While many movies focus on a single main character, there have been so many other great releases that have multiple protagonists. Whether it’stwo-handers with dual lead rolesor anensemble moviepacked with endless character introductions and bit parts, this variety in filmmaking makes for incredibly engaging viewing and allows for a type of storytelling that’s not possible when it’s just focused on one main character. In some cases, it can be difficult for viewers to even agree on who the main character is, as each cast member adds something vital to the narrative.
Many of thebest movies ever madefeatured multiple main characters and had a broad focus across several different subplots. There are plenty ofamazing directors, like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson, who have excelled in making great movies that feature lots of main characters who each complement and inform the other. While single-character-focused films have their place, the variety in movies withmultiple main characters can often feel like a welcome change of pace.
Frozen
Cast
Frozen, released in 2013, follows young princess Anna of Arendelle on a perilous quest to halt an eternal winter cast by her sister, Elsa. Joined by Kristoff, his reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf, Anna navigates themes of friendship, courage, family, and love in her journey.
At its core,Frozenis a story about sisters and appropriately has two main characters, Elsa and Anna. Although Elsa’s snow powers drive much of the plot ofFrozen, audiences spend much more time following Anna’s journey to track down her sister after she accidentally trapped their kingdom in eternal winter with her icy powers.Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s 1844 fairy tale “The Snow Queen,”Frozenwas a major success for Disney, becoming a global phenomenon and one of the most popular kids’ movies of all time.
With themes around the importance of family and accepting people as they are,Frozen’sdual leading roles added to the resonance of its story as each sibling had what the other lacked. While Elsa felt burdened by her responsibilities as the heiress to the throne in the Kingdom of Arendelle, Anna always felt like she was cast into the shadow of her sister. The success ofFrozenwas 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 movie.
Love Actually
The 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually follows various couples as they explore their relationships throughout the Christmas season. With a star-studded cast composed of Bill Nighy, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Rowan Atkinson, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Martin Freeman, and Martine McCutcheon, Love Actually has since become a Christmas staple for rom-com lovers.
The beloved Christmas rom-comLove Actuallyhad no clear main character and was led by an ensemble cast of predominantly British actors. With ten separate stories that all represented different aspects of love, the varied nature ofLove Actuallywas part of what’s made it such an enduring modern classic and annual viewing for countless people around the world. Whileeveryone will have a different take on what their favorite subplot inLove Actuallyis, the way the film switches between different interconnected love stories helps inform and enrich the other.
While someharsh realities must be faced upon rewatchingLove Actually, such as the dodgy power imbalances in the British Prime Minister’s love story or the ethical gray area of Colin Firth’s character falling in love with his Portuguese housekeeper, this has not stopped the film from holding a special place in viewers’ hearts. With equal parts humor and heart,Love Actuallystruck the perfect balance as each character added something important to its timeless appeal.
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s classic tale of violence and redemption follows the intertwining tales of three protagonists: hitman Vincent Vega, prizefighter Butch Coolidge, and Vincent’s business partner Jules Winnfield.
FromReservoir DogstoThe Hateful Eight, director Quentin Tarantino has always embraced movies that don’t have a clear main character and lean more into an ensemble style. This was certainly the case in his breakout success,Pulp Fiction, which gave equal status to the likes of John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, and Uma Thurman. With a non-chronological narrative that told three interrelated stories, the unique structure ofPulp Fictionlent itself well to having several main characters.
This unconventional style was part of the reason that Tarantino was such an exciting new voice in Hollywood whenPulp Fictionwas released. With an ability to write well-realized three-dimensional characters, even those who were only on screen for a few minutes in total still left an important mark on the film.Pulp Fictionhas rightfully earned a reputation as a classic of the 1990s, and the fact that it was populated with so many memorable characters was part of the reason it became so acclaimed.
The Breakfast Club
After receiving detention, a group of five high-school students bonds as they realize they have quite a bit in common despite being from different friend groups. Despite being over 35 years old, The Breakfast Club still stands as one of the quintessential movies of the ‘80s and one of director John Hughes standout films.
The best teen movies usually feature several main characters, which is needed to capture the varied identities and complexities that make up the social structures of young people. This was perfectly captured inThe Breakfast Club, a film with five main characters that saw a rebel, outcast, nerd, princess, and jock forced together for detention on a fateful Saturday. The disparate nature ofeach character’s personality was part of the reasonThe Breakfast Clubworked so well, as these people who would never interact with one another were forced to find common ground as they stuck together in collective punishment.
Every ’80s Actor In The Brat Pack Explained
The “Brat Pack” were the biggest teen stars of the 1980s, known for their hit coming-of-age films. Who was involved and where are they now?
The Breakfast Clubwas made up of members from the Brat Pack, a group of actors known for their coming-of-age films during the 1980s. As arguably the greatest Brat Pack film of them all,The Breakfast Clubrepresented both the alienation of youth and the human desire to belong that informs the socially awkward and, at times, mortifying experience of being a teenager. Without any clear main character, each member of the Breakfast Club was just as vital as the other.
The Departed
The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, depicts the tense interplay between the police and the Irish Mafia in South Boston. As an undercover officer infiltrates the criminal underworld, a syndicate informant rises within the police force, culminating in a high-stakes struggle to uncover the dual moles within their ranks.
After decades of extraordinary filmmaking, Martin Scorsese finally gained the approval of the Academy with his Best Picture and Best Director-winning triumph,The Departed. This thrilling story about a corrupt FBI agent working for the mob and an undercover mole infiltrating the criminal underworld made for nail-biting viewing as each was always just an inch away from discovering the true intentions of the other. With Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan and Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan,The Departedwas a true two-hander where both characters were equally important.
As a loose remake of the Hong Kong action filmInfernal Affairsand taking inspiration from the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang,The Departedwas a deeply layered and complex crime epic exploring the true nature of loyalty.It was not just DiCaprio and Damon who made this film such a success, asThe Departed’ssupporting cast included the likes of Mark Wahlberg, Ray Winstone, and Jack Nicholson in perhaps his greatest late-career role as the ruthless real-life crime boss, Frank Costello.
Ocean’s Eleven
A remake of the 1960 film and the first in a trilogy of movies by Steven Soderbergh, Ocean’s Eleven is an ensemble comedy-heist film that follows Danny Ocean and his friend Rusty Ryan who enlist the help of several specialized con men, safe-crackers, and experts to pull off a colossal heist of three casinos. Seeking revenge against the new husband of ex-wife Tess, Danny begins to tip-toe dangerously between the line of the job and revenge.
The originalOcean’s Elevenfrom 1960 brought together the Rat Pack legends Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. For Steven Soderbergh’s remake to have any sort of impact, it needed to match that same level of celebrity and give viewers an ensemble cast the likes of which they had never 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 Elevenwas a true ensemble-driven heist storywhere every audience member turned out to see a different star, and each character added something important to the style and appeal of the film. As a box office hit that was praised by critics,Ocean’s Elevenstarted with a great cast and continued just getting 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-filled atmosphere.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
From director Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel stars Ralph Fiennes as Gustave H., the renowned concierge of the film’s titular hotel. Fiennes is joined by Tony Revolori as Zero, a newly hired bellhop who serves as Gustave’s partner-in-crime throughout the film. An older Zero, played by F. Murray Abraham, serves as the narrator for the story, which chronicles the adventures of Gustave and Zero after Gustave is framed for the murder of the wealthy Madame D., his patron and lover.
As Wes Anderson’s style of filmmaking has developed over the past decades, he has shifted his focus from singular stories exploring one main character toward ensemble films where the protagonist is not quite as certain. This was perhaps best encapsulated byThe Grand Budapest Hotel, a thrilling ensemble comedy-drama set at a famed concierge of a 20th-century mountainside resort in the fictional Eastern European country of Zubrowka.
Anderson has acquired a roster of actors over the yearswho have been consistently cast in his movies, which meantThe Grand Budapest Hotelfeatured everyone from Bill Murray to Willem Dafoe. The haphazard and erratic nature of life in this hotel made for exciting viewing, as audiences got to know all the staff, residents, and oddball characters who found their way into the building. Anderson has continued his ensemble style of filmmaking in his later movies, as this has also been the case in releases likeThe French DispatchandAsteroid City.
Heat
Michael Mann’s classic crime thriller Heat was released in 1995 and stars Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro as two men on opposite sides of the law whose live become tangled and destabilized in an intense game of cat-and-mouse. When one heist led by master thief Neil McCauley is compromised due to a clue left behind, LAPD Lieutenant Vincent Hanna finds himself obsessed with pursuing them in an ever-escalating war - one that may cause significant collateral damage.
When a director has managed to secureAl Pacino and Robert De Niro together, it’s essential that it’s in a movie with multiple main characters. As true titans of cinema,watching Pacino and De Niro share the screen in Michael Mann’sHeatmade for astounding viewingand rightfully has become a true classic of the 1990s. With Pacino as a police detective striving to bring down the career criminal played by De Niro, this intense game of cat and mouse was one of the most influential and impactful crime movies ever made.
Pacino’s Lieutenant Vincent Hanna and De Niro’s Neil McCauley had equal importance inHeat, yet their iconic face-to-face coffee meeting scene was the movie at its most urgent. As two actors who have transformed cinema,Heatwas the first time the duo shared the screen and fulfilled the film fan fantasy viewers had asked for sinceThe Godfather Part II. While it remains to be seen if the announcedHeatsequel can live up to the original’s legacy, this was one of the best examples of a movie with multiple main characters.
The Avengers
The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers is an action superhero film that sees the heroes assembled across the franchise face off with a deadly galactic threat. With the arrival of Thor’s brother, Loki, heroes such as Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are brought together to stop him from unleashing an alien race upon earth.
The Avengerswas the culmination of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe up to this point and was a superhero film packed with main characters. As Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America had already had their own feature films by the timeThe Avengerswas released, this felt like a true cinematic event with an ensemble cast absolutely packed with A-list actors. As the first Marvel production to generate $1 billion in ticket sales, it’s difficult to underestimate just how impactfulThe Avengerstruly was.
Part of the appeal ofThe Avengerswas that each main character had already had their moment in the spotlightand been given enough time to shine with their own origin story. This meant audiences came toThe Avengerswith an understanding of all of their motivations and personalities, which made watching them all interact with one another all the more riveting. While the excitement of multiple main characters in the MCU is not as urgent today,The Avengersdeserves praise for successfully combining these cinematic landscapes.
Wicked
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
The power of the astounding musical fantasyWickedwas down to the chemistry betweenCynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Galinda Upland. Both of these performances were equally important, as thisWizard of Ozprequel, 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 turns into Glinda the Good, watching these characters’ relationship develop was the beating heart of the musical.
Wickedperfectly captured the appeal of the original stage show and was just part one in a two-part adaptation. Despite both boasting massive personalities, one of the most impressive aspects ofWickedwas that neither Elphaba nor Galinda upstaged the other as their characters informed and elevated the other. As viewers held back tears with the climactic anthem of “Defying Gravity,” as the credits rolled onWicked, it was clear that Elphaba and Glinda’s engaging main character arcs were just getting started.
