Best Friends (1982)

When a professional couple who have lived & worked together for many years finally decide to marry, their sudden betrothal causes many unexpectedly funny and awkward difficulties. They soon... See full summary »

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Goldie Hawn, Jessica Tandy

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds	...	Richard Babson
Goldie Hawn	...	Paula McCullen
Jessica Tandy	...	Eleanor McCullen
Barnard Hughes	...	Tim McCullen
Audra Lindley	...	Ann Babson
Keenan Wynn	...	Tom Babson
Ron Silver	...	Larry Weisman
Carol Locatell	...	Nellie Ballou
Richard Libertini	...	Jorge Medina
Peggy Walton-Walker	...	Carol Brandon
Noah Hathaway	...	Lyle Ballou
Mikey Martin	...	Robbie Ballou
Helen Page Camp	...	Maid
Joan Pringle	...	Doria
Vincent J. Isaac	...	Cab Driver

Storyline

When a professional couple who have lived & worked together for many years finally decide to marry, their sudden betrothal causes many unexpectedly funny and awkward difficulties. They soon find that being married is often quite different from being "best friends."

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Plot Keywords:

buffalo new york | marriage | human relationship | film making | film producer | 

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Taglines:

Marriage is a funny thing to do...if you want to stay [UK Theatrical]

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amigos íntimos

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 3,420,573 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Timberlane Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie's screen-writers Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin separated around the time that this picture was first released. This movie that they wrote was semi-autobiographical.

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Quotes

Paula McCullen: Breasts too large, Richard? Every female character you create has breasts too large.
Richard Babson: Mmm... but I make them suffer for it.

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Connections

References Roman Holiday (1953)

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Soundtracks

"Think About Love"
Performed by Patti Austin and James Ingram
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Produced by Johnny Mandel
Arranged by Greg Phillinganes & Johnny Mandel

User Reviews

Watchable and pretty amusing

"Best Friends" is a nice film for a weekend afternoon. It is entertaining, has an easy-to-follow storyline, and shows some respect for the viewer. Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn are quite appealing in the leads, but so is the supporting cast, which includes Barnard Hughes, Jessica Tandy, Keenan Wynn, and Audra Lindley (best known as Mrs. Roper on "Three's Company").

Though a comedy, "Best Friends" has, alas, very few laugh-out-loud moments, and is almost too casual in pace for its own good. The near-classic wedding scene (with Richard Libertini) offers perhaps the most genuine laughs, although Reynolds, a very underrated comedic actor, adds some subtle bits of his own throughout the movie.

"Best Friends" is a competently-made and sometimes touching film that also lacks drive and usually fails to produce much more than an occasional smile. But it's worth a look, to be sure.