Male Bonding Movies – “Bromance”

I love you man: The history of Bromance

Daniel Bettridge for TimesOnline

 

 

With male bonding comedy I Love You Man opening in cinemas this Friday the notion of bromance has been getting a lot of attention lately. Bromance, or to use its correct term homosocialism, isn’t the sort of attraction that’s likely to confuse cowboys. No, instead it’s the sort of camaraderie that we’ve seen in countless sidekicks, buddies and wingmen down the years, only now it has a catchy pop culture name.

As any well adjusted post-feminist bromantic will tell you, movie man-lovers have done away with the kind of testosterone fuelled competition and “mine’s bigger than yours” attitude personified by the average Vin Diesel film, to embrace heart-felt affection for our fellow men. But contrary to popular belief the idea wasn’t created by the Judd Apatow comedy sweat shops, and whilst the terminology might have changed, men have been expressing their hetero-love for each other since cinema began.

 

Of course here at Blockbuster Buzz we’re all about the loud, silly films and whilst we’ll happily watch anything our cinema screens radiate in our direction we’re more likely to remember those with the loudest explosions, or the best space battles. So here’s our own take on cinema’s best cult bromances, from silent and stoned strong types, to space pirates:

Bodhi and Johnny Utah –  Point Break

Waves, bank robbery and skydiving; Point Break is a cult classic. And the “Dude, I like, totally love you man…” surfer bromance between a slightly more wooden than normal Keanu Reeves and a slightly too old for the role Patrick Swayze, is one of the reasons why.

Riggs and Murtaugh – Lethal Weapon

Opposites attract and the chemistry between the stuck in the mud Murtaugh and maniacal Riggs is obvious even without the sultry saxophone score that accompanies their every move.

Maverick and Goose – Top Gun

Okay so the volleyball scene is a little odd, even today, but Maverick and Goose shook our nerves and rattled our brains in this classic jet-fuelled bromance. But sly glances and supersonic joyriding aside, theirs was a wholesome brotherly love expressed by constant howling over a piano and intermittent high fives. Iceman and Slider on the other hand, well there’s a different kettle of flyboy love.

Jay and Silent Bob – Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck; the pot smoking potty mouths from New Jersey are up their with Hollywood’s most iconic couples.

Butch and Sundance – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

One of cinema’s earliest bromances, Redford and Newman seduce the audience with their affectionate banter and blazed a trail for man love for years to come.

Seth and Evan – Superbad

Nerds need to stick together and whilst our other man couples have been forged out of adversity, firearms or a bid to save the galaxy, Seth and Evan’s love comes from the usual high school anxieties of scoring alcohol, going to parties and the constant quest to get laid before they go to college.

Sam and Frodo – Lord of the Rings

“Don’t you leave him Samwise Gamgee, and I don’t mean too.” You’d have had to have a heart of cold Mordor fired steel to have not welled up at Sam’s promise in the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbits’ bromance is one of epic proportions.

Kirk and Spock – Star Trek

Spock and Kirk weren’t just fellow officers, but an intergalactic, interspecies relationship with all the trappings of the classic bromance. Always there for each other in a bind, from a battle of life and death to three-dimensional chess in the mess hall; the pair will be setting their phasers for stun again when J. J. Abrams’ re-boot hits cinemas next month. 

Han and Chewie – Star Wars

Despite George Lucas’ endless tampering, CGI inserts and digital re-mastering, Han and Chewie’s love remains true. But remember fanboys and girls, Solo isn’t the loveable rogue that careful re-mastering will have you believe, and the fact that Han shot first makes the cantina as contentious a cover up as the grassy knoll.

Batman and Robin – Batman and Robin

Holy homosocialism. Whilst we love The Dark Knight’s solitary pursuits many a fan knows that the caped crusader isn’t complete until he’s got a sidekick to torment, train and inevitably lead to his tragic death. Sadly however, the Batman and Robin films left whole audiences plugging their eye sockets with popcorn rather than witness the celluloid horrors acted out before them, but let us not forget that a 1966 outing with the altogether more awesome Adam West gave the dynamic duo a little bit more *cough* respectability.