21 Movies With Protagonists Who Aren’t Dumbasses

According to some filthy apologists, characters in movies simply have to be dumb to advance the plot. We just have to suspend our disbelief that a human with a functioning brain could behave so illogically, because otherwise, the movie would be over in five minutes.

Well, we’re putting our feet down and taking a stand (because it’s really hard to do that with your feet up). Protagonists can be smart, and interesting things can still happen to them. If you can’t figure out how to pull it off, you’re a bad writer.

Redditor dangerousmeercat is likewise fed up. “I’ve watched a little too many movies of protagonists who are slow and not very smart, unable to handle situations effectively,” they told r/Movies. “Lately, I’ve been looking for films with intelligent protagonists who are adept at handling situations,” they continued, citing titles like Limitless, Catch Me If You Can, The Accountant and Sherlock Holmes as examples.

They then asked for more “movies with intelligent protagonists,” and their fellow Redditors brought all the big brains they could carry.