Here's a look at bromance movies -- in their widely varied forms -- over the decades:

"The Defiant Ones" (1958): Often cited as the first bromance, this drama stars Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier as escaped convicts who loathe each other but are literally chained together. Their friendship eventually grows so strong that they can't bear to part.

"The Odd Couple" (1968): This Neil Simon comedy doesn't feature a "meet-cute," but it's one of the definitive male-bonding films. Two divorced friends, the slovenly Oscar (Walter Matthau) and the compulsively neat Felix (Jack Lemmon) move in together and quickly become as adorably dysfunctional as any married couple.

"Lethal Weapon" (1987): One of the great buddy films, with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as LAPD detectives with opposing personalities. Their spousal relationship is clear (especially in the sequels) with Mr. Gibson as the reckless husband and Mr. Glover as the fretting wife.

"The Shawshank Redemption" (1994): Another mixed-race "marriage," with Tim Robbins as a wrongly convicted prisoner and Morgan Freeman as the lifer who befriends him. Hardly a woman in the cast, and it's the two men who end up together on a tropical beach.

"The 40-Year-Old Virgin" (2005): The film that put Judd Apatow on the map is ostensibly a romance between a sexual novice (Steve Carell) and a warm-hearted eccentric (Catherine Keener). What resonated with audiences, however, was the bonding between the men (played by Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and others), who comfort and support each other in their affectionately insulting way.

"Superbad" (2007): Like most teen flicks, this one was about boys trying to get lucky with girls. But the stars, Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, made bromance history with their famous spooning scene: "I just want to go to the rooftops and scream, 'I love my best friend, Evan!' "

"The Bucket List" (2007): Mr. Freeman (again) and Jack Nicholson play terminally ill men who help each other fulfill their life goals. The bromance formula is followed to the letter -- the meet, the split, the tender reunion -- and the exotic scenery (France, Africa) is almost as romantic as the 2gether-4ever ending.

"Role Models" (2008): Mr. Rudd and Seann William Scott play two screw-ups forced to do community service work with misfit kids. This was partly a lousy-parent comedy like "Bad Santa" or "The Bad News Bears," but the film also focused on the two dudes' breakup and inevitable make-up.

"Funny People" (2009): Mr. Apatow's first flop cast Adam Sandler as a successful but depressed comedian and Mr. Rogen as a young joke writer. Aside from that bromantic relationship, there were two more -- one involving Mr. Hill, another with Jason Schwartzman -- which may have overloaded audiences.

"I Love You, Man" (2009): The most blatant example of the bromance again features Mr. Rudd, this time as a guy who lacks a best man for his wedding; Jason Segel plays the overgrown adolescent who might fit the bill. As you might guess, the climactic wedding scene has almost nothing to do with the bride.

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