8. Granville Sorter: Miracle on 34th Street
Who: Store Psychiatrist for Macy's and rival to Kris Kringle (Santa Claus)
Why: Being a kiss up and brown-noser, while annoying and deplorable is not altogether too egregious. Most of us have kissed up before and I wouldn't dare begrudge another such a weakness in order that he/she may improve their financial standing. However when a worker abuses their power as well as their fellow employees for the sole reason of self superiority, I get a bit miffed. Dr. Granville Sorter had a made. He had a niche position in a stable and ever growing company and barring a scandal or stock market crash he could expect to keep his position for many years to come. Yet his job security and high position weren't enough for him. He is a nervous, critical, and offensive little man to his coworkers. He especially buts head with Kris, a man who believes himself to be and is Santa Claus. Sorter believes such a man like that has no business working at Macy's and is only fit to inhabit a mental institution. He hounds Kris and tries to break him but Kris is too strong passing all his examinations proving him fit for service in Macy's. However when Sorter sets his sights on Kris' young friend Alfred that Kris cant help but come to the defense of his young friend, even if doing so cost him his job and societal freedom.
Redemption?: Kris dealings with Sorter sets the main action of the film in motion, and brings about the wonderful, tear-jerking conclusion. Thankfully there is no redemption for the sad pitiful Sorter. He loses his job (personally fired by Macy himself) and slinks out of the movie like the miserable little slug that he is. Normally I would be more forgiving, but no one messes with the big guy in red and gets away with it. 7. Lucy: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Who: Lucy Van Pelt is sister to Linus Van Pelt and a cornerstone member of the original Peanuts gang.
Why: Clearly Lucy got the short end of the stick when Shultz was dishing out character traits. Linus is the wise sage. Sally is the hopeless romantic. Schroeder is the sensitive artiste and Peppermint patty is as butch as the day is long. Lucy? Well Lucy is clearly the crab apple of the group. Throughout the history of peanuts she has spun her own particular form of vitriol in the lives of almost every character in the peanuts gang. None more so then Charlie Brown. Charlie may not have had the strongest psyche to begin with, but it was certainly not helped by his dealings with Lucy. Her constant berating of his failings (baseball,spelling, ect) and confusing psycho analysis will probably leave Charlie Brown a mess well into adulthood. If anything he will certainly have a bad back the rest of his life from missing all those field goals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsSXMT0NrB4 Christmas time for the peanuts gang saw her at her worst, being a class A jerk to charlie brown. It all was clearly a sick game to Lucy as she commissions Charlie to direct the school Christmas play, only to undermine his authority distracting and belittling him at every turn.With all the mess Lucy gave Charlie its a miracle that he was able to salvage any sort of a meaningful Christmas at all. Thank God for Linus. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YubVPL1X_AQ
Redemption?: In the end, like most of the Peanuts gang, Lucy tries to make good by charlie brown by helping the Peanuts gang repair his tree and joining in as they sing Charlie a beautiful hymn. Its the least she could do after the way Charlie was treated. Still Lucy was gonna be Lucy, and even when she tries to be nice and complement Charlie Brown she can't help being condescending and mean. "Charlie Brown may be a blockhead, but he did get a good tree". Still, you won't catch me saying anything against Lucy in her presence. She's given me five good reasons not to.