DOUBLE ACTS ON SET!!!!

Wouldn't life be boring if everyone were the same? Well, let's face it, if everyone were the same, each and every one of us would say the same thing, do the same thing, and behave the same way like a pack of mechanical robots. After all, diversity is the spice of life, and life cannot get any better until you check out the following selection of films starring a gaggle of mismatched double-acts.





The Nice Guys

Shane Black wrote the original Lethal Weapon series of movies from back in the day, and now, now he's at it again with Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. Directed by Shane, this slapstick comedy follows a drunken private eye and a hard-as-nails Hollywood fixer as they become involved in an attempt to cover up a scandal in the motor industry, despite a porn film threatening to reveal the truth. Rarely has a screen partnership sizzled like this, and rarely have either lead looked like they’re having this much fun.

The Heat

Normally odd couple pairings tend to involve two sets of testicles knocking about, here, there, and everywhere, except in the case of Paul Feig’s hilarious buddy movie featuring Sandra Bullock (uptight, plays by the book) and Melissa McCarthy (foul-mouthed, slob), which was as much an oestrogen-filled breath of fresh air as it was really-really funny. An FBI agent shunned by her colleagues is forced to team up with a Boston cop who terrifies hers, and, for once, genuine hilarity ensues.

The Laurel And Hardy Movies

Do I have to write anything here? I mean, do I? Well, for those of you who've been living in never-never land since the day you were born, Stan and Ollie were the original odd couple from the silent era and beyond. One of them was arrogant and fat, while the other one was stupid and skinny, yet together, this mismatched duo set the screen alight with their bumbling antics and funny ways. So much so in fact, that the mere mention of their very name symbolizes what's at the very heart of this list!

Ted

Over the years Seth McFarlane has been known for having a weird and strange imagination. I mean, just check out some of his cutaway scenes from Family Guy if you’re in any doubt! So, it should come as no surprise that when he opted to find cinema’s latest odd couple he did so by paring a sentient bear with Mark Wahlberg. Yes, I said a bear, and yes, I said Mark-E-Mark. Amen.

The Bob Hope and Bing Crosby Road Films

Starring in such films as My Favorite Blonde, The Greatest Show on Earth, as well as seven different road movies brandishing seven different exotic locations, and it can easily be said that Hope and Crosby were the premier silver-screen double-act from the 1940s. The funny thing about this is that their first road movie together, Road to Singapore, was originally written for another double act, George Burns and Gracie Allen, and was going to be called Beach of Dreams.

21 Jump Street

From those idiots who brought you The LEGO Movie comes the laugh out loud buddy comedy about two clearly in their 30s cops infiltrating a high school drugs ring. Loosely based on the Johnny Depp TV show from the late 80s, early 90s, this film stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill who have the best time (and the best lines) as they find the high school tables turned the second time around.

The Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Films

Just like Bob and Bing or Stan and Ollie, Dean and Jerry made a name for themselves by being what they naturally are: funny, sassy, silly, and very-very charming. Dean first met Jerry while working in a nightclub in New York City, yet they never got together professionally until years later. According to Jerry, he was working in a nightclub in Atlantic City, called the 500 Club, when the owner of the club asked him if he could recommend a singer because his current one turned up sick. Jerry recommended Dean, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Odd Couple

Odd Couple by name, Odd Couple by nature, and Odd Couple by film, one starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as mismatched flatmates who are forced to deal with respective anal tidiness and abject slobbishness -- or die trying. This comedy classic was so influential that it eventually spawned a sequel and two TV series, but just as with every other time Matthau and Lemmon paired up, the original cannot be beaten. Essential viewing regardless of your tastes or preferences.

The Nice Guys is available on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD from September the 26th, courtesy of Icon Film Distribution.