Coolest sidekick characters ever.

[shilsen]

Some literary ones:

Horatio (for Hamlet)
The Fool (for King Lear)
The Luggage (for Rincewind - Terry Pratchett)
Nanny Ogg (for Granny Weatherwax - Pratchett)

And worst sidekick ever:

Iago

 

[Krieg]

Jack Burton (Big Trouble in Little China - He never does realize that he's the sidekick...)

A fact that is lost on most moviegoers as well (see Mallus above).

 

[Mallus]

A fact that is lost on most moviegoers as well (see Mallus above).

D'oh!

 

[Caius]

Tommy from Snatch, Turkish' sidekick. I found that little guy funny, maybe not one of the best movie sidekicks but one of my favorites

 

[takyris]

I was always partial to Owen Wilson's sidekick character in Shanghai Noon. (Wasn't wowed by Wilson in "I Spy" and haven't seen him in much else, including the sequel, though.) I thought he was a good complement for Jackie Chan, and I thought they had good chemistry.

Also liked Chris Tucker in both Rush Hour movies, again, because he was a good complement for Chan, funny in the ways that Chan is not.

(And as a side note, let me just mention my worst recent sidekick thoughts, which include "That annoying nervous British guy from The Medallion, who would have made the movie unwatchable had Claire Forlani not occasionally walked by and smiled at the camera", and Jennifer Love-Hewitt in The Tuxedo, who was just dreadful -- and I mean that as a slam on the writers, not on her as an actress or as somebody who can look good in a low-cut evening gown.)

So there's my Jackie-Chan-specific sidekick list.

 

[Grizpapa]

Sallah: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Hamish: Braveheart.

Short Round: Temple of Doom
Steven: Braveheart

Rosewood & Taggart: Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2

Tigger: Disney's Winnie the Pooh
Jiminy Cricket: Disney's Pinocchio

And worst sidekick ever:

Jar Jar Binks: Star Wars 1 and 2

 

[Particle_Man]

Diverging into TVland a bit:

Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (a non-powered sidekick!)

Spock from Star Trek (this sidekick defines Star Trek to most people more than any other character).

Harlequin (Harley Quinn) (a villain's sidekick!) from Batman: The Animated Series. Proved so popular she got ported into the regular Batman comic books.

Barney Rubble from the Flintstones (love that laugh!)

Robin to Batman (been in a few movies now, I guess that's not even off-topic!)

 

[reanjr]

Silent Bob/Bluntman: Jersey trilogy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

 

[Revenge of the Bjorn]

Well Tigger and Doc Holliday(and conversely Johnny Ringo) really overshadow their leads. Is Snoopy a sidekick to Charlie Brown or has he become the lead character? Its hard to tell. Either way, Woodstock is a cool sidekick but not competitive to Snoopy's coolness. To keep on the cartoon theme: although they're not the leaders, Shaggy and Scooby are definately the most prominent characters.

 

[Wombat]

One I haven't seen yet...

Arthur (aka Funny Bunny Man, the accountant, that pudgey guy in a bunny suit, etc.), the wondrous mental stability and "Not In The Face!" sidekick to The Tick