The five best movies about male friendship
There’s something about a male friendship that’s very special. After all, the bond between men can be strong and undying, regardless of the other parts of one’s genetic or social background. To be a man in union with another man can reveal much to one about oneself, and this kind of partnership has been captured through the medium of cinema on several brilliant occasions.
Immediately, we’re drawn to the great male friendships of the screen that have arrived throughout the course of cinema. From Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid to the special bond that is shared between Starsky & Hutch, Dumb and Dumber, and even between The Fellowship of the Ring.
Such instances of male bonding show not only what it is to be a great friend but also help to highlight the experience of being a man. Like most artistic avenues, the cinematic medium has a deep power in that it can serve as a mirror to the deepest parts of our psychology and very being.
We’ve compiled a list of the best movies about male friendships to explore the deeper nuances of what it means to be mano a mano. So, from childhood gangs setting out on an adventure to old friendships threatening to split apart at the seams, it’s time to buddy up and sit back for the greatest cinematic male friendships of all time.
The best films about the male bond:
Stand By Me (Rob Reiner, 1986)
We begin with a truly classic tale of youthful friendship based on Stephen King’s novella The Body. Rob Reiner’s Stand By Me tells of the journey that four young friends take to find the body of a missing boy, although their adventure eventually leads into a nuanced exploration of what it means to be a friend, as well as defining the experience of growing up.
The time of adolescence is filled with the pitfall of what it means to be a human being, a moment in life when emotions run high and personal identities are formed, and the characters in Stand By Me all seem to go through a different experience as per their characteristic. One constant, though, even though it naturally twists and turns and people fall out and make back up again, is the four boys’ friendship and care for one another.
Old Joy (Kelly Reichardt, 2006)
Not every great movie about male friendship is a celebration of that very friendship lasting, though, as is well discovered through Kelly Reichardt’s 2006 drama Old Joy. When old friends reconnect for the first time in a while, they might discover that things have changed since the glory days of their youth and that there is a new quiet, unspokenness surrounding the lamentation of what has been lost.
The one-time friendship between Mark and Kurt is indicative of this and as the pair make their way through the lush scenery of the Oregon forests, Reichardt lets an air of silence smother the film in emotional tension. Friendship is, therefore, not all about joy and laughter, but is sometimes about realising that you have moved on from a moment in your life that once defined you.
I Love You, Man (John Hamburg, 2009)
Sometimes, we become so wrapped up in our romantic relationships that it can be easy to forget about our platonic ones, and John Hamburg’s comedy I Love You, Man, starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal, shows what a man might be like if he were to have no friends at all. After all, a man is not an island, and to be friendless is largely to be without oneself, as the socially awkward Peter Klaven soon discovers as he approaches his wedding day.
Tasked with finding a best friend and a best man, Peter eventually meets Sydney Fife, a carefree man, and the two develop a close bond. However, the pair discover that making friends isn’t always easy and can be filled with just as much vulnerability as the more romantic kind of bonding endeavours, although the film posits that male friendships should be also defined with an air of emotional support and affection.
The Banshees of Inisherin (Martin McDonagh, 2022)
Like Old Joy, Martin McDonagh’s tragicomedy film The Banshees of Inisherin details the kind of falling out that can often make or break a male friendship. Narratively, the film takes place on a remote Irish island where nothing much happens at all and tells of the lofty-minded Padraig, who makes the sudden decision to stop being friends with the admittedly dim yet kind Colm.
What follows is a stunning consideration of the complex nature of friendship, especially one in which two people are seemingly opposed in their worldly views and desires. There’s a deep sadness in a close friendship coming to an end, but it’s made even worse when one of the parties involved doesn’t understand the other’s reasoning, and The Banshees of Inisherin serves as an interesting exploration of the fragility of the male bond and yet its striking inevitability.
Midnight Cowboy (John Schlesinger, 1969)
We’ll end on a slightly happier note, though, with the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy, starring Jon Voight as a grafting sex worker in New York City and Dustin Hoffman as a sickly con man. An unlikely yet poignant friendship is formed between the two men, which serves as a point of strength amid the harsh realities of urban life that they both experience.
The most marginalised members of society are often those who are most drawn to one another, and Joe and Ratso find an unbreakable bond with one another while they struggle to survive. Though the relationship is formed out of necessity, the Joe-Ratso friendship is one that manages to transcend the boundaries of the male bond, and its touching nature goes to show that even in the direst of circumstances, great strength can be found in the loving embrace of a good pal.
