Top 8 Movie Friendships

Set in a sleepy British seaside town in the 1980s, Is Anybody There? tells the story of a morbid, bookish 10-year-old boy whose parents have turned their house into a retirement home.

While his mother struggles to keep the business afloat and his father copes with the onset of a mid-life crisis, Edward (Bill Milner) becomes increasingly obsessed with the afterlives of the home’s elderly residents, following them around with a tape-recorder to capture the sound of the soul as it escapes the mortal coil…

But Edward’s macabre behaviour is cut short by the arrival of “The Amazing” Clarence (Sir Michael Caine), an anarchic retired magician and grieving widower who is determined to age disgracefully. As an unlikely friendship blossoms between them, the old man comes to terms with his past, the child masters his fear of the future, and both learn to seize the day.

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To celebrate the release, we've picked out our favourite movie friendships...



THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (1994)
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, James Whitmore.

Andy Dufresne is sentenced to two consecutive life terms in prison for the murders of his wife and her lover in the late 1940s. However, only Andy knows that he didn't commit the crimes. Sent to Shawshank Prison to do hard time, Andy - a taciturn banker in the outside world - has to learn to get by in the brutal, cutthroat confines of prison life. His quiet strength slowly earns the respect of his fellow inmates - most notably, Red (Morgan Freeman) - and even much of the prison staff.

But Andy's seemingly stoic acceptance of his unjust imprisonment hides a fierce determination for freedom. This beautifully crafted movie features touching and sincere performances from the entire cast, with an uplifting message about humanity's indomitable spirit and the redemptive value of hope. Based on a novella by Stephen King, Darabont's intriguing adaptation is easily one of the finest films of the 1990s.


FRIED GREEN TOMATOES (1991)
Starring: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary Louise Parker.

Fried Green Tomatoes is a comic, heartwarming tale of family, friendship and murder in rural Georgia. In a Southern nursing home, a feisty resident and old local fixture named Ninny Threadgoode (Tandy) befriends Evelyn Couch (Kathy Bates) a depressed housewife and stirs her to action with an inspirational tale. She tells the story of a transcendent friendship between two young women living in Georgia in the 1930s, Idgie Threadgoode (Mary Stuart Masterson) and Ruth (Mary Louise Parker), who forge a powerful bond after witnessing a terrible tragedy together.

The two women open a cafe (where fried green tomatoes are a house specialty) together in their small Southern town of Whistle Stop and manage to survive the hardships of life, despite racism, prejudice and the pressures of trying to live their lives as individuals in a strict and close-minded Southern society.


THELMA & LOUISE (1991)
Starring: Geena Davis, Susan Sarandon, Michael Madsen, Chris McDonald, Brad Pitt, Harvey Keitel.

Thelma and Louise, two working-class friends who together have planned a weekend getaway from the men in their lives. Thelma's husband, Darryl, is an overbearing oaf, and Louise's boyfriend, Jimmy, simply will not commit. Though the road trip starts out as a good time, the pair eventually wind up at a bar. A tipsy Thelma ends up in the parking lot of the bar with a would-be rapist. Louise shoots the man dead. The two decide that they have no choice but to go on the run.

They eventually meet up with a young criminal named J.D. whose cowboy spirit rubs off on the timid Thelma. The pair is pursued by a police officer sympathetic toward their plight. He chases them to the Grand Canyon, where the women make a fateful decision about their lives.


SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992)
Starring: Al Pacino, Chris O’Donnell, Gabrielle Anwar, James Rebhorn.

Driven by an extravagant, tour-de-force performance by Al Pacino, Scent Of A Woman is the story of Frank Slade (Pacino), a blind, retired army colonel who hires Charlie Simms, a poor college student on the verge of expulsion, to take care of him over Thanksgiving weekend.

At the beginning of the weekend, Frank takes Charlie to New York, where he reveals to the student that he intends to visit his family, have a few terrific meals, sleep with a beautiful woman and, finally, commit suicide. The film follows the mis-matched pair over the course of the weekend, as they learn about life through their series of adventures.


STAND BY ME (1994)
Starring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoeniz, Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman.

Based on Stephen King's novella The Body, director Rob Reiner's Stand By Me is the disarmingly tender and subtly sublime story of four kids on the precipice of early adulthood who embark upon a quest. There's Gordie (Wil Wheaton), the intelligent, creative one with the obviously bright future. His best buddy, Chris (River Phoenix), hardens his image in order to hide the pain from the physical abuse he endures at home, all the while harboring the hope of escaping that image. Rounding out the foursome are Vern (Jerry O'Connell), the pudgy tagalong, and Teddy (Corey Feldman), a loyal and funny but troubled kid with a death wish.

When the four boys hear about a dead body 20 miles down the railroad tracks from their small Oregon town, they clandestinely set upon the unwieldy journey to lay eyes on this rare find. Amid numerous misadventures, Gordie, Chris, Vern, and Teddy savor what may be their last chance to revel in the simple life of children; around the corner is a future that could tear them apart, not to mention a tough teen gang who desires local fame by finding the body first.


AU REVOIR LES ENFANTS (1987)
Starring: Gaspard Manesse, Raphaël Fejitö.

Au Revoir Les Enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss between two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie - until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.


BEACHES (1988)
Starring: Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey.

Beaches is a touching drama examining the lifelong friendship between two women. When the New York child performer CC Bloom and San Fransisco rich kid Hillary meet in a holiday resort in Atlantic City, it marks the start of a lifetime friendship between them. The two keep in touch through letters for a number of years until Hillary, now a successful lawyer, moves to New York to stay with struggling singer CC. The movie shows the various stages of their friendship and their romances including their love for the same man.


ET: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (1982)
Starring: Henry Thomas, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace Stone.

Steven Spielberg's ET tells the story of an alien creature, ET, mistakenly left behind on Earth. When a young boy, Elliott (Henry Thomas), finds ET and hides him in his home, both their worlds are changed forever.

ET teaches Elliott and his two siblings (Drew Barrymore and Robert MacNaughton), whose parents have recently separated, about caring and love while the children protect ET from the malevolent world of grown-ups. Elliott and ET become so close that they share emotions; as ET becomes ill, so does Elliott. The children end up going on a fabulous adventure trying to help ET find a way back to his home planet.


Is Anybody There? is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 14th September 2009.