The reason we relate to average Joe characters in movies

We’ve all been there. You’re watching a movie, and you see yourself in a character. They’re just like you, struggling through life and trying to make the best of it. And suddenly, your mundane existence seems remarkable.

What is it about the everyday characters in movies that makes us love them so much? Is it their relatability? Their underdog status? Or is it the fact that they always seem to come out on top in the end? Whatever it is, we can’t seem to get enough of these characters.

From these characters, we see our own struggles reflected back at us, and we can’t help but empathize. He or she isn’t a superhero or a criminal mastermind; instead, they’re just an ordinary person who happens to be caught up in extraordinary circumstances.

In most movies, there is one character who is the every-man. This character is the average person, and he or she represents the audience.

Since Michael Scott from The Office, we’ve seen more and more of these types of side characters popping up in movies. Although he’s a television character, Michael Scott is the template for the average Joe character in movies.

His antics are always good for a laugh, and he never takes things too seriously. Sure, he can be frustrating at times, but overall, he makes the show more enjoyable to watch. In movies, these kinds of characters are often used in the same way. However, the every-man character adds a level of normalcy to an otherwise tense situation and uses boring and average as comic relief.

These characters are relatable and unique in their own way which makes a movie that much more better. They all add a level of humor to the story.

Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool’s fourth wall-breaking performance injects much-needed humor into what could have been a very dark and violent movie. His jokes are often crude, but they’re always funny, and his interactions with other characters help keep the film moving at a light but violent pace.

In Deadpool 2, a couple of average Joe characters add another layer of humor. Dopinder, the bartender/taxi driver/chauffeur, and the short-lived Peter with high cholesterol. Peter was hilarious in his brief appearance, and I loved how his high cholesterol was used as a joke. It showed that the writers were willing to take risks with their humor, and it paid off.

We see a little bit of ourselves in these characters, and that’s what makes them so special.

Dopinder was also great in his role, and I liked how he interacted with Deadpool. His interactions helped move the plot forward while also providing some great laughs. 

“Just Bob” from Top Gun: Maverick is another great example of an average Joe who provides comic relief in a movie. He doesn’t have much screen time, but he makes the most of it by being funny and likable in a boring but quirky kind of way. His scenes are enjoyable to watch, and they add some levity to what would have been an otherwise clichéd bar scene.

The every-man character is someone to whom the audience can easily relate.

The every-day person character isn’t overly successful or particularly good at anything, but they mean well. And it think that’s why we find them so relatable. So next time you watch a movie, take a moment to appreciate the every-person character. They may not be the hero or heroine of the story, but they play an important role nonetheless – reminding us that we are not alone in our struggles.