The Top 15 Film Bromances3

By Steven Novak, May 25, 2011 in MacAwesome, Pop Culture

The Top 15 Film Bromances

It’s been rumored that the word “bromance” dates back to the early 1990s, when it first appeared in a skating magazine called “Big Brother.” It was used to describe the relationship between skateboarders who spent lots of time together. Brother plus romance equals bromance – pretty simple, right? It’s this very dynamic that takes center stage in the KoldCast TV comedy series MacAwesome where two high school foes, in love with the same girl, strike up a friendship. Sometimes contentious, sometimes understanding, and often questionably close, we’ve compiled a list of the best bromances in film history.

1. Tango and Cash – Raymond “Ray” Tango and Gabriel “Gabe” Cash

SYNOPSIS: Tango and Cash were two cops from the opposite sides of the tracks – Tango was the by-the-books smooth-talker and Cash was the rough-around-the-edges rebel. Framed for murder by the city’s most powerful drug lord, the pair found themselves forced to work together to clear their name.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: The shower scene. There are few things that say bromance more than a couple of guys chatting it up on all sorts of topics while alone in the shower.

2. Point Break – Johnny Utah and Bodhi

SYNOPSIS: FBI rookie and former Ohio State Quarterback Johnny Utah was assigned to investigate a series of robberies by a gang known as “the Ex-Presidents.” Utah ended up striking a friendship with a local surf sensation named Bodhi who also turned out to be the leader of the Ex-Presidents – thus beginning the most famously corny love-hate relationships on the list.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Pretty much the entire movie. In fact, Johnny Utah’s “love interest” often ends up feeling more like a script obligation than anything. It’s painfully obvious that he really wants to spend his time hanging with Bodhi, and the waves, and the nature, and doing all this with their shirts off.

3. Lord of the Rings – Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee

SYNOPSIS: After unassuming hobbit Frodo Baggins was burdened with the task of carrying a ring of unspeakable power across Middle-Earth deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy it by tossing it into the Cracks of Doom, he could think of none better to join him than his lifelong friend Samwise Gamgee. Thus began the journey.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: By the time the third movie rolled around, Frodo was completely spent and could walk no further, collapsing at the foot of the mountain. His buddy Sam once again came to his rescue, “Then let us be rid of it, once and for all! Come on, Mr. Frodo. I can’t carry it for you… but I can carry you!” Carrying your tired pal – that right there is bromance.

4. Fight Club – The Narrator and Tyler Durden

SYNOPSIS: Living his life traveling from city to city, dealing with insomnia, buying everything from catalogs, and generally being sick with what he’d slowly degraded into, our nameless narrator ended up meeting the spiky-haired, flamboyant, and often shirtless Tyler Durden and became his BFF. Soon enough the pair was getting into bare-knuckle fights in basements, living together in filth, forming cults, and sharing the occasional woman.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Beating each other up for the first time outside a bar and then hugging it out immediately afterward. The big reveal at the end of the film does little to diminish the bromance between the two – in fact, if anything it makes it that much stronger – and far more disturbing.

5. Rush Hour – Inspector Lee and Detective Carter

SYNOPSIS: After being sent to the United States to investigate the kidnapping of a diplomat’s daughter, Hong Kong’s finest, Inspector Lee, was teamed with L.A.’s most unpredictable, Detective Carter. Though equally frustrated with the pairing at first, it didn’t take long for them to realize that together they not only needed one another, but couldn’t imagine working a case any other way.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Any one of the numerous times they decided, rather strangely, to break into song will suffice.

6. Star Trek – Captain James T. Kirk and Spock

SYNOPSIS: Depending on what timeline you’re following, space exploration’s most dynamic duo either first met while at Starfleet Academy, or on the deck of the USS Enterprise when Kirk took the position of Captain. In any case, the pair has had numerous adventures together over the years, easily making theirs the most bro-lasting relationship on the list.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: There are lots to choose from, but it’s hard to ignore the speech Kirk gave while choking back a fountain of tears at Spock’s funeral in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. “Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most…human.” Cue the bagpipes, and that about sums it up.

7. Lethal Weapon – Detective Roger Murtaugh and Detective Martin Riggs

SYNOPSIS: After the death of his wife, Martin Riggs was a suicidal wreck sleepwalking through life and working for the LAPD. It was then that he was transferred to the unit of aging veteran and dedicated family man Roger Murtaugh. While investigating the death of a friend’s daughter, the unlikely pair stumbled onto something much larger and were forced to put their differences behind them long enough to solve the case.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: When Riggs gave Murtaugh the bullet he was planning on using to kill himself. Had they been just a bit less “manly” they might have kissed.

8. Bad Boys – Detective Marcus Burnett and Detective Mike Lowrey

SYNOPSIS: Marcus and Mike were best friends and detectives in the narcotics division of the Miami-Dade Police Department when $100 million dollars worth of seized heroin was stolen from the secured police vault. Warned that if they didn’t find the drugs in five days the division would be shut down, the pair immediately took to the streets and got to work.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: There are so very many it’s difficult to single out just one. Once again, I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the constant need to break into smiley-faced song. The pair took it even further though when they insisted on working in the title of the movie over, and over, and over again. We get it. You’re a couple of “bad boys.” You can put a cork in it now guys.

9. Good Will Hunting – Will Hunting and Chuckie Sullivan

SYNOPSIS: While working as a janitor at MIT, the deceptively super-brained Will Hunting began solving graduate-level equations left on the chalkboard in the mathematics department and quickly drew the attention of the staff. His lifelong buddy Chuckie was working as a day laborer at the time and wanted nothing more than to see his friend make the most of the gift he’d been given.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: The discussion the pair had while reclining on the hood of Chuckie’s car. Covered in the sweat of a hard days work, their muscles tense, taught, and ready to spring, they decided it was the absolute perfect time to pour their feelings out to each other – which made perfect sense – I guess.

10. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

SYNOPSIS: As the leaders of the “Hole in the Wall Gang,” wild-west gunslingers Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid found themselves stuck with a posse hot on their tails after a robbery went horribly wrong. Only their witty banter, fast draw abilities, and friendship could keep them alive.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Without a doubt the final sepia-toned, freeze-framed image of the pair shooting it out together and most likely dying. You can’t get more bro-tastic than dying alongside your best friend, can you? Nope.

11. Shawshank Redemption – Andy Dufrense and Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding

SYNOPSIS: After being convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, mild-mannered banker Andy Dufrense was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences at the Shawshank Penitentiary in Maine. It was here, among the solitude of prison, that Andy sparked an unlikely relationship with a fellow inmate by the name of Red and began to patiently plan his escape.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: When the pair was reunited on a beach in Mexico years later. One can only imagine that it was there that they would most likely spend the remainder of their days – sipping fruity drinks and sailing around in their shorts and brightly colored Hawaiian shirts. Sounds like heaven… for two convicted felons.

Read 11 Things You Didn’t Know About The Shawshank Redemption.

12. Reservoir Dogs – Mr. White and Mr. Orange

SYNOPSIS: Working as an undercover cop, Mr. Orange (which is the name he was given by those he was hired to investigate) found himself in a sticky situation after a botched robbery, questions of his loyalty, a chopped off ear, and a can of gasoline. The only thing that could have saved his life was a remarkably close friendship he had with another gangster by the name of Mr. White.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Covered in blood, with bullets wedged into various vital organs throughout their bodies, the pair held each other tenderly and discussed the hidden truths behind their situation before dying. Like I stated earlier, dying alongside your buddy – that right there is pretty bro-tacular.

13. Top Gun – Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Nick “Goose” Bradshaw

SYNOPSIS: Maverick and Goose were as close as friends could possibly be, and as pilots of F-14A Tomcats, they were quite literally wingmen. After an unfortunate incident involving another pilot nicknamed “Cougar,” the duo is sent to Top Gun School to brush up on their skills by the CAG (Who happened to be nicknamed “Stinger”). It was here that they met “Iceman” and a few other guys with silly nicknames.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: The volleyball scene – you know what I’m talking about.

14. Boogie Nights – Dirk Diggler and Chest Rockwell

SYNOPSIS: As a high school drop out working occasionally as a waiter, and sometimes as a prostitute, Eddie Adams was spotted by a director named Jack Horner who saw potential in his extraordinary endowment and turned him into the porn sensation Dirk Diggler. It was while working for Jack that Dirk first met his best friend, fellow porn star, and wannabe magician Chest Rockwell.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Well, the fact that they shared any number of women, sexually, while on camera, is pretty darn bro-mantic. There’s just no getting around that. Their bromance shined most brightly however during the recording of Dirk’s album. It was here that Chest’s Dirk-love shined most brightly.

15. Brian’s Song – Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers

SYNOPSIS: Although they competed for the same spot on the same team, and despite the fact that Sayers was black and Piccolo white, the pair became roommates on the road and very close friends, especially when Sayers was injured and Piccolo helped his recovery. Later the pair would come together again when Brian was diagnosed with cancer.

MOST BROMANTIC MOMENT: Arguably the most bromantic of all bromances, there are few moments more brohonest and broheart-wrenching than Gale Sayers speech at the end of the film. This is bromance at its brofinest. That’s a whole lotta’ bro.

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Steven Novak is a writer, illustrator, graphic designer and admitted lifelong nerd with an embarrassingly large DVD collection. He is currently working and living in the Southern California desert. His most recent fantasy/action adventure novel, “Forts: Fathers and Sons,” is available everywhere books are sold.