Don't we all know at least one person (in real life and on screen) that is amazingly different and wonderfully weird? While they can be oddly entertaining at best and irritatingly annoying at worst, life would be much duller and more boring without these oddballs. And let's face it: aren't we all a little weird?
Thankfully movies and TV have also come to the realization that we need a little weird in our lives. And what great onscreen characters there are! Therefore, on Wonderful Weirdos Day, we now give you our Top 3 oddball characters:
Rina:
3. Edward D. Wood Jr.
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| © Touchstone Pictures | Source: movpins |
Proclaimed to be the worst director of all time, good ol' Ed can be held responsible for cinematic excersises such as Glen or Glenda (1953), Bride of the Monster (1955) or Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), with the latter still being hailed as the most terrible film ever made. Wood Jr. was a cross-dresser with a soft spot for angora, he was a man of endless imagination, passion, drive and ambition, and, alas, no talent in decent filmic storytelling. But who wants decent when weird is so much more fun? To celebrate Wood Jr.'s multiple quirks, feel free to check out Tim Burton's 1994 film Ed Wood with Johnny Depp delivering a remarkable performance in the title role.
2. Lily Frankenstein from Penny Dreadful
As a corpse brought back to life the lovely Lily Frankenstein certainly qualifies as weird. Furthermore, she roams the streets of London using her supernatural physical strength to take revenge on the male sex for abusing and degrading her in her former life as a prostitute. Additionally, she seeks world domination. Weird, yes, you might say, but wonderful? Whatever. I can't help cheering her on whenever Lily questions corsets and high heels or refuses to go by male conventions. She's an independent, free-spirited lady ready to leave a murderous mark. You definitely want to be on her good side.
1. Paris Geller from Gilmore Girls
Paris Geller thinks everyone around her is an idiot. And, let's face it, she's right. There's no one as brutally honest, uncompromisingly goal-orientated and brilliantly smart as she is. Granted that she has the tendency to boss others around, hand out insults to all the people who annoy her (basically everybody) and trample on the emotions of her fellow human beings, Paris never does so without class, wicked humour and an (almost always) good amount of judgement. She has her heart in the right place, is a loyal friend and, despite her weirdness, someone to count on.
Nata Lie:
3. Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story: Coven
First of all, Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story: Coven is NOT on this list because of her peculiar sense of fashion. At least not only. The self-proclaimed “Guardian of veracity in the vernacular,” is not exactly popular amongst her peers and ends up being burned at the stake not once but twice. From the way she speaks and behaves, you’d think she spent most of her time just floating through life (when she isn’t busy playing the theremin at least) and that is probably true, but in case you manage to rouse her wrath – RUN! You don’t really want someone to gouge out your eyes with a melon baller, do you?
2. Donnie Darko
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| © Pandora Cinema | Source: ign |
If it isn’t weird to have an imaginary friend, wearing a creepy bunny costume and telling you the world is about to end, then I don’t know what is. Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhall) starts off as a loner with “authority issues.” Nothing altogether peculiar, but once Frank the Bunny steps into his life, he says goodbye to normality. Following Frank’s advice, Donnie floods the school, burns down a house and experiences auditory and visual hallucinations. But despite all the serious weirdness going on, the movie makes it seem as though being weird is the new cool.
Gretchen: You’re weird.
Donnie: Sorry.
Gretchen: No, that was a compliment actually.
1. The Joker from The Dark Knight
Well, aren’t you surprised now to find Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as The Joker at the top of my list? I guess not. The Joker is such an obvious choice that I’m half ashamed that his wasn’t the first face to pop up in my head when thinking about this ranking.
“Why so serious?” The Joker is an advocate of chaos. He is a maniacal, manipulative, homicidal, psychopathic super villain, who does whatever he wants, whenever he wants, for no reason at all, save for maybe his own amusement. And, despite being the antagonist, the Joker manages to outshine the hero Batman in his own movie. A wonderful weirdo indeed.
Squuls:3. Billy Maddison After the other two have surely brought me some sleepless nights with their supposed wonderful weirdos, my definition of wonderful seems to be slightly different, meaning loveable. Not many people on this side of the year 2000 probably remember or at least watch this 1995 gem, but Billy Maddison is still a good choice for a lazy or hungover Sunday. This (actually not that stupid) idiot wastes away his life drunk and partying and coming up with all sorts of rubbish all off his rich father's money. But things get serious (and silly) when Billy has to step up and go back to school to be able to take over his father's company. Never has there been a 30 year old more in tune with kindergardeners that is a silly trickster without ever being vicious.
2. Kirk from Gilmore GirlsThe definite star of the show! Nobody is as versatile and weird in his occupations and quirks as lovable Kirk. Always kind and eager to please (especially town Selectman Taylor Doose; who could forget the famous Easter egg incident?) this guy pops up at random in almost every episode of Gilmore Girls. His love-hate relationship to diner owner Luke Danes is legendary and Kirk's weirdness sparks some of the oddest, but most hillarious dialogues - and in a show as whitty and talkative as this, that's really saying something! While Kirk displays the kindergardener-in-a-man's-body type most of the time, things become especially cute when he starts to romance Lulu, an equally nice yet less weird town's woman.
1. Phoebe Buffay of FRIENDSSo here she is! My one and only choice for the top spot of Wonderful Weirdos: Phoebe Buffay! Good looks and a cool group of friends don't actually help contain her oddness, but enhance it. Her mother's suicide and being homeless sure have left a tiny mark on Phoebe's psyche, yet she doesn't bring her down. Always with a soft spot for the underdog or weak ones, she's a helpful and active person. Socially conscious songs like "Smelly Cat" or "The Cow in the Meadow", a kids song about slaughter, are unforgettable and even slightly admirable. Still (more often than not) she amuses or annoys her friends with her unique perspective on life and science, like gravity (which doesn't exist). Admirably Phoebe is accepted for who she is unconditionally and in Mike even finds a husband, who urges her to embrace her oddness. We all need a little Phoebe in our lives!
Now that you know all about our Top 3 Wonderful Weirdos, we are curious to know: What are yours? Let us know in the comment section below or drop us a line on one of our social media presences. And finally, embrace the weird in your life!
