Best Friends
When a professional couple who have lived & worked together for many years finally decide to marry, their sudden betrothal causes many unexpectedly funny and awkward difficulties. They soon find that being married is often quite different from being "best friends."
Despite a mid-range budget of $15.0M, Best Friends became a commercial success, earning $36.8M worldwide—a 145% return.
Nominated for 1 Oscar. 2 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Best Friends (1982) demonstrates strategically placed narrative architecture, characteristic of Norman Jewison's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 56 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.7, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Richard Babson
Paula McCullen
Larry Weisman
Tom Babson
Eleanor McCullen
Ann Babson
Main Cast & Characters
Richard Babson
Played by Burt Reynolds
A successful screenwriter in a long-term unmarried partnership who reluctantly agrees to marry.
Paula McCullen
Played by Goldie Hawn
A screenwriting partner and romantic partner who pushes for marriage and discovers the challenges it brings.
Larry Weisman
Played by Barnard Hughes
Richard's friend and agent who observes the couple's relationship struggles.
Tom Babson
Played by Ron Silver
Richard's traditional father who has strong opinions about marriage and family.
Eleanor McCullen
Played by Jessica Tandy
Paula's mother who expresses concern about her daughter's unconventional lifestyle.
Ann Babson
Played by Audra Lindley
Richard's mother who has traditional expectations for her son.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Richard and Paula work together as successful screenwriting partners in their Los Angeles home, enjoying their unconventional relationship without the pressure of marriage.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Richard impulsively proposes marriage to Paula after they win a screenwriting award, disrupting their perfectly balanced partnership.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 28 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Richard and Paula decide to get married and embark on a cross-country trip to visit both sets of parents to share the news., moving from reaction to action.
At 58 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat A major fight erupts after visiting Richard's parents, revealing deep incompatibilities and making them question whether they should marry at all - false defeat as their perfect relationship appears to be crumbling., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 85 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Richard and Paula have their worst fight and separate. Their creative partnership dies as they cannot work together anymore, and the relationship itself appears over., shows the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 92 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Richard and Paula each realize that marriage doesn't have to change who they are - they can be married AND maintain their original partnership. They don't need to conform to others' expectations., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Best Friends's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Best Friends against these established plot points, we can identify how Norman Jewison utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Best Friends within the comedy genre.
Norman Jewison's Structural Approach
Among the 13 Norman Jewison films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Best Friends represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Norman Jewison filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Norman Jewison analyses, see A Soldier's Story, Jesus Christ Superstar and F.I.S.T..
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Richard and Paula work together as successful screenwriting partners in their Los Angeles home, enjoying their unconventional relationship without the pressure of marriage.
Theme
A character comments on marriage changing relationships: "Everything changes when you get married" - establishing the central question of whether romantic partnerships need formal commitment.
Worldbuilding
Establishing their perfect professional and personal partnership: their collaborative creative process, their comfortable living arrangement, and their friends' reactions to their unconventional relationship.
Disruption
Richard impulsively proposes marriage to Paula after they win a screenwriting award, disrupting their perfectly balanced partnership.
Resistance
Paula hesitates and debates whether marriage will ruin what they have. They discuss their fears and expectations, with friends offering conflicting advice about whether they should formalize their relationship.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Richard and Paula decide to get married and embark on a cross-country trip to visit both sets of parents to share the news.
Mirror World
They encounter Paula's parents - representing traditional marriage and family expectations that contrast sharply with their modern relationship.
Premise
The "fun" of meeting each other's families turns into a comedy of errors as they navigate wildly different family dynamics, cultural expectations, and mounting pressure to conform to traditional marriage roles.
Midpoint
A major fight erupts after visiting Richard's parents, revealing deep incompatibilities and making them question whether they should marry at all - false defeat as their perfect relationship appears to be crumbling.
Opposition
Back in Los Angeles, the wedding planning intensifies conflicts. Family interference increases, they struggle to write together, and traditional marriage expectations clash with their independent partnership. Each tries to change for the other and loses themselves.
Collapse
Richard and Paula have their worst fight and separate. Their creative partnership dies as they cannot work together anymore, and the relationship itself appears over.
Crisis
Both Paula and Richard separately reflect on what went wrong, processing the pain of losing not just a romantic partner but their best friend and creative collaborator.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Richard and Paula each realize that marriage doesn't have to change who they are - they can be married AND maintain their original partnership. They don't need to conform to others' expectations.
Synthesis
They reconcile and get married on their own terms, setting boundaries with their families and reaffirming their commitment to their unique partnership rather than traditional roles.
Transformation
Final image mirrors the opening: Richard and Paula working together on a screenplay at home, but now as a married couple who have preserved their partnership while adding commitment - proving marriage enhanced rather than destroyed their relationship.