Best Friends (1982)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Valerie Curtin (written by) &
Barry Levinson (written by)

Release Date:

17 December 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

What a present for Christmas [US Theatrical]

Plot:

When a professional couple who have lived & worked together for many years finally decide to marry,...

Plot Keywords:

Human Relationship | Writing | Film Making

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8 | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Buffalo, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The film's writers Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin based the script on their very own marriage.

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Directors: The Films of Norman Jewison" (1999)

Soundtrack:

Think About Love

Vastly underrated romantic comedy

"Best Friends" is one of my favourite romantic comedies because of the pain and humour that's shown in the relationship between Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn seems so real. So many of these kinds of films (like "Sleepless in Seattle," "You've Got Mail, etc.) come across as plastic because filmmakers sugarcoat everything so nobody gets even slightly offended. But in their zeal to please everyone, they forsake all realism. And when the characters get mad at one another, there's no real emotion behind it to make it seem convincing. Most recent romantic comedies are more like glorified sitcoms. "Best Friends," on the other hand, doesn't back away from showing the true-to-life trials and tribulations that almost every couple goes through. Also, the humour in this film is often hilarious since it comes from recognisable situations -- especially the sequences when Burt and Goldie visit with their mutually eccentric in-laws for the first time. Reynolds and Hawn are at their most appealing here, but "Best Friends" isn't a cliched "feel-good" movie and isn't afraid to show its characters behave selfishly and stupidly -- don't we all sometimes? Honest, touching and funny, "Best Friends" is a wonderful, but largely forgotten film that definitely deserves rediscovering.