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Top 10 Best Buddies

As Buzz & Woody reunite for what appears to be the final time, here's the cream of the buddy movie crop - devoted duos whose layered, fascinating relationships lift them far above the average. Altogether now: you got a friend in me; you got a friend in me...

Top 10 Films

Buzz & Woody - Toy Story (1995)

Loyal, redoubtable Woody (Tom Hanks) is 6-year-old Andy's favourite toy; a position threatened when flashy space-ranger Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) turns up, all gadgets and gizmos and laser-action. Fierce rivalry ignites, which lands the pair in next door's yard and very hot water. But in such heat are forever friends forged.

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Butch & Sundance - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Prototype for the buddy movie for years after, this revisionist Western comedy has great direction from George Roy Hill (The Sting) and a warm and witty screenplay from William Goldman (The Princess Bride), but triumphs most due to the charm and chemistry of Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the notorious bank/train robbers of the title.

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Lloyd Christmas & Harry Dunne - Dumb and Dumber (1994)

At the other end of the charm scale are the Farrelly Brothers, whose twisted, gross-out skills are in overdrive here. But for all the slapstick buffoonery and toilet gags, there's a heart to this comedy in Lloyd and Harry, whose fast friendship withstands more than a few speed-bumps, and lends the film a disarming sweetness.

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Andy & Red - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Morgan Freeman's on-screen version of Red may be a far-cry from the novella's aging, flame-haired Irishman, but his camaraderie with Tim Robbins - as city banker Andy Dufresne, sentenced to life in Shawshank State Prison - draws out Stephen King's themes of hope, trust and endurance in this epic adaptation.

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Bill & Ted - Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1988)

Brain-dead best mates Bill S. Preston, Esquire (Alex Winter) and Ted 'Theodore' Logan (Keanu Reeves) are flunking their history class in a most heinous fashion, but their giddy, guileless outlook (and, yes, a handy time-machine callbox) might just save the day. And their class presentation.

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Daniel & Peachy - The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

By turns dark, funny and action-packed, this is a late-career masterpiece from legendary director/adventurer John Huston, adapted from a Rudyard Kipling short story. Sean Connery and Michael Caine are two ex-soldiers, fed-up with British-ruled India, who scheme to set themselves up as kings in remote Kafiristan.

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Joe & Jerry - Some Like It Hot (1959)

Chicago musicians Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) flee to Florida after witnessing a gangland hit, donning drag to become 'Josephine' and 'Daphne'. Utilising Curtis and Lemmon's comedy skills (and not a small amount of Marilyn Monroe's "jell-o on springs" appeal), it's a chaotic farce with two loyal chums right at the centre.

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Thelma & Louise - Thelma & Louise (1991)

One of the finest films of the 90s, Ridley Scott's headlong road movie benefits from his artistic eye and a sharp script, but succeeds squarely because of Geena Davis & Susan Sarandon's performances. Escaping their everyday drudgery, Thelma & Louise embark on a wild weekend to liberty, discovery and an entirely unforeseen destination.

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Ray Tango & Gabriel Cash - Tango & Cash (1989)

Overblown and frequently ridiculous, this action thriller has late-80s excess stamped right across both peachy ass-cheeks, but offers massive entertainment because of Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell's gleeful, practically panto turns as rival LA cops Tango & Cash - framed, imprisoned and busting to bust out.

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Jake & Ellwood Blues - The Blues Brothers (1980)

Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi flesh out their SNL creations, Ellwood and Jake Blues, and embark on a mission from God to save the orphanage they grew up in by reuniting their old band. Director John Landis spiced up this musical, car-smashing romp with fabulous rhythm-and-blues numbers from some soul legends.

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Darren Bignell