Few Male And Female Buddy Films example essay topic

Male buddy films have played a significant role throughout the history of film. This genre is elastic enough to include everything from "Some Like It Hot" and "The Man Who Would Be King" to "Easy Rider" and "Swingers". They are all essentially stories about male bonding and bluntly put: an all-male romantic comedy. The plot is always the same. Two extremely different men are thrown together and have their relationship tested by events until they discover an unlikely affinity. This forges a bond of friendship that replaces the customary boy-girl sexual relationship.

In many ways, male buddy films serve as a necessary escape fantasy where men can openly express their feelings for each other. Here is a list of other elements used in buddy films: The relationship is either cross generational, cross racial, or both. There is an element of "rescue" where one of the heroes helps the other out, and in the process he ends up being rescued from his past as well. There is a break away from the civilizing agent where the two are "apart" from society or outside the boundaries in some obvious way. Women are clearly problematic, either posing future trouble or reasons for escape.

They exist more as an impetus for action than as flesh-and-blood characters, and they are brought in and out of the plot as needed or not. There is usually some brother type bonding between the two characters that is often interestingly intimate. Buddy films have always been a man's world or should I say had always been a man's world. This brings me to female buddy films. For decades Hollywood has been putting out female buddy films which got very little attention comparatively... that is until 1989's Steel Magnolias". In female buddy films women are brought together by traditional concerns such as men, children, and, occasionally careers.

Female buddy films have remained consistent in theme over the years. Even if you go back to the Bible where women rarely went beyond their yards, you will find stories like that of Sarah and Hagar fighting over Abraham. Here are some elements I found in female buddy films: The women are brought together by a calamity that arises out of illness, not out of character. Women that have similar careers explore the lust and yearning for the other's achievements, as well as their rivalry, their closeness and, most of all, their shared compassion for the field. There is one women that, somewhat, brings out the "more rambunctious" side of the other. Sometimes a woman truly needs a woman, a great friend, and a powerful sisterhood.

There are clearly many distinct differences in male and female buddy films, and quite a few similarities. I have chosen and viewed a few male and female buddy films to discuss in this nature. First, I've decided to look at Rush Hour and Fried Green Tomatoes. Rush Hour is a film in which two, both cross racial and generational, men are thrown together to keep each other out of the situation unknowingly. They speak differently, act differently, and come from two completely different backgrounds...

They find that by putting their differences aside, they can solve the case better than if the two were on their own. At the same time, they find a friendship they never thought possible. Chris Tucker deals with the fact that he lost his father due to his father's ex partner, and realizes that having a partner is not such a bad thing. Fried Green Tomatoes is a film in which two women run across each other more than once in a lifetime. In this movie, Iggy, her older brother Buddy, and the girl he is trying to win over are down by some railroad tracks. Buddy's foot gets caught in the tracks as an approaching train fails to yield for him.

This affects Iggy greatly. about twenty years later they meet again. Now Iggy is the "bad" girl and Ruth is still a lady. Iggy lightens Ruth up, gets her away from her abusive husband (eventually by his "disappearance"), stays with her while cancer slowly takes her life, and ends up caring for her son. In each film the two characters were complete opposites, yet turned the situation into a lifelong friendship.

Both of the films demonstrated the need for a companion and the desire and respect of true internal strength, however Rush Hour did not necessarily deal with illness and death in the same respect. Now let's discuss Beaches and Stand by me. Beaches is about two young girls from two different backgrounds and their lifelong friendship. As children, CC is a little hoodlum want to be famous singer and actress, and Hillary is a rich proper horse riding puppet destined to marry rich and have children.

The two keep in touch through the years and meet up after Hillary leaves her cheating husband, months pregnant. They endure adultery, opposite careers, lust for the same man, and eventually death when Hillary gets sick. In the end, they come to realize they have always envied each other in almost every way possible especially the strength of the other where they were both incredibly strong. Stand By Me is a coming of age movie where four young boys set forth to find the body of a missing boy. While spending time in the open woods, they learn more about themselves than they were prepared for. They talk about everything from Gordie's brother's death, to Chris's abusive alcoholic father, to Teddy's imprisoned father.

They form a bond yet lose touch after junior highschool. These two movies were both based on friendship however showed some of the many obstacles through the differences between male and female companions. The girls, clearly always watching each other and the boys just trying to get on with their own lives, or what lies directly ahead or way behind. The last two movies I am going to discuss are Sister Act and Lethal Weapon.

Lethal weapon is a story of two cops trying to solve a case. They are both cross generational and racial and are again complete opposites. Riggs overcomes the loss of his wife while they build a brotherhood and life long friendship Sister Act is about a sleazy lounge singer, Doloris, who witnesses a murder and is put in protection which happens to be a convent. She immediately butts heads with the Mother of the convent, as their lives have been like night and day. The Mother doesn't appreciate the effects Doloris has on the other nuns either. When the murderers find her, the convent has to pull together to save her.

In the end Doloris has had a positive effect on the Mother and on the convent through her music. The two ladies find that they both had learned a lot from the other. These two movies were very different. In Lethal Weapon they didn't learn much from each other and neither changed very much.

In Sister act the women changed significantly and for the better. Female buddy movies seem to be more about things going on outside the "main" characters than male buddy movies. However they are both about special bonds. Also there seems to be a lot more humor in male buddy films than in female buddy films. I hope after taking these thoughts into consideration, you will have a better and more in depth look into buddy films, especially after reading these definitions, observations, and facts. Outline I. Male Buddy Films a.) significant role in history b.) two men thrown together c.) bond of friendship II.

Elements of Male Buddy Films a.) relationship b.) problem women c.) intimate bonding d.) rescue e.) escape form society. Female Buddy Films a.) men b.) children c.) careers d.) goes back to the Bible IV. Elements in Female Buddy Films a.) illness b.) jealousy c.) one more rowdy than the other d.) sisterhood V. Rush Hour vs. Fried Green Tomatoes 1. Rush Hour a.) different men / same case b.) build friendship c.) overcome past 2.

Fried Green Tomatoes a.) different women b.) build friendship c.) go through death, illness, and abuse VI. Beaches vs. Stand By Me 1. Beaches a.) childhood to adult friendship b.) jealousy c.) death d.) adultery 2. StandBy Me a.) coming of age film b.) death, abuse due to alcoholism, and prison c.) friendship VII. Lethal Weapon vs. Sister Act 1. Lethal Weapon a.) cross generational and racial b.) two cops / same case c.) overcome death of wife 2.

Sister act a.) nun vs. sleazy lounge singer b.) positive effects on each other c.) learn a lot from each other V. Conclusion a.) more outside relationship in the female films b.) more humor in male films c.) both based on lifelong friendships Male Buddy Films vs. Female Buddy Films By Eliza Turner.