By Eric Kohanik, ReMIND Magazine
Dynamic duos are often the key to big-screen success. And the bosom buddies who captivated movie audiences during the 1980s did a lot to boost the box office. Here’s a look at some of the more memorable buddy films of the ’80s:
Stir Crazy
After teaming up in 1976’s Silver Streak, Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor brought their chemistry back in this 1980 comedy directed by Sidney Poitier. They play friends who head for Hollywood after losing their jobs in New York. Along the way, they get nabbed for a bank robbery they didn’t commit and end up in prison, setting the stage for a comical chain of events.
48 Hrs.
Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy star in this 1982 action comedy about a hard-nosed cop (Nolte) who recruits a convict (Murphy) to help catch a cop killer. Trouble is, they have only 48 hours to get the job done. This movie has been hailed as the first film to make the “buddy cop” thing an actual genre.
Running Scared
Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines sparkle in this 1986 comedy/action flick about two wisecracking Chicago cops who begin to question their careers after they almost get killed in a violent encounter with a drug dealer. They make a decision to retire and open a bar in Florida — but first they have to make an important arrest.
Lethal Weapon
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover brought screen chemistry to a new level in director Richard Donner’s 1987 buddy-cop action flick. Their romp as a mismatched pair of Los Angeles detectives was such a hit that it led to three movie sequels. It even spawned a TV reboot last year.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Steve Martin and John Candy headline this comical 1987 misadventure directed by John Hughes. Martin plays a stressed-out advertising executive trying to make it to Chicago from New York City in order to spend Thanksgiving with his family. He meets up with Candy’s schlubby character and they end up going through a series of travel mishaps involving, yes, planes, trains, automobiles … and more.
Twins
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito costar in this 1988 buddy movie directed by Ivan Reitman. They play rather unusual twin brothers who were separated at birth and unaware of each other’s existence. After Schwarzenegger’s character tracks down his long-lost brother, they both head off to find their birth mother, encountering a bunch of twists and turns along the way.
Tango & Cash
Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell bring another type of chemistry to the screen in this 1989 buddy-cop action comedy. They play two rival detectives who are framed for murder and end up in a prison housing many of the criminals they had arrested. After they escape, they team up to clear their names and hunt down the crime lord (Jack Palance) who framed them.
The Blues Brothers
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd team up in this 1980 music-filled comedy based on characters first seen on TV’s Saturday Night Live. Directed by John Landis, the film zooms in on Jake and Elwood Blues, who set out to save the Catholic orphanage where they were raised by reuniting their old band for a big fundraiser. A star-filled cast boosts their fortunes.
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