Buddy Buddy
A hitman is bumping off the witnesses in a Mafia trial. Only one witness remains and the hitman checks in at a hotel with the aim of shooting the witness from his window. Checking in next door is a depressed man, suicidal due to his wife having an affair with her doctor. His issues accidentally stymie the hitman at every turn.
The film underperformed commercially against its small-scale budget of $10.0M, earning $7.3M globally (-27% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unique voice within the comedy genre.
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%)
Buddy Buddy (1981) reveals carefully calibrated narrative architecture, characteristic of Billy Wilder's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 36 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.8, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Trabucco
Victor Clooney
Celia Clooney
Dr. Zuckerbrot
Main Cast & Characters
Trabucco
Played by Walter Matthau
A meticulous, professional hitman attempting to execute a mob informant from his hotel room.
Victor Clooney
Played by Jack Lemmon
A suicidal, neurotic man who repeatedly interrupts Trabucco's assassination plans with his suicide attempts.
Celia Clooney
Played by Paula Prentiss
Victor's estranged wife who has left him for another man, the object of Victor's desperate affection.
Dr. Zuckerbrot
Played by Klaus Kinski
Celia's new lover, a sex therapist who has stolen Victor's wife.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Professional hitman Trabucco checks into a Riverside hotel with precision and detachment, methodically preparing for his next assignment with cold efficiency.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Victor attempts suicide by hanging himself, causing a loud crash that threatens to expose Trabucco's position and ruin his carefully planned assassination.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 24 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Trabucco makes the active choice to help Victor reconcile with his wife, realizing this is the only way to complete his own mission. The two form an unlikely partnership., moving from reaction to action.
At 48 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Victor's wife rejects him completely and chooses Dr. Zuckerbrot. Simultaneously, Trabucco's window of opportunity for the hit begins closing. False defeat for both men., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 72 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Trabucco misses his shot and his target escapes. His perfect professional record is destroyed, and Victor's interference has cost him everything. The mission has failed completely., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 77 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The two men work together in a final chaotic confrontation involving the police, the sex clinic, and Victor's wife. Their partnership, born of necessity, becomes genuine friendship., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Buddy Buddy's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping Buddy Buddy against these established plot points, we can identify how Billy Wilder utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Buddy Buddy within the comedy genre.
Billy Wilder's Structural Approach
Among the 10 Billy Wilder films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 5.6, showcasing experimental approaches to narrative form. Buddy Buddy represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Billy Wilder filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Billy Wilder analyses, see The Seven Year Itch, Witness for the Prosecution and The Apartment.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Professional hitman Trabucco checks into a Riverside hotel with precision and detachment, methodically preparing for his next assignment with cold efficiency.
Theme
A hotel employee mentions that "everybody needs somebody," foreshadowing the film's exploration of human connection versus isolation.
Worldbuilding
Trabucco sets up his sniper position and prepares for the hit. Meanwhile, Victor Clooney checks into the adjacent room, despondent over his wife leaving him for Dr. Zuckerbrot, head of a sex clinic.
Disruption
Victor attempts suicide by hanging himself, causing a loud crash that threatens to expose Trabucco's position and ruin his carefully planned assassination.
Resistance
Trabucco reluctantly saves Victor multiple times to keep him quiet, but Victor keeps attempting suicide. Trabucco debates whether to help Victor or eliminate him as a liability.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Trabucco makes the active choice to help Victor reconcile with his wife, realizing this is the only way to complete his own mission. The two form an unlikely partnership.
Mirror World
Victor's desperate, emotional approach to life contrasts sharply with Trabucco's cold professionalism, creating a thematic mirror that will challenge both men.
Premise
The odd couple dynamic plays out as Trabucco tries to execute his hit while managing Victor's suicide attempts and romantic crisis. Comic chaos ensues at the sex clinic.
Midpoint
Victor's wife rejects him completely and chooses Dr. Zuckerbrot. Simultaneously, Trabucco's window of opportunity for the hit begins closing. False defeat for both men.
Opposition
Complications mount as police investigate, Victor becomes more unhinged, and Trabucco's employers pressure him. The hitman's professional detachment crumbles as he becomes emotionally invested in Victor.
Collapse
Trabucco misses his shot and his target escapes. His perfect professional record is destroyed, and Victor's interference has cost him everything. The mission has failed completely.
Crisis
Trabucco confronts the emptiness of his isolated existence. Victor faces the reality that his wife is gone forever. Both men sit in darkness, having lost what defined them.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
The two men work together in a final chaotic confrontation involving the police, the sex clinic, and Victor's wife. Their partnership, born of necessity, becomes genuine friendship.