There's certainly a lot to love about badass action heroes or intimidatingly intelligent protagonists, but brains and brawn alone don't always make for the best characters. In fact, sometimes a complete absence of these things can actually lead to a more lovable and relatable protagonist.
Ever since the days of silent movies, dim-witted characters have delivered some of the funniest performances in their respective movies; often earning a place in the audience's hearts in the process. Granted, their unintelligent antics can at times cross the line when it comes to what is and isn't believable, but that doesn't necessarily make them any less hilarious.
10 Tommy Callahan (Tommy Boy)
Chris Farley's movie career was fairly short when compared to some of the other big name comedians who got into acting in the nineties, but he still did more than enough to leave a lasting mark. His performances in the Wayne's World movies were great, as too were his efforts in Beverly Hills Ninja. It's perhaps his role as the titular character in Tommy Boy, however, that really shows what he's capable of.
Together with the excellent David Spade, Farley delivers one of the funniest movie performances of the decade. The pair's cross country road trip is full of brilliant moments, but it is Farley, as Tommy, who really adds the punctuation. He may not be the brightest bulb in the box, nor is he the most efficient, but it's difficult not to empathize with him at times throughout the movie.
9 Harold Lee & Kumar Patel (Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle)
Harold and Kumar are effectively a modern day re-imagining of Cheech and Chong, although the pair arguably have a lot more going for them. Their characters are better defined and have the kind of depth needed to drive a narrative forward rather than just popping up in repetitive cameo roles from time to time.
Their debut outing, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, is full of hilarious twists and turns and although the movies that followed never quite reached the same glorious heights, they each still have their moments. Granted, a lot of the pair's stupidity comes from their altered states of mind, but one could perhaps argue that their poor life choices when it comes to getting high are just as unintelligent as their actions after doing so.
8 Jack Burton (Big Trouble In Little China)
Kurt Russel is best known by most for his excellent portfolio of badass action roles. Well, either that or his ever-changing hairdo. It's perhaps due to the former though that his performance in Big Trouble in Little China is so refreshing; as it shows a far lighter side to the actor.
It's always nice to learn that not all Hollywood celebrities take themselves too seriously and any notion that Russel does is definitely disproven here. His Jack Burton character is one of the most ineffective heroes to ever grace the silver screen, but it's this that makes him so likable. His failings are also incredibly funny and are a big part of what make the movie so enjoyable.
7 Jesse Montgomery & Chester Greenburg (Dude, Where's My Car?)
Another comedy duo, Jesse and Chester just might be the two stupidest characters to ever get their own movie. In their defense though, it is a pretty sweet one. Of course, it's also incredibly asinine from start to finish, but those looking for a good laugh should definitely find it somewhere in Dude, Where's My Car?
If the movie's premise wasn't ridiculous enough, the two characters' interactions - both with each other and with the supporting cast - demonstrate levels of idiocy beyond the comprehension of most normal people. Despite this though, it's difficult not to like them due to their childlike innocence and their singular outlook on life.
6 Jeff Spicoli (Fast Times At Ridgemont High)
As is often the case with coming of age movies, Fast Times at Ridgemont High centers around a group of characters rather than just an individual or duo. Its ensemble cast is full of actors who would go on to become big Hollywood stars; with three of them even winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Nicolas Cage and Forest Whitaker account for two of them, but it is the two-time winner Sean Penn who really steals the show in Fast Times.
Penn's character Jeff Spicoli is the stereotypical stoner and provides many of the movie's funniest moments. He may well be stupid, but he's completely harmless and wants nothing more than to catch some killer waves and have a good time. Penn would later move away from comedic roles in future movies, but will likely never escape the legacy of the Jeff Spicoli character entirely.
5 Bill S. Preston Esq. & Ted Theodore Ligan (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure)
Bill and Ted's stupidity arguably comes from a place of ignorance rather than a genuine mental deficiency; as evidenced by their ability to outsmart one of the most brilliant evil geniuses to have ever existed in time or space on multiple occasions. That's not to say that they're not a little stupid too though.
At various points throughout the Bill and Ted trilogy, the pair show themselves to be lacking in even the most basic levels of education. Their knowledge of history is abysmal despite having visited the past on multiple occasions and their English language ability can at times be pretty shocking too. Even so, their hearts are always in the right place and this makes it very difficult not to root for them.
4 Brick Tamland (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
Having first cut his teeth in television, Steve Carrell made the transition into movies around the turn of the century. Despite some early success, however, it was not until after his appearance in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy that the actor's career on the silver screen really started to take off.
Whether he's eating a big red candle or killing men with tridents, Brick Tamland manages to consistently draw laughs throughout the entirety of the first Anchorman movie. The sequel arguably tries a little too hard at times, but, even then, he still has some genuinely funny scenes.
3 Happy Gilmore (Happy Gilmore)
Adam Sandler has, for the most part, built his career around playing lovable fools. Of course, there are one or two exceptions here and there which demonstrate that Sandler is more than just a one trick pony, but it's undoubtedly when the actor spreads his comedic wings that he's at his absolute best.
While Bobby Boucher and Billy Madison perhaps put a lot more ticks in the "idiot" box, few, if any, of Sandler's characters are more lovable than Happy Gilmore. His one-track mind does make him susceptible to moments of blind rage from time to time, but these typically only add to the barrel of laughs.
2 John "Bluto" Blutarski (Animal House)
Before Adam Sandler there was John Belushi. Like Sandler, Belushi's short but successful career was heavily reliant on his comedic brilliance. The difference between the pair, however, is that Belushi was arguably a lot funnier than Sandler and has a strong back catalog of work to demonstrate this point.
His appearances on Saturday Night Live and his excellent performance in The Blues Brothers movie offer some of his very finest moments, although it's perhaps Animal House that tops the pile. John Landis' quintessential comedy is one of the funniest movies of its era - maybe even all time - and a huge part of that can be attributed to Belushi's Bluto character.
1 Harry Dunne & Lloyd Christmas (Dumb & Dumber)
When it comes to lovable idiots, they really don't come much better than Harry and Lloyd. Just about every word that comes out of their mouths is pure comedy gold and yet their idiocy manages to remain a fairly victimless crime. Well, apart from Billy the blind kid, perhaps.
For as stupid as the characters are though, there's also some real depth to them that's able to shine through at certain points throughout Dumb & Dumber. That said, it's their most ridiculous antics that will undoubtedly live longest in the memory. Ultimately, the pair serve as living proof that, sometimes, ignorance really can be bliss.