I'd agree wholeheartedly if it wasn't a pretty novel concept in the grand scheme of things, which has only began to take root in the over-romanticized slew of clichés that is modern culture. Funny random thought I had recently is that clichés and memes are pretty much the same thing, the only real difference is how it's been perceived by the contemporary people. Tells you much about the evolution of the zeitgeist over the last century alone.
Matter of fact, most people don't even really remember the first person they've been close with. Same deal with the so-called childhood friend trope.
Those only work because the target audience is essentially a bunch of bums with little to no social life or life experience as a whole for that matter. (just like SF sounds like a clownshow for real scientists.)