The Best of Friends (1982) Online

The Best of Friends (1982) Online

The story of two best friends who have an affair one night, resulting in the woman becoming pregnant.

During 1982, two comedy movies with similar titles were released examining the notion of whether male and female friends can become partners. One was Zwei dicke Freunde (1982), a big Hollywood studio movie with lots of star power in Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. The other was The Best of Friends (1982), a smaller Australian film but featuring two big names from their film industry, Graeme Blundell and Angela Punch McGregor. The Best of Friends (1982) came out first on 25 February 1982 whilst Zwei dicke Freunde (1982) was premiered on 17 December 1982. The Australian film's tagline summed up both movies' themes: "They were the best of friends . . . until they fell in love!"

This Australian romantic comedy was the result of a Comedy Film Script competition sponsored by the New South Wales Film Corporation. The prize was for $10,000 and was won by this movie's scriptwriter Donald McDonald for his screenplay "The Best of Friends".

Actress Angela Punch McGregor went to work on this movie virtually immediately after completing Double Deal - Eine verhängnisvolle Affäre (1983) with Louis Jourdan. This movie's co-star Graeme Blundell once said of this: "Last week, it was Louis Jourdan - this week me! It's like going from Paris to North Marrickville!".

Angela Punch McGregor once said of this film: "I think we are in pioneer territory - this kind of sophisticated comedy hasn't been attempted here before."

Artwork for this picture's 's main Australian movie poster formed a heart symbol and cupid's arrow out of the letters "O" and "f" of the word "Of" in this movie's "The Best Of Friends" title logo.

Angela Punch McGregor received top / first billing, Graeme Blundell received second billing.

Theatrical feature film debut for Australian director Michael Robertson.

Actor Graeme Blundell once said of his part in this movie: "The hard thing is for me to get used to myself as a romantic hero when I'm only 5 foot, 8 inches tall. After the Jack Thompsons and the Bryan Browns, it's the return of the short hero!".

Actress Angela Punch McGregor once said of co-this film in a 1984 interview with Australian movie magazine 'Cinema Papers': "I did 'Best of Friends' because it was an excellent script. It was then mutilated by all of us. Donald McDonald [the scriptwriter] was very upset about it... The film was badly handled and I was miscast, but I took it because I wanted the challenge of doing comedy, which I hadn't done before. I thought my role was well written and wasn't cardboard...[On the script being mutilated,] The director [Michael Robertson] wasn't up to it, the film was miscast, the budget wasn't good...there were several reasons. I don't think Australians are very good at doing comedy, yet".

Jim Schembri, in the book 'Australian Film 1978-1994', states that "The film is significant in that it marked a major career change for Angela Punch McGregor. Her experience on it prompted her to steer largely clear of comedy, a decision which her subsequent dramatic triumphs have proved to have been a very wise one". On doing comedy again, Angela Punch McGregor said in 1984: "I baulk at it! I probably would if I were asked, but I probably won't be asked!".

Graeme Blundell said of Australian comedy films whilst promoting this picture in 1982: "The first movies to revive the Australian film industry were comedies - Stork (1971), Alvin Purple (1973), the two Bazza McKenzie movies [The Adventures of Barry McKenzie (1972) & Barry McKenzie Holds His Own (1974)]. All those broad ocker comedies proved that Australians go to the pictures to see an Australian film...It's ironic but nobody has attempted a screen comedy since!".

First of three movies directed by Michael Robertson. The second was Going Sane (1987) whilst the third was Back of Beyond (1995).

Publicity for this movie stated that the movie was in the same vein as the comedies Mann, bist du Klasse! (1973), Cousin cousine (1975) and Barfuß im Park (1967).

This is the only ever movie of a film script by Donald McDonald.

This picture is the only ever star-teaming of Australian actors Graeme Blundell and Angela Punch McGregor.

First straight romantic comedy romcom movie for Graeme Blundell who had appeared in a number of R-rated (adults only) comedies during the 1970s such as Don's Party (1976) (due to language) as well as Australian sex comedies Alvin Purple (1973), The Naked Bunyip (1970) (had censorship classification problems), Alvin kehrt zurück (1974), Pacific Banana (1980), and TV series Alvin Purple (1976).

Mark Lee: The co-star of Gallipoli (1981) as Bruce.