The Buddy Comedies film subgenre resides within the Comedy, Drama and Action genres and typically crossovers with other subgenres including Comedy Action Films, Raunchy & Sex Comedies, Slapstick & Screwball Comedies, Stoner Comedies, Films About Cops & The FBI and Action Thrillers. Buddy Comedies often feature two or more people with vastly different personalities and plays off the dynamics between the personalities or within comedic situations.
Buddy Comedies have been popular since the advent of film. Abbot & Costello, The Marx Brothers and The Three Stooges were examples of early film era Buddy Comedies that featured slapstick comedy and situations. Over the ensuing decades, Buddy Comedy films often evolved to feature two main characters with completely different personalities that were mined for comedic effect. The Odd Couple (1968) was one example of this Buddy Comedy film trope featuring an uptight & clean individual (Jack Lemmon) rooming with a carefree & dirty roommate (Walter Matthau).
In the 1970’s, Buddy Comedies became a popular subgenre across different genres and subgenres. The Sting (1973) and Bootleggers (1974) were period pieces and helped establish a microgenre with Buddy Comedy situations played against the specific era. Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke (1978) had Cheech & Chong establish the Stoner Comedy subgenre. And a few additional films helped establish Buddy Comedy teams that would thrive into the following decade. Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were a popular Buddy Comedy team starring in Silver Streak (1976) and Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise became one of the funnier Buddy Comedy teams in the 1970’s and 1980’s starting with The End (1978). The Reynolds and DeLuise team would also pair with Sally Field for Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982).
The 1980’s became the Golden Age of Buddy Comedy films featuring a new microgenre – the Buddy Comedy film featuring Cops, the FBI or other law enforcement. Partners (1982), 48 Hrs. (1982), Beverly Hills Cop (1984), City Heat (1984), Spies Like Us (1985), Running Scared (1986), Lethal Weapon (1987), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Stakeout (1987), Real Men (1987), Dead Heat (1988), Red Heat (1988), Midnight Run (1988), Feds (1988), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), Turner & Hooch (1989) and Tango & Cash (1989) all followed the formula pairing comedic teams with one or more law enforcement individuals and action sequences. Stoner Comedies also gained in popularity primarily through Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie (1980), Nice Dreams (1981), Things Are Tough All Over (1982) and Still Smokin (1983). Other classic films of the subgenre included The Blues Brothers (1980), Stir Crazy (1980), Stripes (1981), Trading Places (1983), Strange Brew (1983), Ghostbusters (1984), Making the Grade (1984), Brewster’s Millions (1985), Gung Ho (1986), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), Coming to America (1988), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) and Ghostbusters II (1989).
In the 1990’s, the Buddy Comedy film featuring Cops microgenre maintained its popularity with Another 48 Hrs. (1990), The Hard Way (1991), Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), Another Stakeout (1993), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), Bad Boys (1995), Money Train (1995), Bulletproof (1996) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998). Buddy Comedies featuring more Slapstick & Screwball Comedy also gained in popularity with Wayne’s World (1992), Wayne’s World 2 (1993), Airheads (1994), Dumb and Dumber (1994), Tommy Boy (1995), Friday (1995), Mallrats (1995), Black Sheep (1996), Kingpin (1996), The Sixth Man (1997), Dirty Work (1998), A Night at the Roxbury (1998) and Office Space (1999). And one of the most famous Comedic Duos of all time, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, had multiple subgenre films this decade with Grumpy Old Men (1993), Grumpier Old Men (1995), Out to Sea (1997) and The Odd Couple II (1998). Other classic films of the subgenre this decade included City Slickers (1991), Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991), White Men Can’t Jump (1992), Aspen Extreme (1993), Clerks (1994), Clueless (1995), Trainspotting (1996), Swingers (1996), Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997), Good Burger (1997), Half Baked (1998), The Big Lebowski (1998) and American Pie (1999).
The 2000’s saw an expansion of the Buddy Comedy film into Ensemble Comedy Films featuring Raunchy or Sex Comedy. American Pie (1999) helped usher in this era and the 2000’s saw additional films of this type with American Pie 2 (2001), Old School (2003), American Wedding (2003), Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004), Without a Paddle (2004), Wedding Crashers (2005), The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), Superbad (2007), Role Models (2008) and The Hangover (2009). The Stoner Comedy subgenre also saw an increase in films with Dude Where’s My Car? (2000), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), How High (2001) and Pineapple Express (2008). Other classic and notable films of the subgenre during the 2000’s included High Fidelity (2000), Next Friday (2000), Made (2001), Friday After Next (2002), Garage Days (2002), Anger Management (2003), Stuck on You (2003), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Sahara (2005), Clerks II (2006), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), The Bucket List (2007), Sex and the City (2008), Step Brothers (2008), I Love You, Man (2009), Funny People (2009) and Extract (2009).
The 2010’s saw the Buddy Comedy film subgenre evolve yet again with a focus on Female Buddy Comedies. Bridesmaids (2011), Pitch Perfect (2012), The Heat (2013), Pitch perfect 2 (2015), Hot Pursuit (2015), Sisters (2015), Ghostbusters (2016), Bad Moms (2016), Snatched (2017), A Bad Moms Christmas (2017), Tragedy Girls (2017), Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018), Late Night (2019), The Hustle (2019) and Booksmart (2019) were all popular female-led comedies of the decade. There were also many classic films of the subgenre this decade such as Get Him to the Greek (2010), Grown Ups (2010), The Other Guys (2010), Due Date (2010), Paul (2011), The Hangover Part II (2011), Tower Heist (2011), Horrible Bosses (2011), The Intouchables (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), American Reunion (2012), Ted (2012), 10 Years (2012), The Hangover Part III (2013), This Is the End (2013), Grown Ups 2 (2013), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013), Ride Along (2014), Neighbors (2014), 22 Jump Street (2014), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), Get Hard (2015), Entourage (2015), Ted 2 (2015), The Night Before (2015), Daddy’s Home (2015), Keanu (2015), Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016), The Nice Guys (2016), Central Intelligence (2016), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), All Nighter (2017), Green Book (2018) and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019).
The 2020’s have not yet produced any classics of the subgenre but a few notable films of the decade include Bad Boys for Life (2020), Spenser Confidential (2020) and Another Round (2020).
Our list of Buddy Comedy Films includes over 332+ films from 1968 – 2021. Our list includes other comedies of subgenres including Stoner Comedy Films, Slapstick & Screwball Comedy Films, Raunchy & Sexy Comedy Films, and Films About Cops & The FBI. For our list of Top Buddy Comedies You Haven’t Seen we have so many great films to choose from that this list only comprises Part 1 of our list (and we will have a second list in the near future). The honorable mentions that didn’t make Part 1 of our list includes Running Scared (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Dudes (1987), The Great Outdoors (1988), Red Heat (1988), Aspen Extreme (1993), Big Bully (1996), Drive (1997), Whipped (2000), Garage Days (2002), Looking for Kitty (2004), Role Models (2008), The Other Guys (2010), Search Party (2014), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016), Fist Fight (2017) and The Festival (2018).
We have embedded a compilation video of our Top Buddy Comedies Films You Haven’t Seen (Part 1) and more details on these films can be found in the list below. Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
#10
All Nighter
Plot: Workaholic father brings his daughter’s ex-boyfriend along while trying to find her.
KBZ’s Take: Successful Buddy Comedies need to have a strong dynamic between the two leads – and this film is entirely driven by that dynamic. Emile Hirsch and JK Simmons play the two leads who continually find themselves in one crazy situation after another while searching for JK Simmon’s daughter. Recommended film for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3ufddJY
#9
Booksmart
Plot: Two academic teenage superstars have a girl’s night out on the eve of their high school graduation.
KBZ’s Take: This film was on the tail end of the wave of female-driven Raunchy & Sex Comedies that came out in the 2010’s and it’s one of the best. The film follows usual Buddy Comedy tropes but does two things particularly well. First, it somehow integrates gross out humor into the film that plays much funnier than you would expect. Second, it has an emotional core between the two girls that has a surprisingly fitting end. While the film was popular, for anybody that hasn’t seen this yet, it’s highly recommended.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3P15dG4
#8
10 Years
Plot: A group of friends reunite for their 10th year high school graduation.
KBZ’s Take: Every generation has their ‘reunion’ film – The Big Chill (1983) for Boomers, Beautiful Girls (1996) for Gen X, and this film for Gen Y. What is most surprising about this great film is how few have seen it. How can you go wrong with a cast of Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Oscar Isaac, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Anthony Mackie, and Rosario Dawson? Well, you can’t. Though the film bills itself as a Romantic Comedy, it’s more of a drama about the struggle of young adults to embrace the demands of adulthood. It’s one of the best films of the subgenre and highly recommended.
Additional Lists: Top Films About Reunions You Haven’t Seen #3
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XSRhlx
#7
The Hard Way
Plot: Hollywood actor partners with a cop to learn how to act like a real cop for his new film.
KBZ’s Take: Another lost gem of the 1990’s, this was one of the first films that had the ‘Hollywood actor in police environment” trope. And it’s still the best one there is. Directed by John Badham, there’s quite a bit of action and suspense in this film as the cops try to catch a serial killer (Stephen Lang). However, it’s a Buddy Comedy at its core and it’s hilarious. No film of this type does a better job of pitting the unfamiliar (Michael J. Fox) with the familiar (James Woods) for numerous laugh out loud moments.
Additional Lists: Top Fish Out of Water Films You Haven’t Seen #3
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3it8UIg
#6
Queenpins
Plot: Two bored housewives launch a coupon scam business and are soon pursued by a U.S Postal Inspector.
KBZ’s Take: This is a rare Buddy Comedy film that features not one, but two separate pairs of buddies with separate narratives that eventually connect. Our first pair are the housewives played by Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste who are ingenious with setting up the couponing scan but completely incompetent when it comes to money laundering (where most of the laughs are derived from). Our second pair features Paul Walter Hauser as a Loss Prevention Officer for the corporations who teams up with Vince Vaughn’s U.S Postal Inspector. This pairing is quite hilarious with Vaughn playing more of a straight, uptight role to Hauser’s ambitious but idiotic officer.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3gZlC0V
Plot: A deaf man and blind man mistakenly arrested and soon on the run from both the police and killers.
KBZ’s Take: Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor were two of the funniest comedians for 2+ decades and starred together in 4 comedies. While Silver Streak (1976) and Stir Crazy (1980) are more well known, See No Evil, Hear No Evil is probably their funniest collaboration and Buddy Comedy. Both play off the other’s form of physical comedy to perfection. It’s worth checking out all the Pryor/Wilder films, but if there’s one not to miss, this is it.
Additional Lists: Top Slapstick & Screwball Comedies You Haven’t Seen #5
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3izWAWU
#4
Strange Brew
Plot: Bob and Doug McKenzie confront a suspicious Brewmeister while trying to save a Brewery.
KBZ’s Take: This film was very popular in the early 1980’s but has been lost to time. It’s one of the better overall comedies of that time period and also one of the funnier Buddy Comedies. The characters of Bob McKenzie (Dave Thomas) and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis) were already popular characters on the sketch comedy show SCTV. The film is an extension of those sketches and very hilarious – especially during the Hockey scenes. Highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3HcGKvg
#3
Dirty Work
Plot: Two losers set up a revenge for hire business to raise money for their father’s heart transplant.
KBZ’s Take: How much you will enjoy this film is entirely dependent on whether or not you find Norm MacDonald’s humor hilarious or annoying. We always enjoyed MacDonald’s offbeat, sarcastic humor and this film has it in spades. The film is a bit of a cult classic and its easy to see why – there are many hilarious situations in this film that are made even funnier by the sarcastic dialogue. There are also quite a few cameos by Saturday Night Live alums Chris Farley, Chevy Chase and Adam Sandler.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XNnz1d
Plot: Trust fund kid hires teenage conman to take his place at prep school.
KBZ’s Take: Another lost classic of the early 1980’s, Making the Grade is one of the best Teen & College Comedies, best Buddy Comedies and best films of the Fish Out of Water subgenre. We do have some personal bias with this film as its one of our favorites. It’s Judd Nelson’s second-best performance (after The Breakfast Club (1985)), stars an extremely funny Dana Olsen as the real Palmer Woodrow, and even has Andrew Dice Clay in one of his earliest roles. It also has a rather unique setting and theme compared to most other films in the Teen & College Comedy subgenre. As a straight up Fish Out of Water Comedy, it doesn’t create or even reinvent any popular subgenre tropes, but it does use them to great effect repeatedly throughout the film for one of the funniest films of the 80’s.
Additional Lists: Top Fish Out of Water Films You Haven’t Seen #1
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3EVVoVh
Plot: A young man from the projects becomes a caregiver for a quadriplegic aristocrat.
KBZ’s Take: If there is one film on this list that you should watch (that you haven’t seen), this is the one. While it was remade with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart in The Upside (2017), the remake is nothing compared to the original. The Intouchables is not only one of the best Buddy Comedies you will ever see but also one of the most Inspirational Films. This film is a master class in balancing comedy with heart while showing that human bonds can develop between anybody regardless of socioeconomic status or background. The film has an excellent cast (especially the leads with François Cluzet and Omar Sy) and is one of our most highly recommended films regardless of subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3OREaNf
