Does a protagonist need to be likable?

When the movie American Splendor came out it caused a stir among some of my film school friends.  While some enjoyed the biopic about comic book writer Harvey Pekar, others said they hated the film and couldn’t finish watching it because the protagonist was so unlikable -- if you haven’t seen video of the real Pekar (who passed away last year) you should check out one of his appearances on late night TV…he’s not exactly Jimmy Stewart.

This leads me to a question I often hear (usually due to the fact that baby writers get the comment to make their protagonists more “likable”): Does a protagonist need to be likable?  I say: NO…BUT.  Let me explain…

I think it's okay to write scripts about whoever you want, likable or unlikeable to the outside world (if your protagonist is SUPPOSED to likable but isn't, that's a different problem).  So yeah, write an unlikable character...BUT...and it's a BIG BUT, you’ve got to make me understand why that character is the way they are and understand that your unlikable protagonist probably DOESN'T think that they are actually unlikable. Think of your protagonist (and each character) as a real person and get in their head.  If your unlikable character has reasons or justifications for their actions, the audience can buy into them.  I think a good recent example is The Social Network (I guess biopics get less grief for unlikable protagonists because they’re showing you “real people”).  Mark Zuckerberg always has reasons for the "unlikable" things he does.  He fires his best friend because he thought he was hurting the company, he defends his actions towards the frat boy twins because he saw them as rich condescending jerks who couldn’t see the true potential of a good idea…and so on.

Now, this isn’t to say I won’t enjoy something with a likable protagonist more than an unlikable protagonist (let’s get real, do I want to spend 2-3 hours with someone I can’t stand?).  On the other hand, I think “likable” is subjective.  I know people who say Scarlett O’Hara is unlikable and while she goes through a lot of changes, I wouldn’t say her personality does a 180 even after 4 hours of Gone With The Wind.  It’s true, she is basically a spoiled brat who whines, complains, and often isn’t nice.  But, I happened to enjoy Gone With The Wind (the book AND the movie) and I think while Scarlett isn’t the sweetest, I get why she is the way she is (e.g. she's entitled because she was raised that way).  I also think those bad qualities are actually good because they contrast the circumstances she is thrown into and make for an interesting story (a spoiled Southern bell forced to come face to face with the realities of The Civil War).  I would MUCH rather watch THAT movie than a movie about Melanie, Scarlett's friend/rival who is unquestionably kind, nice, and “likable.”

So there you have it.  You can write a script with an “unlikable” protagonist, just think about why they are that way, why they do the things they do, and know that they probably don't think that they are unlikable.  When you do this, you might be surprised to find yourself liking your unlikable protagonist.