The best movies are the ones that take us on a deeply-felt emotional journey. For that to happen, the audience must be able to connect with the lead characters of the film. That is why casting the right actors in the roles is such an important part of making a movie that strikes a chord with the audience and makes them care about the storyline.
Over the years Hollywood has given us a number of movies where the focus is not just on the lead character, but a group of characters. Whether an action movie, a comedy or a romance, watching an entertaining group of friends can elevate a movie in any genre. Let us take a look at some of the coolest group of friends that films have given us over the years.
Harry Potter and Friends
The Harry Potter franchise is focussed pretty closely on the titular character. A young orphan child who is whisked away to a school of magic, where he must learn to battle all sorts of dangers on his quest to defeat the most evil wizard of all time. But Harry does not have to fight his demons alone. He is flanked on both sides by his two best friends for life, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.
Both Ron and Hermione bring different strengths to the trio. But the one thing common to each member is their unquestioning loyalty and devotion to each other. The most enchanting part of Harry Potter isn't the magic wands or the flying broomsticks, but the friendship between Harry, Ron, and Hermione that allows them to overcome every obstacle in their path.
Cher and Dionne
Few high school movies are as iconic as Clueless, and none feature a more iconic character than Cher, the lead character of the story. Fabulously stylish, universally popular, and comfortably rich, Cher is the high school sweetheart that all the girls want to be like and all the guys want to be with.
Cher rules her little school kingdom with the help of her select coterie of allies, her lifelong bestie Dionne, and eventually the new transfer student Tai. Sure, things don't go smoothly for Cher and her friends all through the movie, but the troubles never run deeper than failed romances or strained friendships. It would be pretty sweet to be a part of Cher's crew where you get to live a life of sunny luxury and high fashion.
The Avengers
Until a decade ago, superhero movies were not traditionally known for strong friendships, since most of them featured solo heroes going on tortured personal journeys. But then came The Avengers in 2012 and the game changed. Suddenly it was not only possible for multiple heroes to be in the same movie, but to actually see them operating in the same team.
This leads directly to Avengers: Age of Ultron, which showed the titular team of superheroes as good friends and teammates. We see the heroes in their off time, having a party at Tony Stark's house where they playfully rib each other and get along as genuine friends. What would be cooler than being a part of a gang of literal superheroes? Even if you would occasionally have to go up against an alien tyrant wielding the infinity gauntlet.
The Wolfpack
The Hangover movies are based on a simple premise. A group of friends get black out drunk together, and wake up with no recollection of the past night. That is what keeps happening to Phil, Stu, and Alan, and they are repeatedly forced to retrace their steps from the previous night to discover the large messes they keep landing themselves in.
Now, it might not be fun being a part of this particular group while they are out on their insane shenanigans, but think about how much fun it would be to recall those adventures later on. Like the time Stu eloped with a stripper named Jade. Or when the trio stole a monkey from the mob. Or when they took a Buddhist monk out partying. Those are the memories that would make for the best nostalgia trips when you're too old to party anymore.
Andy's Toys
Toy Story tells the tale of a group of sentient toys that live with their owner Andy in his bedroom. Although tiny and not technically human, the toys think and feel just as deeply as their owner, and are capable of forming deep friendships with each other. The franchise begins with a new Buzz Lightyear toy being presented to Andy.
This puts the other toys on alert, fearing they might be replaced, especially Woody, Andy's favorite toy. But over time Woody and Buzz become best friends, and go on many adventures together to save themselves and other toys from an ignominious fate. The glorious friendship on display between the toys and their love for Andy is best summed up in the theme song, "You've Got a Friend in Me."
Charlie, Patrick, and Sam
Every decade brings with it a seminal coming-of-age movie that an entire generation relates to. For the 2010s, that movie was The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Unlike so many popular teen movies, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is quite serious and unexpectedly dark. It follows Charlie, a 15-year-old high schooler dealing with the recent deaths of his best friend and favorite aunt.
Despite being a self-confessed "wallflower" who has trouble in social situations, Charlie becomes friends with his charismatic seniors Patrick and Sam. Together, the trio work through their individual problems while trying to make the best of their final years at school. In the end, the deep and abiding friendship between Charlie, Sam, and Patrick manages to overcome every obstacle and make them stronger as they grow together in the best possible manner.
The Bridesmaids Gang
Female-led comedies underwent a major, albeit short-lived renaissance with the success of Bridesmaids in 2011. Starring a coterie of comedic powerhouses, the movie follows the story of a woman named Annie who is in a tough spot in her personal life. But Annie must hide her woes and put on a bright smile for the sake of the upcoming wedding of her best friend Lillian, where Annie is asked to be the maid of honor.
Also in the mix are a bunch of Lillian's female friends whom Annie does not know well who will also be acting as bridesmaids. As the preparations for the wedding get into full swing, Lillian, Annie, and their squad is put through the wringer in one hilarious situation after another. Despite Bridesmaids being filled with established comedic names like Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, it is then-little-known actress Melissa McCarthy who steals the show in an Oscar-nominated turn as the blunt and erratic third wheel Megan.
The Fast & Furious Family
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What can you say about the bonds between a group of friends who regularly insist that they are not just friends, but a family? Dominic Toretto and his gang of speed racers-turned-criminals-turned-secret agents might constantly live life on the edge, but they always make sure that there is enough room there for the entire group.
Right from the first Fast & Furious film, the importance of friendship was an important theme in the franchise. This theme continued with each new installment, with Dom and his crew frequently turning their antagonists into their allies, from Luke Hobbs to Deckard Shaw. It doesn't get much cooler than being a member of Dom's crew, driving the most kickass cars in the most beautiful locations in the world and knowing that your family always has your back.
Gordie and His Pals
Movies about childhood friendships where the characters are not yet in high school are quite rare in Hollywood. And few of them are as poignant as 1986's Stand by Me. Gordie is a middle-class kid living a reasonably contented life in a small town in Oregon, hanging out daily with his best friends Chris, Teddy, and Vern.
One day the group learns of a dead body said to be hidden away in the forest near their town, and decide to personally investigate the rumor. What follows is a hair-raising adventure for the four friends that forces them to grow up and deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions. Stand by Me remains one of the best coming-of-age movies Hollywood has ever made, and a true classic of its genre.
The Breakfast Club
Speaking of classics, The Breakfast Club is certainly that for the teen comedy genre. It's the kind of movie that has seeped so deeply into pop culture for so many decades since it first came out in 1985 that chances are you are familiar with many dialogs and scenes even if you have not watched the entire film. One morning at Shermer High School, five students report to the same hall for an all-day detention.
The students are from wildly different walks of life, with very little in common between them. But as they are forced to spend the day together, the barriers of class and gender start to break down. By the end, the students realize that the bonds that bind them together are much more important than their surface differences. Even if the group never comes all together again, the perspectives they gain about each other and teenage friendship in general that day echoes some of the most profound themes any teen movie has ever explored.
Donna and the Dynamos
What could be better than spending your days singing and dancing with your lifelong best friends on a breathtakingly gorgeous Greek island to the soundtrack of ABBA? Donna and the Dynamos were an aspiring pop band from more than two decades ago. Although they never got a lot of success, the bonds of friendship between the members of the band, namely Donna, Tanya, and Rosie remained strong well into their middle age.
That is when audiences are first introduced to Donna and her friends in Mamma Mia!, as they gather together on Donna's home island to celebrate the wedding of Donna's daughter Sophie. What follows is a madcap musical adventure involving convoluted lies, drunken escapades, and missing fathers. Through it all the Dynamos never forget to keep things fun and light, and are always there to support each other during difficult times.
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