How Do You Know a Character in a Film is a Villain?
Liberal sucker punch alert: in the 1960s and ’70s, the bad guy was typically reading the Wall Street Journal. (QED: Robert Vaughn in Steve McQueen’s Bullitt, McQueen himself in the brilliant original Thomas Crown Affair.) Today, baddies read…The Weekly Standard?
Teddy (played by Kirby Heyborne) and his wife, Lydia (Sofia Vergara), are sharing some quality time in bed. Quality time with THE WEEKLY STANDARD, that is. The character played by Modern Family star Vergara, who just happens to have one child, is reading the issue whose cover features senior writer Jonathan V. Last’s piece on “America’s One-Child Policy.” (Perhaps her next film will have her reading Last’s upcoming book on fertility and demographics, What to Expect When No One’s Expecting.)
Sofia Vergara’s character is the villainess of the film. But I should mention (as if I have to) that the curvaceous Colombian actress is too beautiful to hate — even if she does want Moe, Larry, and Curly to kill her rich husband.
But what would Annie Hall say?
Easy.
In order of villainy: White male father figure; Republican white male; Republican white female; defense contractor; retired military; law enforcement (except witty, rebellious detectives of color); business owner required to offer health care; single family dwelling home owner; SUV driver.
Great list! Squeeze in Southern and Christian as well (bonus if the character is both!). Also, they’re usually a smoker.
Yup. Don’t forget all those pitiful redneck epigones of Robert E. Lee Ewell whose villainy has populated every movie from Deliverance to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
My favorite in this vein was a detective novel I read some years ago. It was the only book by this author I’ve ever read (you’ll see why below) and I can’t be certain who the author was, so I won’t say. Anyway, the protagonist has been tasked with reopening a murder that happened several years ago and was never solved, and he’s going around meeting the principals in the case. One of them steps out onto his front porch (it’s the morning, and the guy is about to leave for work) and he’s drinking out of a Rush Limbaugh coffee cup. I can remember saying to myself, “Oh no, it can’t be that simple, can it?!?!”
It was.
In the 80′s, the dead giveaway was a photo of Reagan in the villain’s office. I swear Ron’s picture appeared in more movies after he was elected than the man himself did when he was an actor.