History TheUnFavourite / Film

* ''Film/Crush2022'': AJ feels like this to Gabby, though we don't see their parents interacting with them to judge for ourselves.

** Nuka from ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''. The scrawny, barely a mane growing lion voiced by Andy Dick. Little cub Kovu gets picked over him to take on Scar's heritage [[note]]Kovu not even having been sired by Scar, though it's implied Nuka is, being the son of Zira, who was apparently one of Scar's mates.[[/note]] and gets treated unfairly by the lionesses. This makes [[spoiler: his death even more tragic, when he chases Simba up a dam, proclaiming he's doing it for his mother, and that this'd be his moment of glory, with a mad driven look in his eyes. Just before the footing gives away from underneath him, and he ends up crushed by a bunch of logs. His mother for the first time in the movie shows she actually ''does'' care and frantically tries to dig him out. He ends with a whimper. "Sorry... I tried..."]] A deleted storyboard set continues with Nuka saying [[spoiler: "I got your attention now..." and then expiring.]]

* ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' provides the quote at the top. Kit's perception of being the unfavorite makes her very willing to apply for the all-women baseball league because, as she says, here 'she is nothing'. The only scene that shows this unfavoritism, though, is when her mother reprimands Kit for yelling (talking rather loudly) in the kitchen with Dotty, when her father's trying to listen to the radio in the living room. The rest of the movie focuses more on the relationship between the two sisters and Kit's inferiority complex compared to her older, prettier, happily married sister.

** [[BlackSheep Bruno]] is this is to Alma who favors her daughters Pepa and Julieta. [[spoiler This is because Bruno's gift was getting visions of the future, and due to Alma's harsh expectations and perfectionist attitude, he could only see the worst possibilities. It got to the point he was effectively driven from the family, and they refused to talk about him for years.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'': [[BlackSheep Bruno]] is this is to Alma who favors her daughters Pepa and Julieta.

* In ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'', Victoria Breaux favors and pampers her younger daughter, Lisa, and despises her older daughter, Vanessa. This is because Vanessa's father was a musician who dumped her and left her broke, while Lisa's father was a rich man who gave her a luxurious lifestyle. She even allowed her second husband to rape Lisa to stop him from leaving her. However, the film makes it clear that Victoria's favoritism didn't do Lisa any favors; while Victoria favors her, she also controls her entire life, which has left her unable to fight for herself, and has been stealing from her trust fund for years, leaving it virtually empty. She also pushed Lisa to marry Carlos, the very banker who's been helping her steal from the trust fund, because he's rich and he'd be able to keep them in luxury, despite the fact that he's horribly abusive. By the end of the film, though, Lisa has broken free of her mother and dumped her fiance and Vanessa and Victoria are implied to be on the path of fixing their relationship.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Igor}}'' serves this to his mentor Dr. Glickenstein. Did we mention [[EvilMentor he bullies Igor for no good reason?]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cinderella}}'': Cinderella is a very early example as the original story dates back hundreds of years. And Cinderella more or less is the poster child for this. As her stepmother treats her like shit and uses her as her personal slave, while her two daughters are spoiled brats who get everything they want.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBossBaby'', this is what Tim fears becoming following the arrival of the Boss Baby; it's what the Boss Baby fears babies will become to puppies if Francis E. Francis's plan succeeds. In the end, Tim's [[spoiler:act of kindness in inviting the Boss Baby back into his family]] inspires the Boss Baby to [[spoiler:do something that ratchets love for both babies ''and'' puppies, as well as several other things, up to 999% before quitting Baby Corp and allowing himself to be born as a normal baby so that he can join Tim's family.]]

* ''Film/DoingTimeOnMapleDrive'': Tim Carter (Creator/JimCarrey in an early dramatic role!) is this due to his failure to work out at military school, and has taken to drinking as a result of his parents' callousness.

* ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' provides the quote at the top. Kit's perception of being the unfavorite makes her very willing to apply for the all-women baseball league because, as she says, here 'she is nothing'. The only scene that shows this unfavoritism, though, is when her mother reprimands Kit for yelling (talking rather loudly) in the kitchen with Dotty, when her father's trying to listen to the radio in the living room. The rest of the movie focuses more on the relationship between the two sisters and Kit's inferiority complex compared to her older, prettier, happily married sister.

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** Loki performs a FaceHeelTurn because he believes that his father, Odin, has always favored his brother Thor. [[spoiler: The actual reason Odin chose Thor to succeed the throne of Asgard is that Loki is adopted from the race of enemies.]] Therefore Loki would not be Odin's heir or wield Mjolnir, [[spoiler:even though Odin hoped he would rule Jötunheim as an ally.]] Loki also didn't fit the ideals of Asgard [[spoiler: and probably reminded Odin of Hela, his eldest child gone astray,]] so while Odin considered him his son, he found it hard to connect. In his madness, Loki views Odin's disapproval [[spoiler:of the genocide he tried to commit in his name]] in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' as the final confirmation that he will never be enough, [[spoiler:and by allowing himself to fall into the abyss [[DrivenToSuicide attempts suicide]]]]. In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld,'' Odin tells Loki that his birthright was to die as a child, sentences him to life imprisonment for his crimes on Earth, and forbids him to see his mother Frigga ever again [[spoiler: and even to attend her funeral. Loki escapes and places an IdentityAmnesia spell on Odin, sending him to a retirement home on Earth. In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', some of Odin's final words are expressing his love for both his sons. Loki struggles to hold back tears, and shortly before his own death in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' calls himself "Odinson" for the first time since ''Film/{{Thor}}''.]]
** ComicBook/{{Thanos}} doesn’t even bother denying that he considers Nebula the worst of his adoptive children. All of his kids were subjected to ToughLove and TrainingFromHell, but Nebula got the worst of it by far, to the point it sometimes crossed into outright ''torture''. Just for comparison, when Gamora turned against Thanos, Thanos all but forgave her and never stopped loving her. When Nebula did the same? The next onscreen interaction between them had Thanos horrifically torture her and then later hatefully spit that the only reason he didn’t kill her was that it would’ve been “a waste of ''spare parts''”. [[spoiler: In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' Thanos changes his attitude towards Nebula, explicitly regretting his treatment of her when she vouches for his honesty in front of the Avengers- before Thor cuts his head off. 2014 Thanos also treated 2014 Nebula better stroking her head and actually becoming concerned when 2014 Nebula "disappears" before the FinalBattle]].

* In ''Film/RomeoMustDie'', who's the unfavorite is very unclear. [[spoiler:Po is the one who ended up going to America with their father Ch'u, while Han went to ''prison'' in order to help him escape. However, Ch'u has Po ''killed'' when he was about to compromise a major business deal. It's implied that Ch'u has always preferred Han, in spite of the fact that Han rejected him by becoming a police officer, and largely only cares for his brother.]]
* In ''Film/ThePatsy'', Pat is filled with unrequited love for her sister Grace's boyfriend Tony. Tony has no idea, and Grace for her part is also attracted to another man.
* Preston from ''Film/BlankCheck'' is this to his father, who favors his older brothers for going into business for themselves. Preston is ''twelve''.
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': Robert Frobisher is this to his parents, who much prefer his older brother who died in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Frobisher isn't too fond of his Mater and Pater either.
* In ''Film/CrookedHouse'', Aristide passed over his eldest son Philip and gave control of his business empire to his younger son Roger, despite Roger being totally unsuited for the position.
* In keeping with the CainAndAbel theme of ''Film/{{Husk}}'', Farmer Comstock definitely favours his son Alex over his other son Corey: in part due to Alex's willingness and talent in slaughtering animals, to drive the analogy home further. This favoritism eventually drives Corey into a jealous rage where he murders his brother and turns him into a scarecrow.
* In ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'', Victoria Breaux favors and pampers her younger daughter, Lisa, and despises her older daughter, Vanessa. This is because Vanessa's father was a musician who dumped her and left her broke, while Lisa's father was a rich man who gave her a luxurious lifestyle. She even allowed her second husband to rape Lisa to stop him from leaving her. However, the film makes it clear that Victoria's favoritism didn't do Lisa any favors; while Victoria favors her, she also controls her entire life, which has left her unable to fight for herself, and has been stealing from her trust fund for years, leaving it virtually empty. She also pushed Lisa to marry Carlos, the very banker who's been helping her steal from the trust fund, because he's rich and he'd be able to keep them in luxury, despite the fact that he's horribly abusive. By the end of the film, though, Lisa has broken free of her mother and dumped her fiance and Vanessa and Victoria are implied to be on the path of fixing their relationship.
* This was the root of [[WholesomeCrossdresser the crossdressing habit]] of the main character of ''Film/GlenOrGlenda''. Glen's parents had no love for him -- his father expected him to take up sports so he could brag to his bar buddies about his son, and his mother rejected him for reminding her of her own father. When Glen noticed his sister got more affection from her mother, he decided to create a female alter ego to win back that love.

* In ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'', Victoria Breaux favors and pampers her younger daughter, Lisa, and despises her older daughter, Vanessa. This is because Vanessa's father was a musician who dumped her and left her broke, while Lisa's father was a rich man who gave her a luxurious lifestyle. She even allowed her second husband to rape Lisa to stop him from leaving her. However, the film makes it clear that Victoria's favoritism didn't do Lisa any favors; while Victoria favors her, she also controls her entire life, which has left her unable to fight for herself, and has been stealing from her trust fund for years, leaving it virtually empty. She also pushed Lisa to marry Carlos, the very banker who's been helping her steal from the trust fund, because he's rich and he'd be able to keep them in luxury, despite the fact that he's horribly abusive. By the ed of the film, though, Lisa has broken free of her mother and dumped her fiance and Vanessa and Victoria are implied to be on the path of fixing their relationship.

* ''Bollywood/KabhiKushiKabhieGham'' actually manages to play this trope compassionately ''without'' vilifying the parents for it. This is arguably attributable to the fact that the Unfavorite in this case is mostly so by default, rather than actually being unloved or undervalued.

*** Really [[spoiler: Hela Odin's eldest daughter, is The Un-Favorite as while Odin forgave Thor and Loki's misdeeds, he locked Hela away with his magic for her warmongering sadism and only released her when he died]].

* In ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'', Victoria Breaux favors and pampers her younger daughter, Lisa, and despises her older daughter, Vanessa. This is because Vanessa's father was a musician who dumped her and left her broke, while Lisa's father was a rich man who gave her a luxurious lifestyle. She even allowed her second husband to rape Lisa to stop him from leaving her. However, the film makes it clear that Victoria's favoritism didn't do Lisa any favors; while Victoria favors her, she also controls her entire life, which has left her unable to fight for herself, and has been stealing from her trust fund for years, leaving it virtually empty. She also pushed Lisa to marry Carlos, the very banker who's been helping her steal from the trust fund, because he's rich and he'd be able to keep them in luxury, despite the fact that he's horribly abusive.

* Kevin [=McCallister=] in ''Film/HomeAlone'' seems to be this, as most of his relatives either ignore him, bully him, or regularly accuse him of being a troublemaker.
** In the sequel, this is shown to be compounded by Buzz being a ManipulativeBastard as well as a bully.

* In ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'', Victoria Breaux favors and pampers her younger daughter, Lisa, and despises her older daughter, Vanessa. This is because Vanessa's father was a musician who dumped her and left her broke, while Lisa's father was a rich man who gave her a luxurious lifestyle. However, the film makes it clear that Victoria's favoritism didn't do Lisa any favors; while Victoria favors her, she also controls her entire life, which has left her unable to fight for herself, and has been stealing from her trust fund for years, leaving it virtually empty. She also pushed Lisa to marry Carlos, the very banker who's been helping her steal from the trust fund, because he's rich and he'd be able to keep them in luxury, despite the fact that he's horribly abusive.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIReturnToTheSea'' has Ursula's sister Morgana, who at one point yells "It was always 'Ursula this' and 'Ursula that' and 'Why can't you be more like your sister URSULA?'!" And when she [[spoiler:achieves virtually complete control over the oceans]], she howls at the skies, "[[LargeHam WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE NOW, MA?!]]" Freud would have a field day.

* ''Disney/TheLionKing'':
** Nuka from ''Disney/TheLionKingIISimbasPride''. The scrawny, barely a mane growing lion voiced by Andy Dick. Little cub Kovu gets picked over him to take on Scar's heritage [[note]]Kovu not even having been sired by Scar, though it's implied Nuka is, being the son of Zira, who was apparently one of Scar's mates.[[/note]] and gets treated unfairly by the lionesses. This makes [[spoiler: his death even more tragic, when he chases Simba up a dam, proclaiming he's doing it for his mother, and that this'd be his moment of glory, with a mad driven look in his eyes. Just before the footing gives away from underneath him, and he ends up crushed by a bunch of logs. His mother for the first time in the movie shows she actually ''does'' care and frantically tries to dig him out. He ends with a whimper. "Sorry... I tried..."]] A deleted storyboard set continues with Nuka saying [[spoiler: "I got your attention now..." and then expiring.]]

* ''Disney/TheLittleMermaidIIReturnToTheSea'' has Ursula's sister Morgana, who at one point yells "It was always 'Ursula this' and 'Ursula that' and 'Why can't you be more like your sister URSULA?'!" And when she [[spoiler:achieves virtually complete control over the oceans]], she howls at the skies, "[[LargeHam WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE NOW, MA?!]]" Freud would have a field day.

* ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}'': Cinderella is a very early example as the original story dates back hundreds of years. And Cinderella more or less is the poster child for this. As her stepmother treats her like shit and uses her as her personal slave, while her two daughters are spoiled brats who get everything they want.

!Live Action

* In ''Film/MadeasFamilyReunion'', Victoria Breaux favors and pampers her younger daughter, Lisa, and despises her older daughter, Vanessa. This is because Vanessa's father was a musician who dumped her and left her broke, while Lisa's father was a rich man who gave her a luxurious lifestyle. However, the film makes it clear that Victoria's favoritism didn't do Lisa any favors; while Victoria favors her, she also controls her entire life, which has left her unable to fight for herself, and has been stealing from her trust fund for years, leaving it virtually empty. She also pushed Lisa to marry Carlos, the very banker who's been helping her steal from the trust fund, because he's rich and he'd be able to keep them in luxury, despite the fact that he's horribly abusive.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' '''movies''', especially the third, hit this trope pretty hard for Faramir. It's text, not subtext, in his father's dialogue. While Faramir ''is'' a grown character and, logically, "should've gotten over it by now", his father's scathing treatment of him makes it almost impossible for anyone ''not'' to sympathize. This factor, combined with some deleted scenes present in the extended versions, helps explain why [[spoiler: Faramir initially decided to capture Frodo and the Ring, which is the opposite way he chose in the book]]. It's also notable that the favorite, Boromir, actually admires and defends Faramir, and is fed up with their father just as much as Faramir.

* In keeping with the CainAndAbel theme of ''Film/{{Husk}}'', Farmer Comstock definitely favours his son Alex over his other son Corey: in part due to Alex's willingness and talent in slaughtering animals, to drive the analogy home further. This favoritism eventually drives Corey into a jealous rage where he murders his brother and turns him into a scarecrow.

* In ''Film/CrookedHouse'', Aristide passed over his eldest son Philip and gave control of his business empire to his younger son Roger, despite Roger being totally unsuited for the position.

** Loki performs a FaceHeelTurn because he believes that his father, Odin, has always favored his brother Thor. [[spoiler: The actual reason Odin chose Thor to succeed the throne of Asgard is because Loki is adopted from the race of enemies.]] Therefore Loki would not be Odin's heir or wield Mjolnir, [[spoiler:even though Odin hoped he would rule Jötunheim as an ally.]] Loki also didn't fit the ideal of Asgard [[spoiler: and probably reminded Odin of Hela, his eldest child gone astray,]] so while Odin considered him his son, he found it hard to connect. In his madness, Loki views Odin's disapproval [[spoiler:of the genocide he tried to commit in his name]] in ''Film/{{Thor}}'' as the final confirmation that he will never be enough, [[spoiler:and by allowing himself to fall into the abyss [[DrivenToSuicide attempts suicide]]]]. In ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld,'' Odin tells Loki that his birthright was to die as a child, sentences him to life imprisonment for his crimes on Earth, and forbids him to see his mother Frigga ever again [[spoiler: and even to attend her funeral. Loki escapes and places an IdentityAmnesia spell on Odin, sending him to a retirement home on Earth. In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', some of Odin's final words are expressing his love for both his sons. Loki struggles to hold back tears, and shortly before his own death in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' calls himself "Odinson" for the first time since ''Film/{{Thor}}''.]]
** ComicBook/{{Thanos}} doesn’t even bother denying that he considers Nebula the worst of his adoptive children. All of his kids were subjected to ToughLove and TrainingFromHell, but Nebula got the worst of it by far, to the point it sometimes crossed into outright ''torture''. Just for comparison, when Gamora turned against Thanos, Thanos all but forgave her and never stopped loving her. When Nebula did the same? The next onscreen interaction between them had Thanos horrifically torture her and then later hatefully spit that the only reason he didn’t kill her was because it would’ve been “a waste of ''spare parts''”.

* ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'': As expanded upon in ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'', a TieInNovel to the movie, this [[PlayedForDrama applies to extremes]] to Prince Hans. Being the 13th and youngest son of the Westergaards, he is viewed as the BlackSheep as he was apparently considered a weakling by his eleven of his 12 older brothers. Their father, the king of the Southern Isles, loved and spoiled all of his strong children, but abused and neglected Hans for being a failure and his ineptitude to conform to siblings who are high-achievers and better than him. In fact, three of his brothers even pretended he ''didn't exist'' for '''two straight years'''. The reasons why they do this is to show him how he's looked down by his entire family for being ineffectual, his failure to meet their extremely high but cruel standards, and to remind him of his lowly status in the familial pecking order. The abuse slowly causes Hans to feel less than his brothers, develop self-esteem issues, [[WellDoneSonGuy and forces him to become obsessed]] with winning the respect and love of his extremely distant parents and abusive brothers.