While many films focus on a single main character, there have been many other major releases that have multiple protagonists. Whether it's duos with dual lead roles or an ensemble film filled with endless character introductions and bite-sized snippets, this variety in filmmaking makes for incredibly immersive viewing and allows for a type of storytelling that isn't possible when focusing solely on one. main character. In some cases, it can be difficult for viewers to agree on who the main character is, as each cast member adds something vital to the narrative.
Many of the best films ever made featured multiple main characters and had a broad focus on several different subplots. There are many incredible directors, like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson, who have excelled at making great films that feature many main characters, each complementing and informing the other. While films focused on a single character have their place, the variety of films with multiple main characters can often feel like a welcome change of pace.
10
Frozen (2013)
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
In essence, Frozen is a story about sisters and fittingly has two main characters, Elsa and Anna. Although Elsa's snow powers drive much of the plot of Frozenaudiences spend much more time following Anna's journey to track down her sister after she accidentally traps her kingdom in eternal winter with her icy powers. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1844 fairy tale “The Snow Queen.” Frozen was a huge success for Disney, becoming a global phenomenon and one of the most popular children's films of all time.
With themes around the importance of family and accepting people as they are, Frozen Dual lead roles added to the resonance of their story, as each brother had what the other lacked. While Elsa felt overwhelmed by her responsibilities as heir to the throne in the Kingdom of Arendelle, Anna always felt cast in her sister's shadow. The success of Frozen it was also due to its impressive roster of supporting characters, with the magical snowman Olaf acting as an important piece of comic relief in this thematically rich children's film.
9
True Love (2003)
Directed by Richard Curtis
The beloved Christmas romantic comedy True love it had no clear main character and was led by a cast of predominantly British actors. With ten separate stories that represented different aspects of love, the varied nature of True love it was part of what made it an enduring, modern classic and an annual viewing for countless people around the world. While everyone will have a different view on what their favorite subplot is True love andthe way the film alternates between different interconnected love stories helps inform and enrich each other.
Although some harsh realities must be faced when rewatching True lovelike the dubious power imbalances in the British Prime Minister's love story or the ethical gray area of Colin Firth's character who falls in love with his Portuguese housekeeper, this hasn't stopped the film from occupying a special place in viewers' hearts. With equal parts humor and heart, True love it struck the perfect balance as each character added something important to its timeless appeal.
8
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Of Reservoir Dogs to The Hateful EightDirector Quentin Tarantino has always embraced films that don't have a clear main character and lean more towards an ensemble style. This was certainly the case in his great success, pulp Fictionwhich gave equal status to names like John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman. With a non-chronological narrative that told three interrelated stories, the unique structure of pulp Fiction lent itself well to having multiple main characters.
This unconventional style was part of the reason Tarantino was such an exciting new voice in Hollywood when pulp Fiction was released. With the ability to write well-realized three-dimensional characters, even those who were only on screen for a few minutes total still left an important mark on the film. pulp Fiction It has rightfully earned its reputation as a classic of the 1990sand the fact that it was filled with so many memorable characters was part of the reason it became so acclaimed.
7
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Directed by John Hughes
The best teen films often feature multiple main characters, which is necessary to capture the diverse identities and complexities that make up young people's social structures. This was perfectly captured in The Breakfast Cluba film with five main characters that saw a rebel, an outcast, a nerd, a princess and a jock forced into detention together on one fateful Saturday. The disparate nature each character's personality was part of the reason The Breakfast Club it worked so wellas these people who would never interact with each other were forced to find common ground while holding together in collective punishment.
The Breakfast Club was made up of members of the Brat Pack, a group of actors known for their coming-of-age films during the 1980s. As arguably the best Brat Pack film of all, The Breakfast Club it represented both the alienation of youth and the human desire to belong that informs the socially awkward and sometimes mortifying experience of being a teenager. With no clear main character, each member of the Breakfast Club was as vital as the next.
6
The Departed (2006)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
After decades of extraordinary filmmaking, Martin Scorsese finally won the Academy's nod with his Best Picture and Best Director triumphs, Those who left. This gripping story about a corrupt FBI agent working for the mob and an undercover mole infiltrating the criminal underworld was viewed with trepidation, as each was always just an inch away from discovering the other's true intentions. With Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan and Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan, Those who left it was a true two-hander, where both characters were equally important.
Like a loose remake of the Hong Kong action film Infernal Affairs and taking inspiration from the real-life Boston Winter Hill gang, Those who left was a deep and complex detective epic that explored the true nature of loyalty. It wasn't just DiCaprio and Damon who made this film a successas The deceased The supporting cast included the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone and Jack Nicholson, in perhaps his greatest late-career role as ruthless real-life crime boss Frank Costello.
5
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
The original Ocean's Eleven 1960 reunited Rat Pack legends Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. For Steven Soderbergh's remake to have any kind of impact, it needed to live up to the same level of celebrity and give viewers a cast like they've never seen before. had seen. This was certainly achieved with the casting of megastars like George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts all sharing the screen together.
Ocean's Eleven was a true heist story directed by an ensemble where each audience member saw a different star, and each character added something important to the film's style and appeal. As a critically praised box office success Ocean's Eleven It started with a great cast and continued to get everything right. This was the perfect example of an effective heist movie with a bloated cast, as it embraced the ridiculousness of its concept to focus on its cool aesthetic and fun atmosphere.
4
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Directed by Wes Anderson
As Wes Anderson's filmmaking style has developed over the past few decades, he has shifted his focus from singular stories that explore a main character to ensemble films where the protagonist is not so certain. This was perhaps best summarized by The Grand Budapest Hotela gripping comedy-drama set in a famous 20th century mountain resort concierge in the fictional Eastern European country of Zubrowka.
Anderson has acquired a roster of actors over the years who were consistently cast in their films, which meant The Grand Budapest Hotel it featured everyone from Bill Murray to Willem Dafoe. The random and erratic nature of life at this hotel made for exciting viewing as the audience met all of the staff, residents and eccentric characters who entered the building. Anderson continued his ensemble filmmaking style in his later films, as was also the case in releases such as The French dispatch and Asteroid City.
3
Heat (1995)
Directed by Michael Mann
When a director manages to unite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, it is essential that he is in a film with several main characters. Like true titans of cinema, watching Pacino and De Niro share the screen in Michael Mann's film Warm up made for amazing viewing and rightfully became a true classic of the 1990s. With Pacino as a police detective striving to take down the career criminal played by De Niro, this intense game of cat and mouse was one of the most influential and hard-hitting crime films ever made.
Pacino's Lieutenant Vincent Hanna and De Niro's Neil McCauley had equal importance in the Warm upbut the iconic face-to-face meeting scene in the cafe was the film's most urgent. Like two actors who transformed cinema, Warm up it was the first time the duo shared the screen and fulfilled the film fan fantasy that viewers had been asking for since The Godfather Part II. Although it is not yet known whether the announced Warm up the sequel may live up to the legacy of the original, this was one of the best examples of a film with multiple main characters.
2
The Avengers (2012)
Directed by Joss Whedon
The Avengers it was the culmination of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far and was a superhero movie packed with main characters. As Iron Man, Hulk, Thor and Captain America already had their own feature films at the time The Avengers was released, it looked like a true cinematic event with a cast absolutely packed with A-list actors. As the first Marvel production to generate a billion dollars in ticket sales, it's hard to underestimate how impactful The Avengers it really was.
Part of the appeal of The Avengers was that each main character already had their moment in the spotlight and had enough time to shine with their own origin story. This meant that the public arrived The Avengers with an understanding of all of their motivations and personalities, which made watching them interact with each other all the more fascinating. While the excitement of several major MCU characters isn't as pressing today, The Avengers deserves praise for successfully combining these cinematic landscapes.
1
Perverse (2024)
Directed by Jon M. Chu
The power of surprising musical fantasy Evil It was due to the chemistry between Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland. Both performances were equally important, as this Wizard of Oz prequel, based on the Broadway show of the same name, was a true two-hander. With Erivo as the misunderstood green-skinned woman who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West and Grande as the ambitious young student who transforms into Glinda the Good, watching these characters' relationships develop was the heart of the musical.
Evil it perfectly captured the appeal of the original show and was just the first part of a two-part adaptation. Although they both boast enormous personalities, one of the most impressive aspects of their Evil it was that neither Elphaba nor Galinda overshadowed the other, as their characters informed and uplifted the other. As viewers held back tears to the climactic anthem of “Defying Gravity” as the credits rolled EvilIt was clear that Elphaba and Glinda's compelling main character arcs were just beginning.