When a movie character dons a pair of glasses, you can almost guarantee it'll be accompanied by ill-fitting high-waisted trousers, bad hair and an affinity for Algebra.
But not all chaps wearing thick-rimmed bottle tops are the socially-awkward pointdexters they appear to be. Sometimes the humble spectacle can make a protagonist seem more serious and brooding, or as in Clark Kent's case, aid with an, albeit unconvincing, disguise.
Whatever they're worn for, glasses can transform a character's personality to make them appear funnier, more intellectual and even a little creepy (Patrick Bateman, we're looking at you).
So, here is our salute to the 30 greatest four-eyes on the big screen. Tell us if we've missed any out in the comments below.
(Images: Rex Features, All Star)
Napoleon Dynamite
2004
Worn by: Napolean (Jon Heder)
Manhattan
1979
Worn by: Isaac (Woody Allen)
The Royal Tenenbaums
2001
Worn by: Royal Tenenbaum Gene Hackman
Rushmore
1998
Worn by: Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman)
Ghostbusters
1984
Worn by: Dr. Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis)
Mulholland Dr.
2001
Worn by: Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux)
Stand By Me
1986
Worn by: Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
2011
Worn by: Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig)
Superman
1978
Worn by: Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve)
Harry Potter
2009
Worn by: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe)
The Talented Mr Ripley
1999
Worn by: Tom Ripley (Matt Damon)
Kick-Ass
2010
Worn by: Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson)
The Ipcress File
1965
Worn by: Harry Palmer (Michael Caine)
Malcolm X
1992
Worn by: Malcolm X (Denzel Washington)
The Amazing Spider-Man
2012
Worn by: Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield)
American Pie
1999
Worn by: Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy)
American Psycho
2000
Worn by: Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale)
The Da Vinci Code
2006
Worn by: Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen)
The Dark Knight
2012
Worn by: Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman)
Superbad
2007
Worn by: Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)
Notting Hill
1999
Worn by: William Thacker (Hugh Grant)
Revenge of the Nerds
1984
Worn by: Lewis Skolnick (Robert Carradine)
Jurassic Park
1993
Worn by: John Hammond (Richard Attenborough)
Good Will Hunting
1997
Worn by: Sean Maguire (Robin Williams)
Jaws
1975
Worn by: Brody (Roy Scheider)
Trainspotting
1996
Worn by: Spud (Ewen Bremner)
The Hangover
2009
Worn by: Stu (Ed Helms)
Junior
1994
Worn by: Dr. Alex Hesse (Arnold Schwarzenegger)
X-Men: First Class
2011
Worn by: Hank McCoy / Beast (Nicholas Hoult)
A Dangerous Method
2011
Worn by: Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender)
![3. Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Complete Box Set [Blu-ray]](https://www.shortlist.com/media/imager/202004/47769-product_widget.large.png)
