20 of our favorite pairs of fictional best friends

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO TOWERS, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, 2002 — Elijah Wood and Sean Astin as Frodo and Sam in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'. Photo:
New Line/courtesy Everett Collection

Great movies are all about relationships. However, it's not simply lovers and arch-nemeses that make give a story depth: Sometimes, we're just there for the friendships.

Whether its titular buds like Thelma (Geena Davis) and Louise (Susan Sarandon) or underrated besties like Absolutely Fabulous' Patsy (Joanna Lumley) and Edina (Jennifer Saunders), best friends can be the heart of the plot. To prove that for every Superman and Lex Luthor there's a Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves), we've rounded up 20 of the most iconic besties that have graced screens big and small.

Here are our 20 favorite pairs of fictional best friends.

01 of 20

Bill and Ted in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bill and Ted's friendship stays true from Ancient Greece to the wild West, because they adhere to the two primary tenets of the Wyld Stallyns life: Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.

02 of 20

Thelma and Louise in Thelma & Louise

THELMA & LOUISE, Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, 1991. © MGM/ Courtesy: Everett Collection — Everett Collection

There are friends you go on a road trip with, and there are friends you keep going with. Thelma and Louise keep going.

03 of 20

Leslie and Ann on Parks and Recreation

Never was there a BFF love like Leslie's (Amy Poehler) for Ann (Rashida Jones), poetic and noble land-mermaid. Nor could anyone ever be a better pal to Leslie than Ann, opalescent tree shark. In conclusion, we know that true beautiful friendship can really exist in this otherwise cold dark world because we have witnessed it between Leslie and Ann, rainbow-infused space unicorn.

04 of 20

Woody and Buzz in Toy Story

Woody himself said (sang) it best: You've got a friend in me…

05 of 20

Patsy and Edina on Absolutely Fabulous

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, 1992-2003 — Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in 'Absolutely Fabulous.'. Everett Collection

The most fabulous thing about Patsy and Edina? Their long-lasting friendship. Stay glam!

06 of 20

Maverick and Goose in Top Gun

top-gun-cruise-edwards — Paramount Pictures

Nothing bonds a pair of high-flying bros (Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards) like feeling the need — the need for speed.

07 of 20

Cher and Dionne in Clueless

CLUELESS, Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, 1995. © Paramount Pictures/ Courtesy: Everett Collection — Everett Collection

Duh, they're both named after famous singers of the past who now do infomercials. Obviously Cher (Alicia Silverstone) and Dionne (Stacey Dash) are iconic BFFs.

08 of 20

Timon and Pumbaa in The Lion King

THE LION KING, Pumbaa, Timon, 1994. ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection — Everett Collection

The Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of the African jungle get along so well due in part, of course, to their famous problem-free philosophy.

09 of 20

Meredith and Cristina on Grey's Anatomy

ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" - Season Seven — Eric McCandless/ABC/Getty Images

Friendship doesn't come truer than Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Cristina's (Sandra Oh). That's what it means to be someone's person.

10 of 20

Joey and Chandler on Friends

Just edging out Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica (Courteney Cox) are their across-the-hall neighbors (Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc), an undeniable duo of recliner-loving, foosball-playing chick-and-duck owners.

11 of 20

Lucy and Ethel on I Love Lucy

Ball & Vance In 'I Love Lucy' — CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Whether it's shamelessly stalking celebrities or stuffing a conveyor belt of chocolates in their mouths, there's no ill-fated humiliation that these ladies (Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance) can't survive together.

12 of 20

SpongeBob and Patrick on SpongeBob SquarePants

THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE, Patrick Star, Spongebob Squarepants, 2004, (c) Paramount/courtesy E — Everett Collection

F is for friends who do stuff together!

13 of 20

Mia and Lilly in The Princess Diaries

THE PRINCESS DIARIES, Heather Matarazzo, Anne Hathaway, Mandy Moore, 2001 — Everett Collection

While Lilly (Heather Matarazzo) did briefly threaten to throw her charm bracelet with the sacred friendship charm into the dirt, we never doubted their connection. She kept Mia's (Anne Hathaway) royal secret! Do you know how hard it is to have a cable show and keep a secret?

14 of 20

Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS — Everett Collection

"I made a promise, Mr. Frodo. A promise. 'Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee.' And I don't mean to. I don't mean to."

15 of 20

Romy and Michele in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION, Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, 1997, (c)Buena Vista Pictures/cou — Buena Vista Pictures/Everett Collection

Forget about the Post-It notes, have you seen that dance routine?

16 of 20

Shaggy and Scooby on Scooby-Doo

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU?, Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, 1969-72 — Everett Collection

Velma may be the brains and Fred the brawn of this crew of mystery-solving meddling kids, but the nervous duo of Scooby and his best pal (and bringer of Scooby snacks) Shaggy are the group's beating heart.

17 of 20

Dorothy and Lorelei in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - 1953 — 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock

No matter what conniving guys they encounter or transcontinental showgirl hijinks they get into, this pair of little girls (Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell) from Little Rock always comes out on top because they've got each other.

18 of 20

Seth and Evan in Superbad

Michael Cera and Jonah Hill in 'Superbad'. Everett Collection

Nothing embarrassing about it: These dorky dudes (Michael Cera and Jonah Hill) love each other. Why don't they say that every day? Why can't they say it more often?

19 of 20