The Best Bromance Movies of All Time
These movies are a celebration of cinema's best male friendships
We love it when two men find themselves inexplicably, often hilariously, bonded for life. It’s not romantic. It’s not familial. It’s… bromantic.
And no, we’re not talking about the kind of vague male friendships that revolve around grunting over beer or nodding at each other in the gym. We’re talking about true cinematic bromances — the hand-on-your-shoulder, dive-in-front-of-a-bullet, break-out-of-prison, surf-while-robbing-banks kind of friendships. The kind that men don’t always talk about in real life, but somehow seem to be okay watching for two hours in a dark theatre.
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Whether it’s Redford and Newman charming their way through a con, or Tom Cruise emotionally fist-pumping his way through sky-high grief, these movies remind us that sometimes, a man just needs another man to yell at, cry with, or karaoke beside.
Best Bromance Movies
The Sting (1973)
Paul Newman and Robert Redford might as well have invented the modern cinematic bromance. In The Sting, they play two charismatic grifters who plot to scam a mob boss for killing their mutual friend. But forget revenge — this movie is pure charm in pinstripe suits. They banter, they hustle, they outwit the mob, and they do it all with great chemistry. It’s stylish and brimming with old-school buddy energy.
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Not much happens in Dazed and Confused, and that’s kind of the point. It’s one long, lazy hangout session — the cinematic equivalent of a good summer night with your boys. Cars, joints, baseball bats, and that post-high school limbo where every guy thinks he’s both invincible and deeply misunderstood. It’s bromance through the lens of boredom and beer.
Sholay (1975)
For me, Jai and Veeru set the gold standard pretty early on. Sholay has everything — action, tragedy, dacoits — but it’s the quiet moments between Bachchan and Dharmendra (not Jitendra, by the way) that make it unforgettable. They didn’t just ride motorbikes together; they made an entire country believe in the power of male friendship.
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Rush Hour Trilogy
Honestly, there’s no duo quite like Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. What starts as a cross-continental cop pairing turns into a full-fledged bromance built on dance moves, death-defying stunts, and constant bickering. Tucker and Chan’s chemistry is so electric, it makes you forget there’s even a plot.
The Intouchables (2011)
This one hits you right in the feels. The Intouchables tells the real-life story of an unlikely friendship between a wealthy quadriplegic man and his caregiver — an ex-con from the projects. What could’ve been another cloying “opposites attract” tale turns into a genuine, life-affirming ride about dignity, humour, and human connection. It’s bromance but also a really good feel-good movie. Plus, Ludovico’s compositions will make you cry. So will the dance number on “September” by Earth, Wind, Fire.
The Nice Guys (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe should be legally obligated to do more films together. In The Nice Guys, they stumble through a 1970s Los Angeles crime caper as a sad-sack PI and a violent enforcer who accidentally become partners. It’s one of the funniest, sharpest bromances of recent years — complete with deadpan humour, vintage porn, and genuine growth. It’s dumb. You'll love it.
Step Brothers (2008)
Brennan and Dale hate each other. Then they become best friends. Then they ruin everything. Then they become best friends again. Step Brothers is idiotic, crass, and very nearly unwatchable if you’re sober — which is to say, it’s a cult classic. Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly turn arrested development into high art, redefining adult male friendship through drum kits, bunk beds, and a shared hatred of the Catalina Wine Mixer.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
There’s something undeniably bromantic about a gang of sharply dressed men robbing Vegas casinos with style and sass. At the centre of the Ocean’s Eleven universe is Danny and Rusty — George Clooney and Brad Pitt — a duo so smooth they could flirt their way through a federal prison. The entire heist might be about money, but let’s be real: this movie is really about friends who’d do anything for each other, including breaking about thirty laws.
Top Gun (1986)
Before Tom Cruise became the living embodiment of the word “adrenaline,” he gave us Maverick — a pilot with a need for speed and a best friend named Goose. Their bromance flies high (literally) and crashes even harder. Between shirtless volleyball and karaoke duets, Top Gun is a sweaty, homoerotic fever dream of male bonding. And you know what? It still works.
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
If Shawshank taught us anything, it’s that real friendship can outlast even a life sentence. Andy and Red’s quiet, enduring bond inside a corrupt prison system is the emotional anchor of this classic.
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Paul Newman and Robert Redford again — this time playing outlaws on the run, charming their way through the Old West. There’s bickering. There’s banter. Their chemistry is so effortless, it makes you wish all friendships came with desert landscapes and gunfights. As far as iconic duos go, this one’s hard to top.
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Spain. Skydiving. Poetic voiceovers. ZNMD is less of a bromance movie and more of a spiritual retreat for emotionally constipated men. Hrithik, Abhay, and Farhan navigate broken friendships, lost loves, and existential dread while doing extremely aesthetic things on vacation. It’s moody, it’s musical, and it’s proof that healing your inner child sometimes requires flamenco and a tomato fight.
I Love You, Man (2009)
This is a rom-com — but the romance is between Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Rudd plays a guy with no guy friends, who goes on a series of man-dates to find a best man. The movie hits all the classic relationship beats — awkward first meet, falling out, emotional reconciliation — except it’s about platonic love. And honestly, it works better than most real rom-coms.
Superbad (2007)
If you’ve ever told your best friend you love them while blackout drunk in a kitchen, Superbad is your origin story. Michael Cera and Jonah Hill play high school seniors on the brink of growing up — but they’re not quite ready to let go of each other. Hilarious, awkward, and surprisingly tender, it’s a love letter to adolescent male friendship, complete with fake IDs and emotional co-dependency. Also, I bet you can never forget "I am McLovin".
The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)
Not all bromances survive. In Martin McDonagh’s dark, poetic tale of a friendship breakup, Colin Farrell’s Pádraic is ghosted by his best friend — and takes it about as well as one would expect. What follows is a slow, tragic unraveling that examines male intimacy, loneliness, and legacy with razor-sharp writing and aching performances.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal form a bond so pure in this meta-action-comedy that it makes you want to start a fan club just to find your own Javi. What begins as a weird fan-meets-idol scenario spirals into CIA chaos and psychedelic drug trips — but through it all, the bromance stands firm. It’s dumb, delightful, and unironically touching.
RRR (2022)
If there’s one film that throws subtlety out the window and sets bromance to the highest cinematic level, it’s RRR. Two freedom fighters, one colonising empire, and enough slow-motion montages to make your heart explode. Ram Charan and Jr NTR don’t just fight the British — they lift motorcycles together, jump through fire, and swing each other like human weapons. Theirs is a friendship forged in rebellion and dance breaks.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth are less best friends, more codependent man-children navigating a dying Hollywood. But their loyalty runs deep. Whether it’s fixing antennas, drinking too much, or casually murdering Manson cult members, they’ve always got each other’s backs. DiCaprio and Pitt have never been cooler — or more bromantic.