Hero Archetype: The Charmer

The Charmer

The Charmer is the ultimate playboy, irresistible and unreliable, the guy who can’t commit. He is sexy and charismatic. He’s the man whose heart-melting smile and charm have you fanning your over-heated face. Hard work is not his mantra, and he tries to get by on his looks and sense of humor. He believes he can talk his way out of anything. He knows how to play people. His parents and friends are just as enthralled with him as he is with himself. Charmers are the life of the parties and appear to have their life together. People are attracted to charmers and are easily persuaded to their viewpoints. Charmers tend to run away if the conversation turns to anything with emotional depth, and they rarely show their true feelings.

In Failure to Launch, MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY plays a thirty-five year old who enjoys rock climbing and surfing and suffers from a fear of intimacy. He also happens to live with his parents. He uses them to protect him from developing serious relationships. He always seems to be clever enough to stay ahead of the women he dates. When he realizes they’re getting serious, he breaks the news that he’s not interested in a permanent relationship with anyone. He’s a boat salesman; a perfect occupation for a charmer where a smile can make him a fortune without hard work. He can sell anything, and his customers walk away believing they made the perfect purchase.

JAMES GARNER played Bret Maverick, TV's most reluctant hero. He’d rather talk his way out of trouble by buying a fella a drink, or offering up a cigar. He played his cards close to his chest and always seemed to know the cards in the other guy’s hand. Not a cheater but not afraid to bend the rules either. He was a keeper of secrets with the ability to bluff his way through the worst of situations. While not a fighter by nature, he was never afraid to fight if there was no other way. Afterwards, he’d dust off his jacket, resettle his hat, and walk away the winner. Too often, though, he found himself rescuing a damsel in distress. Gambler by trade, Maverick travelled the West in search of good times and the easy way.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO as Jack Dawson, a devil-may-care artist in the Titanic, is a perfect example of a Charmer. He’s a free spirit and knows how to have a good time. After winning two tickets in a poker game he boards the doomed ship moments before it sails. Rose finds his carefree life alluring. She’s a deeply romantic dreamer and Jack’s life represents freedom and all that she’s never had the courage to live; as seen in the following dialogue from the movie.

Rose: “Teach me to ride like a man.”
Jack: “And chew tobacco like a man.”
Rose: “And spit like a man.”
Jack: “What they didn’t teach you at finishing school?”

How could Rose possibly resist his charm?

CARY GRANT was the quintessential handsome charmer who often played the role of wealthy, privileged man who never had to work to maintain his hedonistic lifestyle. He had technique and charm. He was the suave-about-town man who could punctuate a joke with the lift of his brow. He was quick-witted and won the hearts of women without trying. He was not a womanizer, but he loved women. He was a man of natural intelligence and style who could wear a tux better than any man in Hollywood.

Who’s your favorite charmer? It might be a character in a movie or a book, or a real-life guy who has charmed the beegeebees out of you! Give us a shout back and let us know.

Happy Reading!

Posted By: Katherine Lowry Logan