10 Greatest Bromances In The History Of Cinema

There was a time when any emotional intimacy shown between two men had to be immediately followed by a fistfight, just to make the majority of viewers more comfortable with the idea of it. But as society has become more accepting of men exuding more traditionally feminine traits, bromances have blossomed in every corner of cinema.

Intense male bonding is the cornerstone of all the greatest odd couple comedies and buddy cop flicks, but those types of relationships also thrive in other genres as well.

Of course, bromances existed in films long before there was a term for them. Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Hope and Crosby, even the Three Stooges...these were all, by definition, some serious bromances.

Before we dive into these all-time great bromances and start high-fiving each other over our mutual interest in guy-on-guy friendships, it should be noted that one notable pairing was left out of this list: Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Their bromance was equally reliant on Hermione, and thus finds itself just outside the Top 10.

With that out of the way, let's get into some non-sexual guy love.

"You can be my wingman anytime." That's the kind of bro-tastic sentiment real friends offer each other right before they go in for a chest bump that turns into a slow, meaningful embrace. It's also the line that cemented Goose and Maverick as one of the most dominant bromances of the 80s.

Yeah, plenty of Internet chatter (and so very much fan fiction) has revolved around the homoerotically competitive relationship of Maverick and Iceman, but there's no denying that the strongest bond in the film is that of Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards.

Is it their mutual need for speed? Sure. Is it the way Goose intuitively sets up Maverick for all those sweet spikes on the volleyball court? Partially. Is it their tone-deaf duet of The Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" to help seal the deal with a woman at the bar? You bet'cha.

They were BFFs through thick and thin, and even in danger zones. The fact that Goose ultimately sacrifices his own life to save that of his friend only cements how heart-wrenchingly sturdy their bromance was.