Top Five: Favorite Movie Nerds

So I watched the movie Juno the other day and came to realize how awesome Michael Cera is at playing the role of “high school nerd who tries really hard to be cool but sucks at it, but you still love him anyways” type of character. I think I like him because he reminds me of me back in The Day. (Aw, who am I kidding? He reminds me of me now, the Present Me.) This got me to thinking about who I would classify as my Top Five Favorite Movie Nerds Ever. Here’s what I came up with…

5. Robert Carradine. You may know him better as Lewis Skolnick in the Revenge Of The Nerds movies. When I was in sixth grade I saw this movie for the first time and came to the realization that I was not alone in this world, that there were other social outcasts out there just like me. What was even more important about Lewis Skolnick is that he never compromised his values; he was true to himself, and in the end he bedded the hot cheerleader. He realized the dream of every nerdy boy on the verge of puberty.

4. Stephen Furst. Also known as Flounder from Animal House. I loved this character. Granted, I wasn’t the Fat Kid in high school, I was the Skinny Kid. But the way Flounder tried oh so hard to fit in really resonated with me. My favorite scene is when he first enters Delta house during the rush party and comes up to a very young Tony Danza and his crew playing poker. Danza & Crew are minding their own business playing poker, and after standing there for about fifteen seconds, Flounder asks, “Are you guys playing cards?” Danza gives him the “Are you effing kidding me?!” look, and Flounder smiles, realizes he’s committed a social faux pas, and slowly walks away. Priceless.

3. Michael Cera. I’m not even joking, this kid will be reprising the same role for the next twenty years. Not because it’s anything new, but because he’s so good at it. He’ll be like Bad Religion; they haven’t come up with a new song since 1987, they keep playing the same song over and over again, just with new lyrics. But you still love it because it’s such a damn good song. Same concept will apply to Michael Cera. Seriously, is there any difference between Paulie Bleeker in Juno, Evan in Superbad, and Jason Bateman’s son in Arrested Development? Of course not. But you still love it because he’s so awkward and weird and tries so hard to fit in but doesn’t but he’s awesome in a weird sort of way.

2. Charlie Korsmo. Korsmo got an early start as Robin Williams’ son in Hook [Ed note: And Dick Tracy!], but really took on his mantle of nerdiness when he played the role of William in the movie Can’t Hardly Wait. His first scene is hilarious: he goes on about a list of grievances against his classmates for various humiliating acts they done to him over the years. Various kids have ruined his science experiments, given him wedgies, thrown chocolate pudding on the ass of his pants so it looked like he shat his drawers. And then he plots his revenge against his arch-nemesis, the jock who recently broke up with Jennifer Love Hewitt. (I know, such a thing would never happen in real life. Any man who voluntarily breaks up with Jennifer Love Hewitt should immediately turn himself in to the authorities to have his balls chopped off. You are not worthy.) I know it’s a bit of a chick-flick, but check it out if you haven’t seen it. Hi-larious!

1. Anthony Michael Hall. Let’s see, Rusty Griswold in National Lampoon’s Vacation, Farmer Ted in Sixteen Candles, Brian Johnson in The Breakfast Club, Gary Wallace in Weird Science… need I say more? [Ed Note: Dude! Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley!] The dude is the absolute epitome of nerdiness. It’s almost too much. He flirts with that line of nerdy/just plain ridiculous, but stays just on this side of nerd. I loved it. I loved it all.