Thursday, July 31, 2008

ew: 24 smartest tv/movie characters


Entertainment Weekly has created a list the 24 smartest tv/movie characters. There are the obvious (Temperance Brennan from Bones, Dr. House from House, and Will Hunting from, well, you know) but some interesting choices include Adrian Monk (Monk), Doc Emmett Brown (Back to the Future, the ultimate absent-minded professor), and Jamal Wallace (Finding Forrester, such an underrated film).


My favorite on the list: Leonard and Sheldon from Big Bang Theory. I would never be friends with Sheldon in real life -- he's kind of mean -- but conversations with him would be amazing (like his problem with teleportation, for example).

Sadly the gallery lacks many female characters. I think there's 4-5 out of 24. And Gabrielle from High School Musical is one of those. Hmm... what about sensical characters? There's book smarts and then there's street smarts. Intelligence does not necessarily mean Doogie Howser. It could mean Leela from Futurama or Liz Lemon from 30 Rock.

I want to like the list (simply for existing), but I think EW is using a very limiting definition of "intelligent." Who is missing from this list? Would it be cheating if I were to put a real person on the list, like Julia Robert's title role from Erin Brokovich?

2 comments:

Goddessdster said...

That list is complete bonk.

Oh, and in answer to your question in re: Erin Brokovich, they had John Nash on the list.

Kudos for the addition of Jamal and the Lambda Lambda Lambda crew, but I would strike Travolta's character from Phenomenon and stick in Brenda Lee Johnson from The Closer. And that's just for starters off the top of my head.

I do think the writer had problems deciding what intelligence is.

dying alone said...

Yeah, I saw John Nash on the list and thought EW was cheating... but Nash was known for being a mathematical genius, whereas Erin Brokovich really knew how to manipulate language in her favor. So they are intelligent on two different levels, but the fact they're real detracts from the honor of being on the list. Because then it's really, "Who are the smartest people in the world?" rather than representations of intelligence.

I just wanted more females on the list. Really, that's what it comes down to.