Best Buddy Movies- Part 7
Posted on 1 Dec 00:00
People's interests vary widely, and therefore, choices of movies also differ. While some prefer comedies, others have a penchant for documentaries, and more. There is also group that love buddy films, a very popular genre of movies. When it comes to buddy films, there are multitudes of them available with underlining themes of comedy, war, westerns, etc. Selecting one can be time consuming, but also rewarding. This article may help with selection of a buddy film.
1. Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989)
A science fiction comedy written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon.
Plot: This movie features Bill and Ted, high school buddies who are starting a band. Sadly, Bill and Ted are about to history class, and if they do, Ted's dad plans to ship him to military school in Alaska, therefore breaking up the duo. A time traveler, Rufus, appears and takes the duo to a future time where the duo's band forms the basis and foundation of a perfect society. This is a game-changer as they visit various historical sites which help them prepare successfully for their final history class presentation.
Director: Stephen Herek.
Main Cast: Keanu Reeves (as Ted ‘Theodore’ Logan), Alex Winter (as Bill S. Preston, Esq.), George Carlin (as Rufus), and Terry Camilleri (as Napoleon Bonaparte).
Critical Reception: 'Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure' movie was a box office hit and had tremendous commercial success. This film grossed $40 millon on a budget of $6.5 million. Rotten Tomatoes ranks the movie at an 85% approval rating and a 6.68/10 average rating. The site’s consensus reads, ‘Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are just charming, goofy, and silly enough to make this fluffy time-travel Adventure work.’ Based on 16 reviews, Metacritic gave the film a weighted rating of 50 out of 100, suggesting a 'mixed or average rating.'
Awards and Nominations: The American Film Institute recognized the film in 2005: AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes, where Bill/Ted: 'Excellent!’ was nominated. The 2019 blockbuster film 'Avengers: Endgame' mentioned 'Bill & ted's Excellent Adventure' as an example of pop-culture time travel.
Sequels: Following the success of 'Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure', other sequels were produced including; 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey' and 'Bill & Ted Face the Music'.
Soundtrack: In 1989, the year when the movie was released, a soundtrack consisting of ten songs was released, 'Play with Me' by Extreme, ‘The Boys and Girls Are Doing It’ by Vital Signs, ‘Not So Far Away’ by Glen Burtnik, and ‘Dancing with a Gypsy’ by Tora Tora.
The 1996 'Swingers' comedy-drama was written by Jon Favreau.
Plot: This film is set during the 1990s revival of swing. It features two friends, Mike and Trent. Mike has recently had his heart broken by a breakup with a longtime girlfriend and is now lovesick. Through a series of attempts to uplift Mike's spirit, Trent eventually helps him get over the heartbreak, and Mike meets another woman and is happy to take another chance at love.
Director: Doug Liman.
Main Cast: Jon Favreau (as Mike Peters, a New York City struggling comedian who has undergone a recent heartbreak from his longtime girlfriend), Vince Vaughn (as Trent Walker, an aspiring actor and Mike's closest friend), and Ron Livingston (as Rob, Mike's New York friend, who recently arrived at Los Angeles).
Critical Reception: 'Swingers' movie was a commercial and critical hit. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an 87% approval rating and a 7.7/10 average rating based on 54 reviews with the website’s consensus reading, ‘Funny, heartfelt, and effortlessly cool, Swingers made stars out of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau, established Doug Liman as a director to watch.’ Metacritic gave the film a ‘generally favorable’ stand symbolized by a weighted average rating of 71 out of 100 based on 25 reviews. Roger Ebert said this about the film, ‘It's not a terribly original idea, (yet) the movie is sweet, funny (and) observant.’ He awarded the movie three out of four stars.
Awards and Nominations: Bravo's ‘100 Funniest Movies’ list recognized the movie and ranked it 58th on its list. The 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards also praised 'Swingers’. A group of Los Angeles Times editors and writers with two criteria said this about Swingers, ‘The movie had to communicate some inherent truth about the L.A. experience, and only one film per director was allowed on the list.’ The group ranked the film fourteenth in their best films list for the previous twenty-five years.
Plot: A loan shark gives Mike, a gifted poker player and law student, a loan and demands repayment after the Mike lose it all. Unable to pay it back, the Mike turns to his friend, Lester 'Worm' Murphy, an unscrupulous gambler, The duo move from town to town to find high-stake games to pay off the outstanding debt. Mike's law studies begin to suffer, and a series of unfortunate events changes Mike's life.
Director: John Dahl.
Main Cast: Matt Damon (as Mike McDermott), Edward Norton (as Lester ‘Worm’ Murphy), and John Turturro (as Joey Knish).
Critical Reception: 'Rounders' received mixed critical reception and was a moderate commercial success. The film grossed $22.9 million on a budge of $12 million. Based on its 80 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes awarded the film a 68% approval rating and a 6.62/10 average rating with the site’s consensus reading, ‘Richly atmospheric and colorful performances contributed to the movie's entertainment value.’ Metacritic used 32 reviews to give the movie the 54/100 average rating, suggesting ‘mixed or average review.’
Awards and Nominations: At the 1999 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards, Edward Norton won the Best Actor SEFCA Award for American History X. john Dahl also received a Golden Lion nomination for Best Director.
Plot: 'The Fisher King' depicts a radio shock jock, Jack Lucas, who attempts to redeem himself by restoring the mental health of Parry, a man whose wife was killed when Jack provoked an unstable caller who then went on a mass shooting spree. Parry is searching for the Holy Grail and Lucas pledges to help him in in quest.
Director: Terry Gilliam.
Main Cast: Robin Williams (as Parry), Jeff Bridges (as Jack Lucas), and Mercedes Ruehl (as Anne Napolitano).
Critical Reception: 'The Fisher King' was a moderate commercial success, grossing revenue of $42 million on a budge of $24 million. Commenting on the film, Rolling Stone's Peter Traveler said this, 'sweeps you up on waves of humor, heartbreak and ravishing romance.’ Rotten Tomatoes awarded the move an 81% approval rating and a 7.08/10 average rating based on 61 reviews. The National Review’s John Simon said this about the movie, 'The Fisher King' as "one of the most nonsensical, pretentious, mawkishly cloying movies I ever had to wretch through.” The site’s consensus reads, ‘An odd but affecting mixture of drama, comedy and fantasy, 'The Fisher King' manages to balance moving performances from Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges with director Terry Gilliam's typically askew universe’ Metacritic awarded the movie 61/100 rating based on 9 critics, indicating a ‘generally favorable review.’
Awards and Nominations: The Academy Awards nominated the movie for five awards, including the Best Supporting Actress Award that Mercedes Ruehl won. The movie got two BAFTA Award nominations, Best Actress in a Supporting Role Amanda Plummer and Best Original Screenplay for Richard LaGravenese.
Plot: This film features two friends who, after having their hearts broken by their girlfriends, head to the mall where the girls are participating in a video game show. The boys goal is to ruin the mall game.
Director: Kevin Smith.
Main Cast: Shannen Doherty (as Rene Mosier), Jeremy London (as T.S. Quint), and Jason Lee (as Brodie Bruce).
Critical Reception: This film received mixed critical reaction, with many critics praising it and comparing it to other movies like 'Clerks' and others criticizing it. Roger Ebert of Chicago Times gave the film negative reviews symbolized by the 1 1/2 stars out of 4, and the commentary that read, 'Before Mallrats was released, I chaired a panel that Smith participated in and Kevin Smith cheerfully said he'd be happy to do whatever the studios wanted if they’d pay for his films. At the time, I thought he was joking.’ Rotten Times used 46 critics to review the movie and gave it a 57% approval rating and a 5.6/100 average rating.
Awards and Nominations: No awards or nominations.
6. Diner (1982)
Plot: This film is about the reunion of close-knit friends at a diner in Baltimore at a time when one of the circle's members plans to get married.
Director: Barry Levinson.
Main Cast: Steve Guttenberg (as Edward ‘Eddie’ Simmons), Daniel Stern (as Laurence ‘Shrevie’ Schreiber), Mickey Rourke (as Robert ‘Boogie’ Sheftell), Kevin Bacon (as Timothy Fenwick, Jr.), and Tim Daly (as William ‘Billy’ Howard).
Critical Reception: This movie was a tremendous critical success. Rotten Tomatoes awarded the film a 93% approval rating using 40critics with the site’s consensus reading, ‘Diner transports audiences back to the 1950s with a refreshing lack of sentimentality, evoking the thrill of everyday life with its ensemble's potent chemistry and an authentic sense of spontaneity.’ Metacritic awarded the movie an 82% rating using 15 reviews, indicating ‘universal acclaim.’
Awards and Nominations: The Academy Awards nominated Levinson for the Best Screenplay. The American Film Institute recognized Diner in its 2000: AFI's 100 Years…100 Laughs and ranked it 57th
Plot: This film’s plot depicts five friends who are in a pub crawl when they learn of an alien invading their hometown, and this unlikely crew must save the world!
Director: Edgar Wright.
Main Cast: Simon Pegg (Gary King), Nick Frost (Andy Knightley), Paddy Considine (Steven Prince), Martin Freeman (Oliver O-Man Chamberlain), Eddie Marsan (Peter Page) and Rosamund Pike (Sam Chamberlain).
Critical Reception: 'The World’s End' was a tremendous commercial and critical success. It grossed $46.1 million on a budget of $20 million. Rotten Tomatoes used 240 critics in the film's reviews and awarded it an 89% approval rating and a 7.44/100 averaging rating. Metacritic reviewed the movie and gave it an 81/100 average rating, suggesting a 'universal acclaim'.
Awards and Nominations: The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominated the film for two roles, Best Actor in a Comedy (for Simon Pegg) and for Best Comedy. The film lost the awards to Leonardo DiCaprio and American Hustle, respectively. At the 19th Empire Awards, the movie won the Best British Film Award.
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