50 Movie Sidekicks Who Stole The Show

Pumbaa - The Lion King (1994)

The Sidekick: A warthog, but don't let that put you off (seriously, you'll get used to the odour).

Pumbaa comes as a pair with meerkat Timone. He really, really doesn't like being called a pig.

Most Charming Moment: The musical interlude that is 'Hakuna Matata', which sums up his lifestyle.

Short Round - Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)

The Sidekick: An 11-year-old Chinese boy who has the honour of being the pint-sized sidekick to the greatest archaeologist action hero that ever lived.

Despite his short stature, Short Round's big on courage.

Most Charming Moment:
"Hey, Dr. Jones, no time for love. We've got company." Short Round knows his buddy well.

Silent Bob - Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)

The Sidekick: If Jay is an offensive blabbermouth, his buddy Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) is the exact opposite, as that name implies.

He endures Jay's constant jibes ("fatty!) with the utmost dignity, and can generally be relied on to save the day.

Most Charming Moment: Jay raps 'Jungle Love'. Bob boogies silently along.

Annie Porter - Speed (1994)

The Sidekick: Just because she's a sidekick doesn't mean Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) can't kick a little booty.

Forced to drive a bomb-strapped bus for Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves), she's smart and mostly cool under pressure. And a good driver, obviously.

Most Charming Moment:
"But I'm not available to drive tomorrow. Busy." Annie proves she has a sense of humour in the face of certain doom.

Dr Watson - Sherlock Holmes (2009)

The Sidekick: The sanity at the centre of Sherlock Holmes' chaos, Dr Watson (Jude Law) is smart and reliable - and should get a medal for putting up with some of Holmes' shit.

Most Charming Moment: Watson finally loses his rag with Sherlock…

"I never complain! How am I complaining? When do I ever complain about you practicing the violin at three in the morning, or your mess, your general lack of hygiene, or the fact that you steal my clothes?"

GERTY - Moon (2009)

The Sidekick: The robotic sidekick of space explorer Sam (Sam Rockwell), GERTY is the anti-HAL - a dependable space butler who is Sam's only companion on the moon.

Most Charming Moment: "Would you like some hot sauce on your beans?"

GERTY may be a robot, but he sure knows how to look after a guy.

War Machine - Iron Man 2 (2010)

The Sidekick: A personal friend of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), the fact that he's also an officer in the US Air Force also makes him the perfect pilot of the War Machine armour - a task he tackles with considerable skill.

Most Charming Moment: "I was here first. Get a roof."

Rhodes holds his own against Stark.

Bubba - Forrest Gump (1994)

The Sidekick: Simple but likeable, Bubba (Mykelti Williamson) meets Forrest Gump when they're both enlisted in the US Army, and they become fast friends.

He also likes shrimp. A lot.

Most Charming Moment: Bubba lists off the types of dish he could make with shrimp - which appears to take many days.

Cosmo Brown - Singin' In The Rain (1952)

The Sidekick: The best friend of silent film star Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly).

Most Charming Moment: His ditty 'Make 'Em Laugh', in which he's hit with wooden planks and walks into walls - all to earn our affection. Bless.

Ned - Unforgiven (1992)

The Sidekick: A warm and wise old gunslinger, Ned (Morgan Freeman) is recruited by William Munny (Clint Eastwood) to get revenge for a wronged prostitute.

Most Charming Moment: Ned attempts to give Munny a reality check.

"Hell, Will. We ain't bad men no more. Shit, we're farmers."

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

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