Carlyle's portrait of a man under incredible pressure who nevertheless just can't bring himself to cultivate normal human relationships--ie, the kind that might win him friends and influence people on his behalf.

That would be the someone I'd like, yes.

It's almost physical/chemical, like how I can recognize Jeff Bridges is a great actor, and yet still want to chew off my foot to avoid having to watch anything with him in it.

Interesting. I don't love him instinctively, as my parents do, but I am very fond of The Fisher King and it was to my immense surprise a couple of weeks ago that I found I enjoyed the hell out of The Big Lebowski.