Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Mr. Kirby

Mr. Kirby is a double antagonist—and not just because he's a bit portly. He and his wife (that's Mrs. Kirby to you) stand in the way of Tony, who wants to marry his eccentric secretary Alice… and also do something with his life that doesn't involve working in a bank.

To double his antagonistic meanness, Mr. Kirby is also the guy trying to buy up Grandpa's house and force his happy family to move somewhere else that is less happy. Mr. Kirby is the bad guy… but this is one of those films where even the bad guy gets to grow and turn into a good guy (which is why you could make a case for Mr. Kirby as the protagonist too...if Jimmy Stewart weren't already standing there all lean and pretty in his shiny protagonist shoes. As we said: Jimmy Stewart is always the protagonist.).