Favorite characters?

Overall, Frank and Dwayne are the most memorable. I love their weird relationship and that dock scene is one of the best in the movie, with a movie full of great scenes. Alan Arkin is funny but watching the movie multiple times I tend to focus on Frank and Dwayne. Kinnear is great but not extremely likeable till the end and Collete is always great but she was underused in a comedic sense, she's still a great actress tho, one of the best.

grandpa ... holy god not the effing chicken again!
Dwayne... [passes note]
Frank...where's olive?


OH THANK YOU GOD! THANK YOU SO BLOODY MUCH!!! Basil Fawlty

The Grandpa was cool and the father reedemed himself in the last act. But the best characters are Dwayne and Frank, also their relationship made the movie for me, of all the characters, they are the ones that suffered the most and in one way or another they undertood each other, and the dock scene personally is my favorite scene in the movie

Loved the whole family but we are forgetting a character...... the VW Bus??!! I swear it had it's own personality!!! I loved it. and this movie.

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I loved the whole cast and thought they all knocked it out of the park, but I'd have to say Olive. I'm not a big fan of overpraising child actors, and generally don't like when they get Oscar noms, but Abigail Breslin was utterly perfect in her role. Everything from her tears at the idea of her dad thinking she's a loser to her reaction to Frank's attempted suicide to her assurance that there's a heaven and her promise to Frank that he'll get in is so sweet and played well. Having a child actor that believable adds punch to the finale when the whole family stops being self-absorbed and takes a stand to protect Olive from a harsh and unfair judgment that would cost her some of that innocence.

1. The grandpa is hilarious and so quotable. He's my absolute favorite.
2. I love Frank. He is the one I most related to.
3. The mom Cheryl. She provides great contrast to the other characters.

I can't stand the father Richard. He reminds me way too much of my father. Olive is great but not as memorable as a lot of the other characters.

This was a terrific ensemble; all the characters were terrific.