I was originally going to write about Who Was That Lady? (1960) for the You Gotta Have Friends Blogathon hosted by Moon in Gemini, but I didn't have time to write a full-blown review and also it's been a while since I watched the movie but not quite long enough that I'm in the mood to watch it again. So instead I decided to write about my Favorite Buddy movies.
What is a buddy movie?
Why do we enjoy them so much?
Buddy movies, which portray a close relationship between two people, especially men, are enjoyable because we either have someone that we are that close to and can therefore relate, or we WISH we had someone that we were that close to. Everyone wants a friend who is always there for them no matter what and with whom they can share their joys and sorrows with. Buddy movies are a way for us to experience that relationship, often in situations we would never find ourselves in.
With that being said, here is my (extremely tardy) list of my favorite Buddy Movies (in order of release):
Gunga Din (1939) - True, this film has a group of three friends but Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. always have each others backs when one of their lives or on the line. When they are in less dangerous situations they play pranks on one another but are always forgiven in the end.
The Road to... movies (1940-1962) - Bob Hope and Bing Crosby are the quintessential Buddy team and their popularity lead to seven movies together in this comedy series.
Two Guys From Texas (1948) - Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson made lots of movies together and were close friends in real life, but this particular film of theirs really seems to capture their real-life friendship. Just watch this song from the film.
We're No Angels (1955) - Again, this is another group of three, but Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov, and Aldo Ray as three escaped convicts play against one another so well it's easy to see them hanging out together in real life.
Some Like it Hot (1959) - You know you're good friends when you're comfortable enough around each other to dress up like women and join and all-girls band! It helps when you know that if you don't you will probably be killed by gangsters.
Who Was That Lady? (1959) - What do you do when your best friend's wife catching him kissing someone else? Help him come up with a cover story of course! That's what Dean Martin does for Tony Curtis when Janet Leigh catching a student "thanking" him.
Cat Ballou (1965) - While Michael Callan and Dwayne Hickman aren't the main stars of the film, their friendship is worth mentioning. They're just a couple of fellows with a price on their heads and not one killing between them.
Not With My Wife, You Don't! (1966) - The one thing that can come between friends is a beautiful blonde, especially when that blonde is Virni Lisi and the two guys are Tony Curtis and George C. Scott.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) - Probably the most famous Buddy Movie of them all, I watched this for the first time a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it! Paul Newman and Robert Redford act like they have been friends for as long as they can remember. (Does Redford remind anyone else of Brad Pitt in this movie? Both in looks and attitude/comedy style.)
My favorite post-1960s Buddy Films:
The Blues Brothers (1980) - It doesn't get much better than John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd.
Ocean's 11 (2001) - I LOVE George Clooney and Brad Pitt in this movie!!! They are phenomenal together not to mention hilarious. It's amazing what they can say to each other without actually saying anything.
This Means War (2012) - There are lots of Buddy movies made nowadays, but this one tops them all. Chris Pine and Tom Hardy discover they both like the same girl (Reese Witherspoon) and make an agreement that if it begins to affect their friendship they will step away.
This post is for the You Gotta Have Friends Blogathon. Be sure to read all of the other posts and leave a friendly comment!
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