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The 10 Best Buddy Movies and What They Teach Us About Teamwork
Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling in a convertible at night.
you know the formula Two of her from very different backgrounds are forced into each other’s lives. Reluctantly, the unlikely duo bond through their hilarious shared escapades.
Whether kidnapped, divorced, or accidentally murdered, the protagonists must carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Cracks will inevitably occur.
And the new friends find themselves at odds. But in epic form, their friendship is rekindled and the importance of their mission is reaffirmed. Save the day by scratching and relaxing.
ClickUp researched the history of buddy movies and highlighted 10 movies that received at least 10,000 votes on IMDb and had at least a 7.0 IMDb user rating or a 70 Metascore. They are listed alphabetically. Movies in this genre appeal to our humanity. Rise to the top of the mountain thanks to the incredible chemistry of… showing the unwavering power of friendship.
Buddy movies have been a Hollywood mainstay since at least the 1930s, and in the 1970s and 1980s the genre evolved to include the casting of interracial duos. And by the 1990s, more female buddy movies were hitting the big screen. Beware: Spoilers ahead.
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Robert Redford and Paul Newman riding horses together.
– Director: George Roy Hill
– IMDb User Rating: 8.0
– Metascore: 66
– Runtime: 110 minutes
“Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid” stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the legendary leaders of a bank-robbing criminal gang who are constantly at war with the authorities. Eventually, a love interest and an increasing police presence persuade the duo to clean up their act, and the two are separated.
Ultimately, their new way of life proves violent and the two revert to their outlaw ways. The characters of Newman and Redford, loosely based on true frontier tales, choose death and friendship over imprisonment and home life, dying beside each other in the flames of glory.
Gaumont
Leon: Professional (1994)
Natalie Portman and Jean Reno in a scene from Leon: The Professional.
– Director: Luc Besson
– IMDb User Rating: 8.5
– Metascore: 64
– Runtime: 110 minutes
In “Leon: The Professional,” a girl played by Natalie Portman develops an unusual relationship with a killer. A girl’s family involved in criminal activity is murdered by a corrupt federal DEA agent (Gary Oldman).
This R-rated film is full of violence and an unconventional platonic tale between an eccentric killer and a brazen girl who persuades him to help exact revenge on the man who killed his family. I’m drawing a love.
columbia movie
Men in Black (1997)
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in “Men in Black”.
– Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
– IMDb User Rating: 7.3
– Metascore: 71
– Runtime: 98 minutes
“Men in Black” continues the trend of the buddy movie genre for crime-fighting duos, but with a galactic twist. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith co-star as veterans and upcoming recruits of the secret organization MiB.
Cursed Veteran shows the cheeky naive newbie how to crack down on aliens in the world who live in disguise as normal humans.
At odds with each other, the pair follows known aliens to clean up their own mess, wiping people’s memories with Neurolyzer along the way. The duo come across a new cockroach-like alien who threatens to destroy the universe.
The stubborn agent shares a tender moment in which Smith’s character wipes Jones’ memories before retiring – including all memories of his relationship with Smith.
universal pictures
Midnight Run (1988)
Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin sitting on a bus together.
– Director: Martin Brest
– IMDb User Rating: 7.5
– Metascore: 78
– Runtime: 126 minutes
In “Midnight Run,” Robert De Niro plays a bounty hunter hired to track down an accountant who swindled money from a crime lord. Buddy His comedy was written by Martin Brest, who directed the 1980s hit “Beverly Hills Cop.” “Midnight Run” boasts a similar blend of action and suspense.
De Niro’s character, Jack, is a strongman who keeps his cards close to his chest. He eventually reveals his checkered past to his bounty as the two travel across the country. Jack changes his attitude when he learns that he has been tricked by his employer. Jack’s relationship with the accountant (Charles Grodin) eventually escalates into friendship, leaving viewers with an example of how the two of them at odds can unite against a common enemy. .
Warner Bros.
Nice Guy (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe drinking and smoking at a bar.
– Director: Shane Black
– IMDb User Rating: 7.3
– Metascore: 70
– Runtime: 116 minutes
“The Nice Guys” is a comedy set in the late 1970s, following two private detectives (Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling) who try to solve the case of a kidnapped girl. Crow’s character embodies the tough-guy enforcer role, while Gosling portrays a goofy young gun.
The clumsy duo are frustrated with each other’s differing approaches to detective work until the case escalates into a larger conspiracy involving the auto industry. In the end, the detective put the culprit in prison, respected each other’s differences along the way, and eventually created their own detective agency.
The film was nominated for several awards, including two Critics’ Choice Awards. This is exactly one of his five non-Marvel films starring Robert Downey Jr. in the 2010s. His role in painting corpses is uncredited.
paramount pictures
The Odd Couple (1968)
Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau in suits on a park bench at night.
– Director: Gene Sachs
– IMDb User Rating: 7.6
– Metascore: 86
– Runtime: 105 minutes
Released in 1968, “The Odd Couple” is a comedy about two divorced men (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) who try to keep each other as roommates after breaking up with their respective wives.
The characters of Lemon and Matthau couldn’t be more alike. Felix, played by Lemmon, is a decent, persistent character. Oscar, played by Matthau, is his carefree and lazy counterpart. The two corner each other and Felix eventually exits, but not before viewers see valuable lessons learned from each other’s respective approaches to life.
united artists
Rain Man (1988)
Tom Cruise looking at Dustin Hoffman looking far away.
– Director: Barry Levinson
– IMDb User Rating: 8.0
– Metascore: 65
– Runtime: 133 minutes
“Rain Man” is a road trip movie that follows Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), an adult man on the autism spectrum, and his estranged biological brother Charlie (Tom Cruise). As the film develops, what viewers will remember is Cruise’s eventual on-screen brotherhood for Hoffman’s character.
At a car dealership, Charlie finds out that his father left his fortune to Raymond. I don’t remember Raymond. During a cross-country trip, Charlie’s frustration with Raymond turns to love, and the two share a tender moment. That moment includes one in which Cruise patiently tries to teach Hoffman’s character how to dance with a woman.
The film swept the 1988 Academy Awards and later drew criticism for Hoffman’s incomplete portrayal of autism and praise for enhancing the experience of people living on the spectrum.
new line cinema
Rush Hour (1998)
Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan laughing together.
– Director: Brett Ratner
– IMDb User Rating: 7.0
– Metascore: 60
– Runtime: 98 minutes
In “Rush Hour,” the worst Los Angeles Police Department detective (Chris Tucker) is tasked with keeping an eye on an alien detective (Jackie Chan) from the FBI. .
Ultimately, Tucker and Chan’s characters overcome what sets them apart—race, nationality, and temperament—to pursue their goal of saving a diplomat’s young daughter from a crime syndicate.
The film has been part of popular culture through nostalgia for the duo’s on-screen chemistry and fan debates about whether the characters’ racist jokes are harmless swells or simply racist. It continues to exist.
path entertainment
Thelma and Louise (1991)
Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in a classic blue convertible.
– Director: Ridley Scott
– IMDb User Rating: 7.5
– Metascore: 88
– Runtime: 130 minutes
Ridley Scott’s early films include Thelma & Louise, the star-studded female-led road trip flick that revolutionized the buddy comedy genre.
In this film, Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) are friends from very different times in their lives who are on the run from the authorities after murdering a man who attempted to rape them.
The two have very different ideas about how to move forward after the incident, and end up criss-crossing the country on hilarious crimes.
The film features Brad Pitt in an early role alongside Harvey Keitel. Both Sarandon and Davis were nominated for Best Actress at the 1991 Academy Awards.
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Withnail and I (1987)
Two men in coats sitting together on a park bench.
– Director: Bruce Robinson
– IMDb User Rating: 7.6
– Metascore: 84
– Runtime: 107 minutes
The buddies in “Withnail and I” are a pair of unemployed actors who habitually abuse various substances. The film follows them on vacation as their roommate relationship becomes strained.
An unnamed character played by Paul McGann learns he was offered the role. I am walking on the road of
Dark comedy and cult classic “Withnail & I” leaves viewers with a picture of two men with bad luck. The film’s source material was an even darker unpublished novel ending in suicide, which director Robinson chose to modify for the screen.
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