A buddy film, according to The Complete Film Dictionary, is "a film that features the friendship of two males as the major relationship". Ira Konigsberg, author of the dictionary, further defines the genre: "Such films extol the virtues of male comradeship and relegate male-female relationships to a subsidiary position. Male relationships have always been a significant element in our popular culture, from the Leatherstocking Tales of James Fenimore Cooper to television beer commercials."[1]
According to the Journal of Popular Film and Television, buddy films emerged in the 1970s in response to the feminist movement. The journal reported, "To punish women for their desire for equality, the buddy film pushes them out of the center of the narrative and replaces the traditional central romantic relationship between a man and a woman with a buddy relationship between two men. By making both protagonists men, the central issue of the film becomes the growth and development of their friendship. Women as potential love interests are thus eliminated from the narrative space."[2]
Further reading
- Hunter, Stephen (1990-12-15). "Buddy pictures: Male bonding a persistent theme in Hollywood movies", The Record.
- Wuntch, Philip (1992-05-09). "Hollywood's Best Buddies: Sometimes, a film's popularity depends on whether it makes the right friends", The Dallas Morning News.
- LaSalle, Mick (1996-08-08). "The Buddy Film Goes Way Back - Sure, it's a formula -- but not all are alike", San Francisco Chronicle.
- Strauss, Bob (1997-07-18). "More Than Skin-Deep: The reasons (and rewards) behind Hollywood's interracial buddy-movie pairings", Los Angeles Daily News.
Notes
- ^ Konigsberg, Ira (1998). The Complete Film Dictionary. Penguin, 41. ISBN 0140513930.
- ^ Gates, Philippa (Spring 2004). "Always a Partner in Crime: Black Masculinity in the Hollywood Detective Film". Journal of Popular Film and Television 32 (1): 20-29.
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