5 Movie Protagonists You Didn't Want To Root For

4. Mark Zuckerberg - The Social Network (2010)

Here is a high profile movie and character (and no, I have nothing against the name Mark€”I swear this is just coincidence). Surely most of you are familiar with the tale of Mark Zuckerberg and the origins of Facebook. If not, let me just say it includes some broken hearts, some backstabbing, and a good deal of money. Self-disclosure time: I am personally not a big fan of social media and feel like Facebook is proving more cancerous than beneficial in our society and so went into my viewing of The Social Network wanting to not like Zuckerberg and his creation. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. There is no denying that Zuckerberg has some impressive qualities and intelligence, but it would also be hard to argue that he doesn€™t also possess some less admirable traits (at least in his film depiction). He is egotistical, greedy, self-centered, and not particularly loyal. Are those the qualities we normally look for in a leading man? The Social Network is certainly excellent filmmaking with wonderful performances and an Oscar winning script but it is also a distinct film going experience. Ultimately, despite some frontrunner status, The Social Network lost to The King€™s Speech in the Best Picture Academy Award race. I wonder how much of that result can be chalked up to the fact that in all the traditional ways, The King€™s Speech is a more rewarding cinematic experience. Colin Firth€™s George VI is someone we can sympathize with and fully support has he battles to overcome obstacles. By contrast, Mark Zuckerberg has to overcome his friends in an effort to become one of the richest and most influential people in America. It€™s almost cathartic for the audience that by the end of the film Erica Albright still hasn€™t friended Zuckerberg.