Celebrating cinema’s greatest underdogs, from Scott Pilgrim to Katniss Everdeen

Amy and Molly (Booksmart, 2019)

This one’s for the bookworms, teachers’ pets, overachievers, and gal pals everywhere. Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein are best friends Amy and Molly, who realize on the eve of their high school graduation that they spent all their time studying and getting good grades, and no time living it up. They make a decision to spend that night making up for missing out on four years’ worth of parties, and, naturally, many wild shenanigans ensue. Along the way, they must navigate drugs, crushes, and plenty of humiliation, but their genuine friendship and love for each other is the film’s beating heart. —Lauren Huff

Brendan Frye (Brick, 2005)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt anchors Brick, Rian Johnson’s hard-boiled spin on a high school movie (or maybe his high school spin on a hard-boiled movie) as Brendan Frye, a teenage gumshoe who talks like he walked out of a classic Hollywood noir. Actually, everyone in the movie talks that way, but Brendan is still an outsider, a moody loner who cares more about cracking the case of his missing ex-girlfriend than fitting in at school. Repeatedly getting the snot beat out of him comes with that territory, but no one ever said high school was easy. —Tyler Aquilina

Carrie White (Carrie, 1976)

Underdogs don’t come much more awkward than Carrie White (so memorably played by Sissy Spacek), the timid, tragic heroine of Brian De Palma’s freaky Stephen King adaptation. Terrorized at home by her fanatically religious mother (Piper Laurie) and at school by her cruel classmates, Carrie gets her revenge by wreaking havoc at her prom with her telekinetic abilities…after being drenched in pig blood, that is. Talk about a night to remember. —T.A.

Charlie Kelmeckis (Perks of Being a Wallflower, 2012)

It’s thanks, in part, to the slow, solitary musical melodies that accompany the background of emotional scenes — and the emotional scenes of just about every YA drama these days. But it’s in large part due to Logan Lerman’s performance as Charlie, a troubled boy so used to living on the fringes of high school society who gains the courage to move past his trauma and become known. You just can’t help but root for the guy, even when he’s a balled-up tangled mess of walking anxiety. Which is why the constant refusal of his unrequited crush Sam (Emma Watson) to just freaking love someone who will properly love her back already is so frustrating. If she won’t love Charlie, the rest of us will. —Nick Romano

Christmas Flint (Troop Zero, 2019)

Amazon Prime Video’s sweet film Troop Zero about a young girl named Christmas Flint (Mckenna Grace) — who’s turned away from the local Birdie Scout troop for being different — has an empowering message that is universally relevant. Christmas and her fellow outcast, misfit friends are bullied by mean girls but never let it get to them in their fight for their chance to win the Birdie Scout talent competition, with the winning troop getting to record a message on NASA’s Golden Record, a time-capsule to be launched into space for alien life to learn about Earth.

Christmas is unapologetically herself, from her unbrushed hair to her bright red rain boots to her belief in aliens, and, even though her self-confidence takes a heavy blow at one point, she learns to lean on the power of friendship to get it back. We all could learn a thing or two from Christmas. —Sydney Bucksbaum

Conor Lawlor (Sing Street, 2016)

The story of a boy trying to impress a girl by playing in a band is a familiar one, but Sing Street puts a heartfelt, unique spin on it through the lens of late-’80s Ireland. After being sent to an oppressive new school, outsider Conor Lawlor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) finds refuge in making music with his friends, all with the goal of impressing model Raphina (Lucy Boynton). The experiment ultimately leads Conor to hunger for both a life and love outside the confines of his limited domestic options. Sing Street is about the unifying power of music, and how it can make a rock star out of (and feed the dreams of) the unlikeliest among us. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Gary and Alana (Licorice Pizza, 2021)

Alana (Alana Haim) is 25 years old and still doesn’t know who she is or what she wants. It’s 1973 in Los Angeles, and she tries her best to ward off leering men. That’s why, when she meets an enterprising 15-year-old named Gary (Cooper Hoffman), who seems to know who he is and has a kind disposition, she’s unexpectedly drawn in by him. Their subsequent relationship is messy and hard to define, but by the end of Licorice Pizza, there’s a sense that, after a series of misadventures through L.A., both have changed for the better. —Kevin Jacobsen

Javed Khan (Blinded by the Light, 2019)

Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) lives in Britain in the late-1980s, dreaming of a better life outside the one his Pakistani immigrant parents expect of him. When he discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen, he taps into a language of yearning and restlessness that echoes the longing in his own heart. Determined to pursue a life as a writer, Javed uses the poetry of the Boss to get the girl, the best friend, and a shot at a future he’ll find personally fulfilling. In the midst of racism, xenophobia, and culture clash within his own family, he talks about a dream and tries to make it real. —M.L.L.

Kayla (Eighth Grade, 2018)

Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, Eighth Grade? At its heart is Kayla (Elsie Fisher), a gawky, anxiety-riddled teen obsessed with social media who gives motivational advice on her vlog. It’s through these videos we get a glimpse of who she is, or wants to be, as she deals with mean girls, crushes, and her first encounter with sexual harassment. It’s all horrifyingly real and honest, even for viewers who didn’t come of age in the social media era. Burnham’s script rings true, and Fisher is so perfectly relatable as Kayla that you can’t help but root for her to get through those unbearable, but thankfully fleeting, years and find her place in the world. —L.H.

Katniss Everdeen, (The Hunger Games, 2012)

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) didn’t want to be a hero. She didn’t wake up one morning determined to take down the tyrannical government of Panem that enslaves her country, forces her family to remain in poverty, and created the gladiatorial Hunger Games that only leaves behind trauma and grieving families. But she became a symbol nonetheless with four simple words she uttered when her younger sister was picked to participate in the Games: “I volunteer as tribute.”

It was an instinctual reaction to protect her loved one, and led her to become the Girl on Fire, the Mockingjay, the leader of the rebellion. She also single-handedly made archery the new pop culture craze, thanks to her trusty bow and arrow. —N.R.

Jamal Malik (Slumdog Millionaire, 2008)

Jamal (Dev Patel) is an 18-year-old who had a rough childhood in the slums of Mumbai. All his bad luck could turn around by answering a series of questions on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. On the brink of changing his life with one last question, he is detained and accused of cheating, but, as we see in a series of flashbacks, the traumas of childhood were actually instrumental in his success. Slumdog Millionaire is the story of a humble kid who defeats the odds, taking a gamble and hoping to reunite with his long-lost love in the process. —K.J.

Mia Thermopolis (The Princess Diaries, 2001)

Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a most unlikely princess — a nerdy high schooler just trying to get through the day and not embarrass herself in front of her jock crush, Josh (Erik von Detten). But when she learns that she’s actually the Princess of Genovia, she has to learn the ins and outs of royalty, all while trying to survive high school. Come for Hathaway’s winning breakout performance, stay for the film’s charming blend of comedy, heartfelt family connection, and the ultimate millennial crush, Michael Moscovitz (Robert Schwartzman). —M.L.L.

The Mighty Ducks (The Mighty Ducks, 1992)

Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson), Fulton Reed (Elden Henson), Greg Goldberg (Shaun Weiss), Jesse Hall (Brandon Adams), Lester Averman (Matt Doherty), Connie Moreau (Marguerite Moreau), Guy Germaine (Garette Henson), and the rest of the pee-wee hockey team in The Mighty Ducks weren’t exactly all-star players. And their new coach Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez) wasn’t exactly great with kids — or even a real hockey coach!

But that didn’t stop the Ducks from going on to win their first-ever championship game thanks to their hard work and, most importantly, their heart. Throughout three feel-good movies, the Ducks continue to fly together — both on the ice (in a Flying V) and off — proving that you should never underestimate the underdogs. —Sydney Bucksbaum

Pedro (Napoleon Dynamite, 2004)

The now iconic slogan “Vote For Pedro” that you saw printed on a litany of T-shirts in the mid-2000s started as a simple campaign for high school president. In 2004’s Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro Sanchez (Efren Ramirez) is introduced to us as a hum-drum high school student who just transferred from Juarez, Mexico, to Idaho. He can speak very little English and has very little choice of what friends to have…but he has a sick bike! And a certain allure for the ladies. (Shout out to Deb.) Napoleon (Jon Heder) and Pedro team up to make a name for themselves, and with a little help from a mixtape and Napoleon’s eccentric dance moves during the climactic student assembly, Pedro gets all he ever wanted. And a bag of chips. —Omar Sanchez

Remy and Linguini (Ratatouille, 2007)

Anyone can cook — even a garbage boy with a rat guiding him under his chef’s hat. Alfredo Linguini (Lou Romano) struggles to live up to the expectations of his deceased chef father, at whose restaurant he now works. Messing up a soup in the kitchen, he is startled to see an anthropomorphic rat improving the dish. The rodent introduces himself as Remy (Patton Oswalt), and an unlikely partnership is born. The brilliance of Ratatouille is in how it works as an underdog story on a meta level, too, with moviegoers surprised to be so won over by a seemingly unappetizing premise. —K.J.

Rudy Gerner (Meatballs, 1979)

Underneath all the late-’70s Bill Murray antics and the entirety of Camp North Star chanting “it just doesn’t matter” ahead of their certain yearly defeat in the Olympiad against the rich kids of Camp Mohawk is the heart of Meatballs: loner Rudy Gerner (Chris Makepeace), who quietly demonstrates that showing up every morning and doing the work does matter. Rudy might have started his summer by trying to run away from Camp North Star because he was having trouble fitting in, but by the time everyone needs to pack up and head back to the city, he’s not only the camp hero, he’s planning to come back and see his new friends next summer. —Sarah Sprague

Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 2010)

In the titular bout of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, most people’s money would be on the latter. More specifically, it would be on the seven evil exes Scott (Michael Cera) must defeat to win the heart of Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). But Scott has the power of love on his side (though the power of self-respect would serve him better) and, like many an underdog, relies more on clever trickery than physical prowess to win most of the battles. Don’t underestimate the value of half-and-half, mental concentration, and playing now and loud. —T.A.

Seth and Evan (Superbad, 2007)

This is a pair you just can’t split up. Respectively played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, the brash Seth is the yin to gentle Evan’s yang. While they may think their forlorn pursuit to lose their virginities to their two high school crushes is what would have folks cheering them on, what makes them a pair to root for is their genuine love and support for each other in the end. Sure, it can be definitely seen as codependency, but, given how the characters are based on Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who wrote the first draft of the script when they were teenagers, and are still working with each other today on hit franchises like Neighbors and Sausage Party, it’s a friendship that seems bound to last a lifetime. —Marcus Jones

Tess McGill (Working Girl, 1988)

At the start of Mike Nichols’ ’80s classic, Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith) is just a humble Staten Island secretary looking to prove herself in the big city. By its conclusion, she’s become a shrewd businesswoman, outmaneuvering her boss who stole her proposed idea for a merger. Her transformation also manifests in her changing hairstyle, going from a wild (and very ’80s) mane to a shorter, coiffed bob. —K.J.

Tracy Turnblad and Penelope “Penny” Pingleton (Hairspray, 1988)

Here’s the thing, Tracy Turnblad (Ricki Lake) is not an awkward person. Because she is so comfortable in her own skin as a full-figured gal, people around her become awkward because they just don’t understand her audacity to love herself and be confident in her talent. Her unbothered, persevering attitude is what helps her more gawky best friend, Penelope “Penny” Pingleton (Leslie Ann Powers), become more independent and open-minded, and although the phrase “checkerboard chick” is cringeworthy, the sentiment about treating others with respect and dignity regardless of the social ramifications is something to applaud. —M.J.

Velvet Brown (National Velvet, 1944)

National Velvet features three underdogs, its titular heroine Velvet Brown (Elizabeth Taylor), her horse Pie, and former jockey Mi (Mickey Rooney). This classic tale helped make Taylor a star, giving her a showcase as a young woman who dreams of entering a troublesome horse in England’s Grand National steeplechase. With the help of her supportive mother, Velvet and Mi train the horse for the race, culminating in an exhilarating climax that finds Velvet herself racing Pie. It’s a heartwarming tale of family, animals, and the joys of chasing the most unlikely dreams. —M.L.L.

Zero Moustafa (Grand Budapest Hotel, 2014)

As a refugee with no family, Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori) arrives at the Grand Budapest Hotel in the fictional Nebelsbad of the Republic of Zubrowka as exactly what his name implies: a nobody. No financial or social status to his name. While he begins the 2014 Wes Anderson film as a simple junior lobby boy, Moustafa warms the heart of his mentor, concierge Monsieur Gustave (played by Ralph Fiennes), enough to bind himself in a blood pact that eventually leaves him as the heir to all Gustave’s fortunes. —Omar Sanchez