What’s in a name? Of course, all good protagonists need to have a good handle. There’s no strict formula for what constitutes a good name, but the general consensus is that it strikes a balance between the relatable and the memorable. Naming your hero something as dull as Jack Smith is neither imaginative nor interesting, and ultimately, it’s a pretty poor and forgettable name.
However, some movie characters take the idea of a memorable name too far. Their films stray into the realms of insanity by making use of names so outlandish they sound as though they were scribbled out in the throes of addled delirium. Here is where names such as “Flipper” and “Wilhuff” are apparently deemed to sit just on the right side of the line between being memorable and being utterly ludicrous. In reality, these names are all entirely ridiculous, and would (hopefully) never grace a birth certificate.
Despite only recently having explored some of the most ridiculous movie character names, it turns out that there’s enough left for another full list. Some are completely laughable, while others fall just on the wrong side of plausibility. Whether their ridiculousness can be justified or not, here are 8 more of the most ridiculous names ever committed to film.
8. Cole Trickle
Though it’s not a name that’s inherently unbelievable, there’s something about Cole Trickle that’s simultaneously funny and unlikely. Of course, Cole is a pretty standard name (albeit not a hugely common one), but it’s the addition of “Trickle” that really sets it off. The character’s nature also makes it funnier, as it simply doesn’t suit him.
Another large part of what makes the name Cole Trickle so funny is that the character is played by Tom Cruise. Days of Thunder‘s Cole Trickle is a race car driver, and though Cruise’s infamous need for speed makes him work well in the role, the combination of the name, the character, and the actor simply comes together in a particularly bizarre way. Though Cole Trickle might suit a more working-class character, someone like Cruise simply doesn’t embody a name so ridiculous.
What makes it even worse is that the name Cole Trickle does not evoke thoughts of speed at all. In fact, it’s among the slowest of all verbs, along with “plods”, “shuffles”, and “oozes”, which makes it an odd choice for a character who is supposed to be all about speed. So, while Cole Trickle isn’t necessarily ridiculous as a name, it’s a ridiculous choice for the movie it appears in and the actor that plays the part.