Top 10 Movie Duos

Some films feature as their protagonists a team, a tandem, a pair. Here now is my list of the best onscreen duos of all time.

10. WAYNE AND GARTH

These two are the classic party pair. Appearing in two films together, they showed us the fun in head banging to Bohemian Rhapsody, hanging backstage with Alice Cooper and bagging schwing-worthy babes. Myers and Carvey were the perfect foils for each other in these roles that they originated on Saturday Night Live. Other than The Blues Brothers, they hold the distinction of having the best movie based on SNL characters. (Played by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey)

9. WALLACE AND DAVIS

Appearing together in the classic White Christmas, these two song and dance men had great chemistry and comic timing. Unlike Bing Crosby's work with Bob Hope, this duo has the benefit of singing classic Irving Berlin songs. This duo is a triple threat- singing, dancing, and wisecracking. (Played by Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby)

8. MILES AND JACK

This may seem like a weird choice, but this duo from Sideways is classic. These two misanthropes provide some great moments as they drink wine, charm the ladies and get into some compromising situations. The movie is great, but so is the DVD commentary that features the two actors channeling their onscreen chemistry. (Played by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church)

7. JOE FRIDAY AND PEP STREEBECK

This is a marquee big screen tandem. Aykroyd is perfect as the straight man while Hanks is free to be wild and wacky. While many would say Aykroyd's best paring was with John Belushi and Hanks' was with Peter Scolari, or Wilson the volleyball- I disagree. Many people forget how funny Tom Hanks can be, and in Dragnet he was paired with one of the great comic actors of his generation. The final scene where they discuss the virgin Connie Swail is a great microcosm of the Friday/Streebeck relationship. (Played by Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks)

6. HARRY AND LLOYD

Whether they're selling dead birds to blind kids, accidentally poisoning mobsters or going where the beer flows like wine, Harry and Lloyd are absolutely hilarious. Like all great twosomes, they really love each other, even if they let a girl get between them. However, at the end of the day their friendship is the driving force in the film, and for that the viewers are grateful. (Played by Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey)

5. C-3PO and R2-D2

The droids that love to argue are an intergalactic version of The Odd Couple. I even heard that they were cast in an off Broadway version of the Neil Simon classic. Fussy, uptight C-3PO would be nothing without his crusty little counterpart, R2-D2. Without their plucky comic relief, the Star Wars movies would have been much less fun to watch. (Played by Anthony Daniels and Kenny Baker)

4. GUSTAFSON AND GOLDMAN

Lemmon and Matthau shared the screen several times in their storied film careers, but their best and most side-splitting work came in the two Grumpy Old Men movies. It was as if Felix and Oscar in The Odd Couple both got old, bitter and started swearing at each other. Not only do they make you laugh at their antics as they fight over Ann-Margaret, they touch you with their eventual friendship. (Played by Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau)

3. PEACHY CARNAHAN AND DANIEL DRAVOT

The real life friendship of Caine and Connery comes across in this tremendous movie duo. As Masons and British soldiers, they embark on a dangerous and exciting adventure that takes the audience inside their deep friendship of many years. It is thrilling to watch their adventures together, as their relationship is put to the ultimate test in The Man Who Would Be King. (Played by Michael Caine and Sean Connery)

2. RIGGS AND MURTAUGH

Sure, Mel Gibson has lost it, but he did have it at one point and he 'had it' best when paired with Danny Glover in the Lethal Weapon movies. These two are the archetypes for buddy cops and have given us some of the most fun moments in action movie history. It may seem like a cliche now, but Riggs and Murtaugh as the loose cannon and by-the-book family man, respectively, were trendsetters in their day. (Played by Mel Gibson and Danny Glover)

1. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID

Arguably the most iconic screen pair ever, these two got into and out of more trouble than every other pair on this list combined. It is a thing of beauty to watch Butch and Sundance bicker, run, work and shoot. Much of what this pair did has been emulated by other great movie tandems over the years since this film's release. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? (Played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford)

I Like You

As the antithesis to my Schmohawk posts, I now present a few people that I admire/like/think everyone should be aware of.

PATTON OSWALT

This guy is the funniest stand-up working today. You might know him from his work as the Rat in Ratatouille, but do yourself a favor and listen to some of his work. His routines are full of great stories, references, sarcasm and self deprecating comments. For those who think Dane Cook and Larry the Cable Guy are the height of comedy, I'm here to reeducate you, and tell you that the best jokes come out of this short, stocky comic book nerd and not one of those other d bags.

PAUL NEWMAN

Even though he has sadly departed this earth, this man was a class act all the way. In a business where people change husbands and wives like toilet paper rolls, he was married and loyal to his wife, Joanne Woodward, for 50 years. In addition, he was a race car driver, a humanitarian and a bad-ass actor. If I could be someone else, Paul Newman would be at the top of my list. I think I'll go eat some fabulous Newman's Own products and watch The Sting.

KRISTEN WIIG

She is the only thing keeping Saturday Night Live afloat these days. Her characters and nuanced performances are really remarkable, considering what crappy other people she has to play off of. I hope that they can bring in some other people who are up to her standard so that she doesn't bolt and take a crappy NBC show called "The Office: Sandusky."

Movie of the Week

This week,


THE STING (1973)

Starring- Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw

The best picture of 1973 was this fun, witty caper film from director George Roy Hill. Newman and Redford re-teamed after the success of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to star as two con men who look to get revenge by grifting a mob boss played by Robert Shaw. This film is the gold standard to which all other caper films are compared. Before Clooney as Danny Ocean Pitt as Rusty Ryan there was Newman as Gondorf and Redford as Hooker.

Hooker is a small-time con man who goes to work with Gondorf when his partner is unexpectedly killed by the ruthless mobster, Doyle Lonegan. Together, these two set up a big score to get revenge and make enough money to live on for a long time. Hill expertly constructs the movie in several acts that are divided by title cards to keep the audience in on the steps of a big con operation. It is really cool to see how grifters do their business, and how they keep the law from intruding on their work.

Redford is great, as is Shaw, but to me, it is Newman who steals the show. The scene on the train that sets the grift in motion, in particular, is Newman at his best. The supporting cast is very strong as well, with great character actors filling out the group of con men. There are certainly more revolutionary and weighty films that have won Best Picture, but very few are more fun to watch than The Sting.

Things to watch for-

Edith Head's great costumes
The Ragtime score by Marvin Hamlisch by way of Scott Joplin
The diner that was also used in Back to the Future
The Norman Rockwell-esque artwork

"Not only are you a cheat, you're a gutless cheat as well."

Movie of the Week

This Week,

THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986)

Starring- Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

The sequel to the 1961 film The Hustler, this movie gave Paul Newman a long awaited Oscar for Best Actor. Newman probably had better performances, but this one is very good. He plays Fast Eddie Felson, who after his fall from pool playing stardom, has settled in as a liquor salesman to local bars and restaurants. In one such bar he sees a young pool junkie named Vincent (Tom Cruise) and thinks he might be able to recapture his lost glory. After some wheedling, Eddie convinces Vincent to come on with him as his protege.

Vincent proves to have the "balls" but not the "brains" that Eddie feels he needs to become a successful pool hustler. The two clash over how best to make money and achieve glory, and in the end they part ways- Eddie now deciding to return to the fold as a player.

Martin Scorsese's direction heightens the drama between the two stars, and makes Newman appear confident and fragile at the same time. Even though he is older, Newman still manages to out cool his younger co-star, as he deftly teaches Vince about the nuances of being a hustler. One almost wishes that Fast Eddie would take us under his wing instead of the compulsive Vincent, and tell us about how to score and make big money. A wild card in the mix is Vince's girlfriend, Carmen who has her own angles and ideas on the business of hustling. She is a nice foil for the two men, and really helps ratchet up the tension.

The Color of Money is by no means Scorsese, Newman or Cruise's best work, but together they make an entertaining movie. I could watch Paul Newman read the phonebook, so that may have something to do with why I like this film, but it provides a good lesson about luck, life and how to navigate them.

Things to Watch for-

Forrest Whitaker as a young pool hustler

A bit of a cliffhanger ending

The Balabushka

Scorsese's cameos

VINCE's T-shirt

"Money won is twice as sweet as money earned."