The 'Buddy Picture' Genre

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how according to Michael Davis, American popular culture has always reflected a common "insecurity" about masculinity "at the global and local level." The paper further discusses how the films "Brokeback Mountain" and "High Fidelity," reflect this anxiety. The paper classifies both these films as 'buddy films'.

From the Paper:

"In classifying both of these films as "buddy film" genres, it is important to remember exactly what a film genre is constituted by--film genres are usually defined by various formulaic structures (such as the outsider nature of the protagonists, alone tending sheep on a mountain, or alone in their superior musical tastes in a bubble-gum pop music listening world) and identifiable types of characters (such as the inarticulate man, the boisterous 'kid') who behave in recognizable patterns. Genres also have standard relationships, such as male bonding in active friendships forged over saving the world or saving music. Genres also often make use of various forms of syntax, such as the frequent joking typical of buddy films that conceal real emotion, rather than displays emotion, unlike the language deployed between men and women. Also, genres deploy similar filmic techniques such as the buddy film's use of communication through action, and make use of conventions, such as the use of the road or a physical problem as a medium for getting to know one another (Dirk, 2006) "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Davidson, Michael. Guys Like Us: Citing Masculinity in Cold War Poetics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.
• Dirks, Tim. "Film Genre." 2006. The Film Site. 8 Feb 2006. http://www.filmsite.org/genres.html
• Fienstein, Howard. "Cowboy Wrangler." The Advocate. 6 Dec 2005.
• Gates, Phillipa. "Always a Partner in Crime." Journal of Popular Film and Television. Spring 2004: 1-6.

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