Singin’ in the rain harbors one of the most famous and common friendship dichotomies seen in storytelling: the dichotomy between the famous ‘popular’ friend, and the lesser noticed yet still loyal and important ‘sidekick’ friend. This type of friendship really resonated with me because for most of our lives I have felt that my best friend and I have had a relationship like this as well.
To put it into context, Don and Cosmo are best friends. They have grown up together and worked to get to where they are today in show business together. However, Don is in the spotlight, and while Cosmo is there too, he is not as famous or adored as the star of the show, Don. The two remain fast friends but Cosmo plays a supporting role in the friendship while Don seems to take precedence. Throughout the film Cosmo is selfless and a brilliant help to Don putting Don and Don’s career ahead of himself and his own. Don is the beloved hero of the story but upon deeper inspection Cosmo is actually the driving force behind Don’s success. Cosmo celebrates with Don and never displays jealousy when Don gets the girl, the fame, and the adoration. He is a truly loyal friend. This is not to say that Don is not a good friend or that Don is taking advantage of Cosmo. Don remains a great friend to Cosmo and it is doubtful that Cosmo would have gotten to where he is without Don. In this type of friendship dichotomy there is a bold hero and a helpful sidekick. In order for the arrangement to work each must accept their roles and fulfill them while also enjoying and gaining something from the friendship.
Don and Cosmo’s friendship really resonated with me because I too have had a friendship like this with my best friend. In recent years we have become more equal in our partnership but when we were younger, the bold hero/helpful sidekick dichotomy was undeniable. My friend was outgoing and friendly, she had a huge group of friends and was one of the ‘cool kids’ in middle and high school. I however was very shy and introverted. I had very few friends and definitely did not qualify as ‘cool’. Every activity that we did together she was the star, the one that got noticed and adored and I was also included but by association. Like Cosmo, I was still there, just not in the spotlight. I was always behind the scenes, there to support her and guide her when she needed it while forging my own different path for myself. But also like Don and Cosmo we have always been best friends. She is a great friend to me and always has been, much like Cosmo and Don. And even though at times I have been urged to be careful and warned that our relationship is one sided, we are best friends, always have been, and always will be. The people who say these things do not understand a friendship like this. They look at it negatively, as if the sidekick is being taken advantage of and the hero is self-centered. But the key to understanding this dichotomy is to understand and accept that neither person is better or worse in the relationship, simply that both are very different and thus play different roles.