was an extremely sympathetic character who was charming, humorous, sensitive, and kind. Yet Horn's portrayal made him seem like a typical precocious brat. And for the record, there is no mention in the book of the character suffering from Asbergr's, only that he is very intelligent, curious, and depressed (due, of course, to the violent shocking death of his father). Why they needed to add it to the script is beyond me--perhaps it was to justify the behavior Horn portrays.

[–] EmpireRecrDs1020 12 years ago

Eloquent response and spot on, aqua1a. I found this movie incredibly touching. I lost my mom at 12, so I understand what a struggle it is for children to go through something like that. I was 18 before I had any real perspective on the situation and could deal with the pain and guilt that I carried for 6 years. You either get this movie, or you don't. You got it and so did I. :)

[–] misty-63 12 years ago

I agree. My heart ached for this boy through the whole movie. He lost his dad, obviously his best friend in the whole world, the only one who related to him, and he's a kid. Not only did he lose his dad but he lost him in one of the most horrific events ever and he had to listen to it happen. Talk about traumatizing! He was 9, he didn't know how to deal with his immense pain, hence a lot of the things we saw, the tambourine, the pinching, hiding, etc.

[–] Public-Enemy-01 11 years ago

You said precisely what i was thinking in a nutshell. Thank you. I of course agree with everything you said.

"I believe what ever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...stranger" The Joker

[–] araluen 11 years ago

Aqua1a really nailed it with this explanation. My partner was struggling with it at first until I said he has aspergers, then it all made sense. I think it was cleverly done and really explained that poor kids emotions. People do mistake them for being brats or just precocious but they struggle on such a day to day basis with all those social interactions we take for granted. His lack of Theory of Mind and empathy all around is a perfect example. Very clever in my opinion.
Very much like the character from "The Curious incident of the dog in the Night-time"

[–] fluffchop 10 years ago

You're such a giant uterus.

[–] ausfi 8 years ago

Thank you, aqua1a, of understanding. Beautiful explanation.

[–] info-996-828544 8 years ago

Perhaps I am showing my ignorance here, but how many of us actually understand what Aspergers Syndrome really is? Most US movies and shows are "dumbed down" and the writers tend to assume that the audience has the IQ of a gold-fish, hence the device of making a script where it is assumed that the audience doesn't know. Normally, this would be something along the lines of the child misbehaving and the mother explains, that he has AS, to which the offended party replies, "Ashphalters? What's that"? Mum explains, and now we start to understand his behaviour.

Personally, I only first heard of it about 10 years ago. I understood it to be an Autism Spectrum affliction. A couple of years ago, I caught up with a friend that I had not seen for 30 years, and he had in that time, married and had three daughters who I met several times. On my first meeting with them, I thought they were a bit "odd", but put this down to my being a stranger, but each time I met them, they always seemed the same. It was only after several months that my friend told me all three had AS.

Not a criticism of your post, but I can understand that even if the OP and others had heard that he had AS, I am not sure that most people would have understood that his "unlikeabilty" was beyond his control. I am not usually in favour of plot devices that dumb down, because they tend to insult the intelligence of the audience, but it would have been excusable here.

And on the subject of medical ignorance, I was once rushed to the emergency room of the local hospital, where I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis. Though I was in a bit of pain, I started laughing uncontrollably at the Doc's diagnosis. When I calmed down, I explained that I was laughing because the only time I had heard the word before was from a surreal Brit comedian, Spike Milligan, and he was famous for inventing names of supposed illnesses. My laughter was because I never knew there was such an illness, and I thought it was another of his inventions. None of my family had heard the word either and we called it Milligan's Disease among ourselves. A couple of years later, I get a phone call from my brother who has been taken into hospital, and his first words to me were, "I've got that Milligan's Disease!

I know that last para was off point, but then again, maybe not, because it demonstrates how easy it is to be ignorant of medical conditions.

[–] kieronpconnolly 8 years ago

Ireland. 3am - have just finished watching this magnificent movie, and the magnificent performance by the lead actor. Stunning.

[–] sunchick116-872-583383 7 years ago

It's kind of amazing how much time people will spend in justifying unacceptable behavior. I'm disabled. The kid was still an obnoxious brat, aspergers or no aspergers.

[–] moonmarvin 8 years ago

Yes I know, did you understand that he had Aspergers?

It also possible that he was highly sensitive as there are some overlaps between high sensitivity and autism as described here: http://hsperson.com/faq/hs-or-asd/.

I think Oskar is in touch with his emotions, he knows to talk about them, he is able to look other people in the eye and he understands their emotions. He seems to need some time to process the information. That might be due to him being in a fragile emotional state after he has lost his father plus him being overwhelmed by so many signals all around him. He is very intelligent and he analyses everything in great depth. He seems to feel very deeply and detailed. He is aware of so many things at the same time. He is curious.

Besides Oskar being a genius, he seems to me more like a normal person, unlike the character of Rizvan Khan in My Name is Khan (2010), who is a man with Asperger's syndrome. Khan doesn't connect emotionally with others, he takes metaphors literally and he is always brutally honest. Although Oskar explains a lot and tends to be brutally honest, his explanations match what others are signaling. I have the impression that he just wants to help others like The Renter so he tells them truths, because the truth sets free. He doesn't hesitate to speak out his mind, because that's what he was trained at home.

And frankly, even average, sane, experienced people aren't always in touch with their emotions and the emotions of others. Plus there are always new situations in which someone has to decide how to act and in an extreme situation and difficult relations like the one between Oskar and The Renter it is hard to always act nice and appropriate. Some people are so special, that if you want to communicate with them you're forced to maneuver in the dark. Sometimes you wreck the ship in the process.

Or take the situation when Oskar meets Abby Black for the first time. He so needs to know that he can't leave her alone. At first he is purely egoistic, then he overcomes himself. He respects boundaries like when he wants to kiss Abby and she rejects him.

Since he's far further developed at least than everyone in his age range he inevitably will always be the "odd" one and the superior one for many when they can't understand him. A feeling of being inferior can be annoying in a society which tends to devalue people when they're not winners, number ones, alphas, superiors. It's not Oskar's fault.

I don't see him as being negative-minded, he has difficulties to understand that there is a limit to his understanding of life. Everything has to make sense for him, and it makes him mad that not everything makes sense.

[–] Samuraibro 8 years ago

Can you not? People don't HAVE to like or sympathize with a character's actions and behaviors just because they have something wrong with them.

[–] ender342 11 years ago

I cannot comment on the callousness of your arse but that of your heart is plain for all to see.

Oskar was a boy who lost his idol and his best friend in one awful morning, a boy whose condition prevented him from expressing his grief in ways we would recognize as normal but who could devote himself in a semi-maniacal quest to fulfil what he saw as the last task his beloved father had set for him -- and who (we learn only at the end) was tormented by the knowledge that he had been too paralyzed to respond to his father's desperate attempt to say farewell. His burden of guilt and sadness would have driven many an adult to suicide but he
chose to carry it alone and in secret. He is as admirable a juvenile character as any I have seen in film.

Oh, and Thomas Horn portrayed Oskar with incredible acuity and sensitivity.
He, not Max von Sydow, should have been the actor nominated for an award.

[–] pinkfreak60 10 years ago

Yes! I am shocked to come on here and see all of the negative comments about this child saying that he is a brat, disrespectful, rude, etc, when he has asperger's syndrome. People cannot understand the movie or the character if they don't know he has asperger's and I'm so surprised that so many people didn't know because he said he had asperger's syndrome in the beginning of the movie! Why watch a movie if you're not going to pay attention.

[–] Razzbar 12 years ago

Could you please keep the personal messages to your friend private? The forum is intended for discussion of movies, not each other.

[–] Public-Enemy-01 11 years ago

Wow someones been drinking the Haterade. Can't think of anything intelligent to say, so you troll on someone whose complimenting the spot-on post of someone else?

How pathetic...

"I believe what ever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...stranger" The Joker

[–] kemp444 12 years ago

"I guess you just either have the ability to feel empathy or you don't"

That's one of the stupidest comments I've read on IMDB. And we all know IMDB is not exactly a rendezvous for geniuses...

"I'm gona put that blind man on a wheel chair!"

[–] Wonka2009 11 years ago

"IMDB is not exactly a rendezvous for geniuses"

Well, fancy meeting you here

[–] pupici_yo 12 years ago

you didn't get it....the movie was beautifull, the boy played his role touching and sensitive...i loved it all...maybe you didn't understand the boy's personality problems...or this is not you type of movie.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] KatzMeowz 11 years ago

Heh...you can completely understand and even relate to many of the traits exhibited by the character yet still not think they were portrayed well or that the movie was, overall, very good.

BTW, you can also "hate" a movie character and not be a "monster"!

[–] mickeyagrawal2001 11 years ago

I agree with you...some of the critics reviews I read were spot on, pinpointing the this thing to director.

[–] jaccowacco7 12 years ago

To imdbsbiggesttroll'
i probably should have been more clear but the characters you have mentioned are villains apart from aaron eckhart who i'm not sure about because i haven't seen the film. they are villains placed in the film as catalysts. they are there to create a problem and a plot for the story that generically the hero is trying to resolve. This boy despite his illness is meant to be the one we route for but he talks to everyone like their garbage. his unlikeability is so large because we are watching him 100% of the time. and a 4 person list. that's some list to prove my theory wrong.
so yeah, you're obviously about 4 years old and can't bare it when someone doesn't share your opinion

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] shurbanm 12 years ago

Why you have to explain that to him? This is prime candidate for ignoring.

[–] rtzfan 12 years ago

I didn't exactly like Oskar the first I saw the movie. Each time I've seen it afterward though I really felt bad for him and actually liked the character. Watching his self-harm and when he destroys all his expedition stuff after he finds out the key wasn't meant for him, I couldn't help but think about all the stress and frustration built up inside of him that he couldn't express due to his disability.

[–] mirockemsockem 12 years ago

I was wondering the same thing. My close friend recommended this movie, said it was a must see but just about after 30 minutes into it I wanted nothing more then to see Oscar killed by a hobo or his mom, choke on my pop corn in ecstatic surprise, and subsequently walk out of the theatre happily as the credits rolled.

Seriously, what the *beep* is wrong with this Oscar character? Cowardly, effeminate, annoying, rude, awkward, and worst of all put down the god damn tambourine!

But... the ending is ... unbelievably, able to make up for the first 45+ minutes.

[–] jaccowacco7 12 years ago

haahaa. you say what we all think. i thought the ending was as pathetic as the rest of the film i'm afraid

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] mirockemsockem 12 years ago

Hehe thank you, I'm glad we're all on the same page here on this one. In regards to the ending, agreed. Should have cut and rolled credits as soon as the little bastard found the note under the swing and read it. I pretty much had running shoes on in a kneeled sprinters stance just WAITING for those worthless credits to roll.

If this movie so much as gets anything more than a dull roar of BOOOs at the mention of its nomination during the Oscars I'm turning to my ill-trusted friend who recommended this crapcoaster of a ride and backhanding her with a god damn tambourine.

[–] Public-Enemy-01 11 years ago

I guess you had trouble understanding the movie, character or story then?

Oh well judging from the non-sense you've just wrote, i guess you went in way over your head, when you went to watch this beautiful movie. which required you to have an open-mind for 2 hours...

"I believe what ever doesn't kill you, simply makes you...stranger" The Joker

[–] Allswell007 12 years ago

The character Steve Carell played in Dinner for Schmucks is WAY more unlikeable.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] sbparker00 12 years ago

I pray no one in your family ever has Asperger's Syndrome. You'll never be able to handle it. You just described a typical Asperger's Syndrome. Consider yourself blessed by God that you don't have to deal with it.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] sbparker00 12 years ago

not even worth responding to.

[–] mirockemsockem 12 years ago

I was praying you wouldn't lol.

[–] sbparker00 12 years ago

doubt you pray or you would listed abortion.

[–] mirockemsockem 12 years ago

I was being sarcastic, I'm very much Agnostic. But for your information, your "God" endorses eugenics and abortion in Genesis, though in much crueler ways then we now perform it. Oscar would have been BBQ baby a thousand years ago, or certainly would have at least had the *beep* kicked out of him daily in his community for his behavior.

"Tamar thy daughter in law hath played the harlot; and also, behold, she is with child by whoredom. And Judah said, Bring her forth, and let her be burnt." -Genesis 38:24

[–] Arsenal123 12 years ago

i guess most of you dont know what aspergers is he finds things difficult which most people take for granted thatdoes NOT mean he's a brat, hes lost his dad for god sake, i had a friend who had aspergers on the outside he appeared ruse and selfish and'brattish' but if you took the time to get to know he was a very nice boy, people like the op just 'judge a book by its cover''

[–] Allswell007 12 years ago

And yet you did!

[–] ripleylives 11 years ago

Yes, my son was recently diagnosed with Asperger's. Unfortunately, while speaking with the doctor, I mentioned that I found the character of Oskar in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" to be extremely irritating and incredibly obnoxious. The state immediately took my son away because I was an unfit father.

[–] cookiela2001 12 years ago

<< worst of all put down the god damn tambourine! >>

G-damn it...for all we know he grows up to be an important musician! Don't you take that away from him, you monster ! ! !

(Actually, maybe that would be the sequel. Oskar just standing in a band, going "shake tap shake" with his tamborine for 2 hours...?)

[–] csenterprise 9 years ago

so funny, i stopped the film and started reading these comments at exactly the 30 min. mark.
really hard to watch.

[–] IngmarKubrick 12 years ago

You seem to have left out a few parts of your post:

- why this character is a "monster"
- why he is "horrible"
- why he is "impossible to relate to"

I really don't get it. There are numerous posts about disliking this character. Why?

[–] futuremoviewriter 12 years ago

he's not without his moments, but he's a bit of a mental case which takes away some of our sympathy.

[–] jaccowacco7 12 years ago

Although his condition is depicted very accurately at first, this is ruined when he runs round new york city on his own. a boy with this condition would never do that in a million years. the film depicts him as a horrible monster when they didn't need to. a good way to describe it is by comparing him to the main character in shame played by michael fassbender and robert de niro in raging bull. two incredibly flawed and incredibly unlikeable characters but you still can't help caring for them and routing for them. probably due to the acting. this didn't do that and tried to force us to like oscar. how can we when he speaks to everyone in such a nasty way. Like a lot of screenwriters say, sometimes its the silences that are most affective. Oscar is nattering on 100% of the time making horrible annoying comments. i have proven above that it is possible to make a moving film out of an unlikeable lead character

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] Mithol 12 years ago

Speak for yourself.

[–] whizboy3501 12 years ago

I am a doctor, I have met people with Asperger's syndrome, this is the not the way they are.

I usually sympathize with such people, but the guy Oscar, I hated him from the moment he didn't pick the phone.

If in fact he had Aspergers, his father is responsible for making it even worse and encouraging his rudeness and his lack of a social understanding. Children with special needs need to be taught, not spoilt.

I hate this movie, and that kid ruined it for me.

[–] rtzfan 12 years ago

So I guess you must have liked Oskar through most of the movie then. We didn't know he didn't pick up the phone until toward the end of the movie. At least you were able to like him through about 85% of the movie. If you watch the movie again you'll probably like him through the whole thing.

[–] geoweo 12 years ago

If you were a doctor then you would know that not everyone in the autism SPECTRUM acts the same, especially when other disorders are added into it. It's looking like the only one who needs to be taught here are people like you. The grieving process is difficult enough without having to deal with any other problems. You should all be ashamed of yourselves, but you probably don't have the capability for it.

[–] musicblind 12 years ago

This person is probably a doctor in a small town, somewhere in the south, or doesn't specialize in special needs children.

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." - C.S.Lewis

[–] taniaaust1 11 years ago

I have Aspergers myself.. offical diagnoses by two Autism/Aspergers specialists and I can say Im very much like Oscar.

I didnt get my Aspergers diagnoses till I was in my 40s as "doctors" who werent specialists (I saw over 30 ordinary doctors) were missing it and blaming me for my behaviour, meltdowns and so many other things I didnt myself understand.

Many doctors dont realise the "range" of those on the spectrum and the different ways we can present. Asperger people often dont even know when they are being rude (unless they are told and even then may not distinguish one example of rudeness from another one).
..........

I didnt hate the character at all, I felt a lot of sympathy for him as I understood so much about him and his drive to achieve his "special interest".. finding the lock for that key no matter what he had to go throu to achieve it. His actions were quite Aspergers.

[–] moniquemark 12 years ago

Well that was the point. Not everyone with AS acts the same. There was a girl who was on Top Model who had it and she was able to do lots of stuff but she did get overwhealmed when she had to go on Go-sees. That's why he had to go with the tambourine...to keep himself calm. His fixation of finding what the key opened helped him get over the fear of everything. That's why the father created the mystery of 6th borough, to force him to do things he wouldn't normally do. And even in death the father (though he didn't know) left him a mystery to help him face the world and get over his death.

I agree that the character was annoying and I felt so bad when he told his mother he wished she had died but that's how people with AS act sometimes. They're are not likeable sometimes. Have you ever seen the movie called Adam with Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy... his character was actually worse.

But you have to understand they don't think like everyone else.

BTW, I don't understand why people are upset about the book being set druing 9/11 and post 9/11. The beauty about books is that they tell stories about people's experiences and many people experienced lots of emotions during that period. Why is it offensive to tell a story about an experience. The way writers think is that they look at someone and give them a story or look at a situation and plug characters in that situation and see how they react. Why is that a problem. Unless you want to read a book about nothing that means anything to anyone...

[–] IngmarKubrick 12 years ago

"Horrible monster." Horrible . . . monster.

And the reasons you've cited for this are:

- speaks to everyone in a nasty way
- talks nonstop w/ annoying comments
- runs around NYC on his own

Really? Do you know what monstrosity means? As for his condition, I guess you mean Asperger's, to which only one line in the film alludes to this, and I actually don't think this line is saying he has Asperger's. I think it is just pointing to his overall personality, which is extremely logical.

As for everyone referring to him as "unlikable," and referencing "our sympathy," I have to say that likability is incredibly subjective, and a given audience member will like and/or dislike a character based on a variety of reasons, many that have to do with the traits that he likes/dislikes in himself, whether consciously or unconsciously. I personally liked this character. I also liked Jake LaMotta. Both are flawed, but that's one reason why they are good characters.

A bad character, to me, is someone that is portrayed all wrong. It's interesting that you (and others) think the filmmaker tried to force us to like this character. I actually think that's a good reason to call Oskar a bad character, if you do in fact believe it, of which I really don't. That is the way I felt about Lisbeth Salander, though, who seemed at all moments to be a character who the filmmakers wanted us to think was oh-so-unique, and oh-so-badass, and she just grated on me.

My personal opinion is that many people get uncomfortable when the ugly sides of characters are portrayed. And that many people (again, not all) would prefer a character's flaw/dark side to be something more easily rationalized, such as anger that we deem justified.

I don't know. I just always hear someone say they dislike a movie because they dislike the main character, and I complete understand this (as with the aforementioned Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), but I also think it's a someone weak reasoning.

[–] jaccowacco7 12 years ago

we should just agree to disagree as i dislike oscar for the same reason you dislike lizabeth sallander.

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] Mithol 12 years ago

I liked this movie a lot. The beginning was a bit grating because of the kid, but after a little while I began to sympathise with him *because* of his inability to relate to anyone. All the "annoying" traits you listed are quite common in people with Asperger's syndrome. I at least thought it was an interesting and brave path to take for the film makers to go ahead with such a "different" type of main character. His struggles and his inability to make sense out of the situation were heartbreaking and reminded me of my experience with people who have Asperger's syndrome.

A movie like War Horse, on the hand hand, I did not enjoy at all. I found the characters all to be wooden and impossible to relate to, not because of who they were but because of how badly they were written. Some people actually really like that movie though. So it's amazing how much people's opinions differ.

[–] estrella-estrada 12 years ago

Does every main character in a movie has to be loved, liked and understood? Really Do you live in a hollywood world where the good are perfect and the bad are horrible, dislikeable people??
Thats a white and black world that movies should've left behind long ago, but becouse of people like you they still make *beep* plots with *beep* characters.
Just turn to Dostoyevsky, Did you liked Rodion Romanovich in Crime and punishment; Byron Bunch in Light in August (Faulkner) or any character on Dennis Jhonnson's storys?? or Roul Duke or Dr Gonzo in Fear and loathing in las Vegas or ANY other character in H. S Thompson?? I'll just stop there.
I just got pissed off by this comment

[–] jaccowacco7 12 years ago

calm down. you are completely exagerrating what i'm saying. on a previous post i have said that michael fassbender in shame, robert de niro in raging bull and peter mullan in tyrannosaur are extremely unlikeable characters and flawed people. you are compelled to watch them however because of their exceptional acting and the way their story is told. Oscar was incredibly annoying... ok he has aspergers but therefore that was a mistake in the film of having him constantly talking because it distracted us from a possibly moving story of this boys life. they then tried to force us into liking him by giving him corny dialogue so we'd immediatley fall in love with him. Somehow i don't think hollywood make films based on my opinion and i don't know any of the stuff you listed and to answer your second sentence, i generally hate those films where the good are perfect and the bad are horrible, which is why i also disliked films such as the help and avatar. i didn't mean for this comment to offend you so much.

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] dsjensenn 12 years ago

Oskar is a boy with developmental issues. He mentions that he was tested for Asperger's syndrome. Oskar had a hard time speaking with and making new connections with other people. That is why his father invented the "Expedition" game so that Oskar would have to learn how to introduce himself and speak with people. He is impulsive, short tempered, rash at times, but incredibly brilliant. You completely missed the point of the photo of the person falling from the Twin Towers. Oskar thinks it was his father, he even imagines he can see the glasses on his face, but there is no way to sharpen the image enough to be sure. Oskar's line, "I guess every son that day thought it was his father," or something close to that, was incredibly deep. Ultimately in his death his father forced Oskar to face his short comings, creating the ultimate "Expedition" game that finally forced Oskar to face his fear, guilt and grief over his father's death the fact that he was too scared to pick up the phone on the last phone call. You are judging Oskar by his cover/personality, not by what is revealed inside.

[–] jaccowacco7 12 years ago

i thought the photo bit was good. i'm talking about the flashing image the boy has during one of his breakdowns of tom hanks literally falling with a background explosion which was ridiculous. everyone is miss interpreting this. i found the boy incredibly annoying and unbearable to watch 2 hours of him because the film makers approach to the character was too full on. i'm not having a go at people with aspergers disease. in my opinion the subject was tackled in a very corny cliche way.

"It's the Law"
"Then the Laws Crazy!"

[–] Meansnow 12 years ago

I love this film and I love the character of this boy. This is a film about a boy who made a mistake and tried very hard to atone. Much like the little girl in Atonement. They were both portraited realistically as human being although they were fictional. Human beings make mistakes, big or small, throughout life. They might make wrong decisions, choose wrong actions because they were nervous or being caught in critical moments to react/respond. Totally logical to me, maybe not to some of you.
This film has a very interesting story to tell and it's told brilliant and beautifully. And the directing + the acting skill of the cast is wonderful.
Btw, this is NOT a Disney movie.

[–] patrick_bateman_90029 10 years ago

Briony was the devil compared to Oscar.

At least Oscar, a character I still found unlikable, sickness or not, didn't get someone arrested for trumped up rape charges out of jealousy, get him killed in the war, and then cause a sister to die as well because she refused to be involved with a family that believed her monster to be a lover and then have the gall to say she gave them their happiness when all she really did was make their lives hell.

[–] LoVMeImGorgous 12 years ago

Asperger's is NOT AN EXCUSE to act like a little douche bag this kid was a BRAT! I HATE HATE HATE when people use disabilities as an excuse for thier actions.. This child was an ignorant little monster yes I relaise this was just a movie (and not a very good one at that, not horrible but not good) but I see this ALL THE TIME "Oh well he has developmental issues she's this he's that blah blah blah... STOP TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO HIDE BEHIND THIER DISABILITY! What's going to happen when a child like this gets out in the REAL WORLD and comments a CRIME like RAPE or something is he going to be pardoned because he's develop mentally delayed seriously that's a *beep* up view and a horrible point if it walks like a BRAT and quacks like a BRAT it's a BRAT

[–] Allswell007 12 years ago

I have to admit that I wished I had the fast forward button available while I was in the seats watchingthis one. The kid does cross over in to annoying land A LOT.