The Hobbit

In regards to Bilbo, he's pretty much a burden in the books until the later parts but yes, he was never heroic like how the movie seems to want to make him look. To say he has no redeeming qualities seems far off the mark to me as his reasons may have been selfish but he still tries to do what he thinks is right for all sides (See: Giving the Arkenstone to Bard to make negotiations easier), it's just grating that they're making him look like a shining action hero when by and large Gandalf was right about him being a burglar in the sense of how he gets people out of trouble with stealth and cunning, traits that are not always appreciated in Hollywood heroes.

What they really should have done was to stick more true to the book. I am in agreement with you that it has its pros in terms of expansion but with the cost being character butchering it becomes less good of a movie than LOTR was to me.

What I meant by "no redeeming qualities", I was referring to physical prowess, and basically what Thorin and the others all saw in him, or the lack of what they saw. There is no doubt that Bilbo's intangible qualities are present and have a big effect on the story. My main issue has just been with the way the cast the character of Bilbo that took away what made him such an awesome character in the book.