Prime Video’s New #1 Movie Finally Brings Back An Iconic Genre

by

Prime Video’s new show, The Wrecking Crew, is currently the most popular title on the service, and its success means more than just a boost for stars Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista. The show taps into a long tradition of ‘buddy comedies,’ a genre that dates back to classic pairings like Laurel and Hardy.

Buddy movies have evolved over the years. Originally, the genre blended with different types of films, including adventure movies like the Road To… series starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, and Westerns such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It became especially popular when combined with action, and in the 1970s, films like Freebie and the Bean helped launch the buddy action comedy as a major hit.

This type of movie really became popular in the 1990s. Films like Stir Crazy, 48 Hours, and Lethal Weapon were big hits throughout the decade, and later came movies like Die Hard with a Vengeance and the Rush Hour series. More recently, Hot Fuzz and the 21 Jump Street movies have continued to keep this genre going.

The Wrecking Crew Is The First Great Buddy Comedy of the 2020s

Image via Prime Video

I honestly thought the buddy comedy was a thing of the past! It felt like the genre just disappeared in recent years. But I was so happy to see The Wrecking Crew with Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa hit number one on Prime Video! It’s a really fun story about two brothers who have to put aside their differences and work together, and it’s exactly what I needed to see to remind me how great these kinds of movies can be.

I just heard about this new movie, The Wrecking Crew, and it sounds really interesting! It’s directed by the same guy who did Blue Beetle, and it’s about two half-brothers, Jonny and James, who haven’t seen each other in a while. They reconnect when their father is murdered, and it turns out there’s a whole conspiracy behind it. From what I understand, it’s not just action and suspense though – these brothers are constantly bickering while trying to solve the mystery, which sounds like a really fun dynamic to watch!

Like many classic buddy comedies, The Wrecking Crew pairs a grounded, family-oriented character, James (played by Bautista), with a wild and unpredictable one, Jonny (played by Momoa). While Morena Baccarin and Stephen Root also star, the movie truly shines because of the chemistry between Bautista and Momoa. The Wrecking Crew feels like a throwback to the fun, action-packed buddy comedies of the 1980s.

As a big fan of those classic 80s and 90s action-comedies – you know, movies like The Hard Way, Stakeout, The Last Boy Scout, Running Scared, and Midnight Run – I really enjoyed The Wrecking Crew. It feels like a breath of fresh air for that kind of movie. But honestly, the fact that it found its audience on streaming really highlights how tough it’s been for buddy comedies to do well in theaters lately.

Buddy Comedies Struggled For Years Before The Wrecking Crew

The new Prime Video release is being compared to films like Lethal Weapon and The Nice Guys, but it’s important to remember that classic buddy comedies aren’t common in movie theaters anymore. While action comedies do well on streaming services, they rarely become big hits in theaters. In fact, the biggest buddy comedy of 2025, Heads of State, also premiered directly on Prime Video.

It’s not surprising that recent comedies haven’t performed well at the box office. Despite boasting big names like George Clooney and Brad Pitt, the 2024 action comedy Wolfs failed to attract audiences. Other films, like the critically acclaimed The Nice Guys, and the 2023 remake of White Men Can’t Jump, also underperformed financially, as did the comedy Ricky Stanicky starring John Cena.

As a big fan of action comedies, it’s been tough lately! While the Bad Boys movies still kill it, most new buddy comedies just haven’t worked. 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine did surprisingly well, but honestly, that felt more like a superhero movie with a buddy-cop vibe than a true comedy duo film. It’s hard to find something that really captures the magic of the classics!

The Wrecking Crew Ends The Buddy Comedy’s Most Recent Trend

Fans of classic buddy comedies will be happy to see The Wrecking Crew succeed. However, some might point out that the buddy comedy genre hasn’t really been in trouble lately, especially if you consider a broader range of films within the genre. Buddy movies are still popular when you look beyond the traditional definition.

Recent films like Another Simple Favor, the 2022 hit Do Revenge, One of Them Days, and Joy Ride proved that comedies starring female pairs could be critically successful. In fact, the 2022 adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s novel, My Best Friend’s Exorcism, was a notable example of a horror-comedy with the same dynamic.

Though it doesn’t quite follow the style of films like Shane Black’s Lethal Weapon, this story of two teenage girls dealing with a demon on their own is still a memorable buddy comedy. The film’s humor comes from the girls’ different personalities, their surprising friendship, and the scary situations they face together. The 2025 remake of Anaconda also relied heavily on this buddy comedy dynamic, even though it was meant to be a horror film.

These days, people might have to dig a little deeper to find really good buddy comedies. However, Prime Video’s The Wrecking Crew shows that a classic action comedy with guns, explosions, and plenty of humor can still work well, even in 2026.

Read More

2026-01-31 22:39