Best Chemistry: 30 Couples with the Best Chemistry (Romantic)

Chemistry. It can either break or make a movie. Just think how bad chemistry has ruined some films and their plot-lines (we're looking at you, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman) and some films have become better because of their actors' chemistry (think Ocean's Eleven and the rapport between George Clooney and Brad Pitt). For this list I looked at romantic film couples and narrowed down a list of thirty couples who made their characters' love stories completely believable and sexy. Their chemistry was so good that we enjoyed watching them and could all buy that they were falling for each other.



30. Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen - Pride & Prejudice (2005)

For a film like Pride & Prejudice - an adaptation of a classic romance - if you don't have a couple with chemistry, you're screwed. Luckily, Knightley and McFadyen had a slow-burning and quietly intense chemistry that sizzled underneath their proper English manners. The sexy but appropriately restrained chemistry between these two talented actors fits their characters perfectly because a believable evolution of dislike to love is allowed to take place. Without good chemistry, this film would have failed, but Knightley and McFadyen's rapport is very satisfactory.Watch them.



29. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy - Before Sunrise (1995)

As two people travelling across Europe and happening upon each other one night, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (who would contribute to the trilogy's scripts), had to be believably attracted to each other. But Delpy and Hawke were beyond believable. It is easy to see how friendship and then love develops between these strangers because of their great chemistry. Bonus: watching their chemistry grow and evolve over the next twenty years in Before Sunset and Before Midnight adds a level of authenticity and maturity to their encounters that has yet to really be rivaled. Here's some proof of that authenticity.



28. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal - When Harry Met Sally (1989)

Aptly considered one of the best romantic comedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally succeeds partially because of the great and comfortable chemistry between its two leads. While their chemistry may not be as sexy or intense as other couples' on this list, it is clear that Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan enjoyed working together and had an easy, believable friendship. Watching the two grow as friends, best friends, lovers, and eventually husband and wife, is a pleasure like that of watching two close and dear friends fall in love.



27. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line (2005)

Like the couple they were portraying, Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon had to have an intense and believable connection that would continuously draw them together. Thankfully, they did and this connection helps raise Walk the Line to another level. As Johnny and June Carter Cash, Phoenix and Witherspoon convince the audience that these two musicians were made for each other, so much so that their love lasted through marriages to different people, addiction, infidelity, and every heartbreak in the music industry. That connection is no more clear than in their scenes together like this one.



26. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh - Gone with the Wind (1939)

Although Leigh allegedly hated working with Gable (he apparently had horrid breath and liked young Mexican girls), that dislike might have helped fuel their chemistry. To this day, many consider Gone with the Wind as one of the greatest romances and its staying power is in large part due to the emotional and heated rapport between its leads. Even if that rapport was based in some hatred, there's a reason that they say hate and love are close cousins. No one can ever deny the electricity between these two.



25. Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas - Romancing the Stone (1984)

Turner's and Douglas' professional relationship worked so well that they would go on to do three movies together. But in this fun Robert Zemeckis adventure romance, this is where the relationship began. As two of the hottest stars of the '80s, it's not surprising that Turner and Douglas would have good chemistry. But their chemistry is so good that it adds a wonderful balance of sexy romance to the high-flying jungle adventure and comedy. Fun, light, and unabashedly funny, this movie scores as a romantic adventure with two very sexy leads.



24. Colin Farrell and Q'Orianka Kilcher - The New World (2005)

Although Q'Orianka Kilcher was 14 at the time that she filmed this poetic drama with co-star Colin Farrell (who was close to 30), their chemistry is undeniable. Tender, sensual, and heartbreakingly passionate, it is an emotional and erotic experience to watch these two fall in love, even with just the sweetest and most innocent of caresses. That connection is so intense that it only makes it that much harder to watch as John Smith leaves and Pocahontas begins life with her eventual husband, John Rolfe. This is intimacy in its most naked form.



23. Nicole Kidman and Jude Law - Cold Mountain (2003)

Despite only sharing a handful of scenes in this Cold War epic, Nicole Kidman and Jude Law do an amazing job of conveying their characters' passion for each other because of their intense chemistry. I mean that kiss alone is enough to convey the kind of passion that could withstand an entire war.



22. Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper - American Hustle (2013)

This is an interesting relationship on this list, since Adam's Sydney Prosser cons Cooper's Richie DiMaso as part of her scheme with lover and partner, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale). Still, although Sydney is never really in love with Richie the way he is, their chemistry is still very apparent. The chemistry is so intense actually that there are moments when the audience wonders whether or not Sydney will really leave Irving for the permed FBI agent. This scene definitely makes you wonder.



21. Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke - Reality Bites (1994)

There are always couples that despite it all, can't stay away from each other. This is certainly the case for Ryder's Lelaina and Hawke's Troy, two Gen X adults who try to fight their connection for almost the entire movie, and with good reason. Lelaina is dating a nice, albeit boring, guy (director Ben Stiller) and Troy can never keep a job or a relationship. But despite all their emotional baggage and their respective attempts to self-sabotage their lives, these two characters cannot deny the intense spark that sizzles between them. That spark is so believable because of Ryder's and Hawke's undeniable chemistry.



20. Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

In this smart and taut adaptation of the Swedish crime bestseller, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist don't seem like an obvious couple. And they certainly aren't. But one of the reasons that I believe David Fincher's version is superior to the original Swedish one (go ahead, bring on the arguments) is because of Mara's and Craig's chemistry. Comfortable, easy, and quietly intense, their rapport is so believable and so sweet that it relieves the audience to see Lisbeth connect so well with a kind and good man after her horrific experiences. Plus, it's very sexy.



19. Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson - Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Once upon a time, Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson were a couple in real life and all literary nerds were ecstatic. Sadly, the marriage didn't last but their work did and their undeniable chemistry was most apparent in Branagh's wonderful adaptation of the Shakespeare play. As one of the classic and original couples who evolve from mutual hatred to mutual love, it's so much fun to watch these two banter, bicker, and realize their love for each other that it does sadden the audience to know that the two actors didn't stay together. But at least we can watch their wonderful and hilarious chemistry forever in this delightful romantic comedy.



18. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

In this funny and honest dramedy, Lawrence and Cooper both give fantastic performances as two people suffering with heartbreak and mental illness. But what gives this film so much heart is the relationship that develops between these two, and the chemistry that makes that relationship so believable. That chemistry is clear in the friendship that the two actors seem to have since filming the movie and especially as their characters progress from acquaintances to dance partners to friends to lovers. We can believe that these two help heal each other because of the emotional progression that evolves between them, and the spark that was always there in the first place.



17. Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley - Willow (1988)

In this underrated George Lucas/Ron Howard fantasy, the chemistry between Kilmer and Whalley was so intense that they ended falling madly in love and marrying. The marriage didn't last but that doesn't detract from the fact that these two were clearly smitten with each other, a fact that helps make it believable when enemies Sorscha and Madmartigan start to fall in love. It's the kind of chemistry that's so good you almost feel as if you're spying when you watch them. Spy a little bit here.



16. Richard Gere and Julie Roberts - Pretty Woman (1990) and Runaway Bride (1999)

In both of these rom-coms, Roberts and Gere light up the screen with their wonderful chemistry. In some ways both plots are slightly unbelievable - she's a prostitute and he's her millionaire john then she's a commitaphobe who has made a name for herself by bailing from three weddings and he's the reporter hoping to expose her - but in each film, the attraction and friendship between these two is so apparent that each story becomes a little more believable.



15. Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas - Desperado (1995)

Some actors on this list seem to chemistry with several of their co-stars. Antonio Banderas is one of them, and there's a reason for that. In this fun Robert Rodriguez action film, Banderas and Hayek - who are easily two of the sexiest people who have ever walked the planet - set the screen on fire with their heated and spicy love affair. From the infamous kiss above to their famously sexy sex scene which still has the power to make most of us thirsty, the chemistry is not just there; it's boiling.



14. Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen - A Royal Affair (2012)

If you haven't seen this Danish period piece, stop reading this and watch it. This is an engrossing and turbulent historical drama about Danish King Christian VII's wife Caroline Mathilde and her historically significant and emotionally resonant love affair with Enlightenment teacher Johann Friedrich Struensee. It's a heady and tragic drama that pulls at the heartstrings, especially because Caroline's and Johann's love for each other is so believable. Lighting up the screen with their intense and potent chemistry, they can't help but make us root for them to have a happy ending.



13. Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner - Bull Durham (1988)

You might have heard about this classic baseball romance, and if so, probably because the great KFC (Kevin F****** Costner) is sexy as hell. That sexiness is partially due to the great chemistry between him and co-star Sarandon whose character, Annie, has made it her mission to train minor league players in the art of love. But Annie meets her match in Crash Davis and the pair really heat things up when they finally hook up. Even though this movie famously brought Sarandon and Tim Robbins together, it's the chemistry between Sarandon and Costner that wins the day.



12. Madeleine Stowe and Daniel Day-Lewis - The Last of the Mohicans (1992)

For an action adventure about the French-Indian War, this is one hell of a love story. Managing to be more romantic than most romances, this awesome Michael Mann drama becomes a romantic epic through the relationship of Hawkeye and Cora (Day-Lewis and Stowe). We become emotionally invested in their futures and their survival as we watch these two fight for their lives and fall hopelessly in love. What could have been a side story that no one really cared about (especially since Cora dies in the original novel) becomes the emotional focal point of the film. That is all due to the incredible chemistry between Day-Lewis and Stowe whose passion for each other is so believable that we can't help but fall in love. It's so hot that they don't even need words.



11. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio - Titanic (1997)

Yeah, you knew it was coming... Say what you want about this dramatic epic (some of us still love it) but you can't deny that Winslet and DiCaprio made a great couple. Good friends to this day, the two beautiful actors stole audiences' hearts back in 1997 because of the believable and lovely chemistry that they shared. It would have been hard for this movie to succeed so much if the main leads hadn't had any chemistry, but Winslet and DiCaprio go above and beyond in a way that makes it that much harder when they are forced to part ways. (RIP Jack)



10. Kevin Costner and Madeleine Stowe - Revenge (1990)

You probably haven't seen this tragic crime drama about a man who falls in love with his crime kingpin friend's wife because most people haven't. And frankly, the movie isn't great. But what is great is the blistering chemistry between Stowe and Costner, who star as the two forbidden lovers. Watch it for the sex scenes alone (they are aplenty) which were all improvised under director Tony Scott's blessing and wickedly hot. Don't believe me? Watch and tell me I'm wrong.



9. Eva Green and Daniel Craig - Casino Royale (2006)

In his many years on screen, James Bond has had many, many women. But what sets Vesper Lynd apart from all the others is the fantastic chemistry between Craig and Green. From the moment the pair appear on screen, it's apparent that there's sparks. Those sparks only grow as the relationship between Bond and his first female match develops emotionally and physically until it feels as if Bond will finally get a happily ever after. If you know that this great 007 flick is based on Ian Fleming's first Bond novel, you know that doesn't happen, but at least we get to see this couple for a little while.



8. Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford - Star Wars (1977-83)

One of the classic film couples... Thank God George Lucas made Luke and Leia siblings; otherwise, we would have never gotten to see the best couple in this space odyssey unfold. Antagonistic towards each other well into the second film, The Empire Strikes Back, things begin to change when space's bad boy and Princess Leia begin spending some alone time together. Cue a sexy kiss and the world's pimpest line ever and you've got a classic Hollywood romance. And the reason that romance worked? Fisher's and Ford's spot-on chemistry.



7. Michelle Pfeiffer and Mel Gibson - Tequila Sunrise (1988)

I get it. We all hate Mel Gibson now because he's a racist drunk (although Alec Baldwin is a homophobic drunk and he's not as hated; just sayin'), and this movie is pretty obscure now to most contemporary viewers. But it's worth a viewing, not only because it's a fun and entertaining drug and crime adventure, but because the chemistry between then-hot Gibson and always-hot Pfeiffer is smoking! Whether they're steaming up the hot tub or just bantering, the sparks fly and it's sexy as hell to watch the strait-laced Jo Ann surrender to the charming McKussic. Even this ask-out is hot.



6. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock - Speed (1994)

Speed 2: Cruise Control didn't just fail because it was on a boat (really?); it failed because Keanu Reeves didn't come back and Jason Patric came in for the sequel. Part of the reason this action thriller is so much fun is because of the playful and sexy chemistry between its two leads who go from complete strangers to lovers all in the course of a few hours. Elevating the film from Die Hard On a Bus to much more, Speed provides a satisfyingly sweet relationship that become emotionally investable and exciting to watch because of the connection Reeves and Bullock so obviously have. That ending still gets me and honestly, I'm still positive that the actors should have gotten together in real life.



5. Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling - The Notebook (2004)

Again, an obvious choice, but a good one! The movie is really flawed and don't get me started on the emotional pornographer that is Nicholas Sparks (you will not see his movies on any of my best lists). But it's hard to deny that this romance has one of the best couples in McAdams and Gosling, whose chemistry was so insane that they went from enemies to lovers in real life. It's exhausting to watch this couple fight and break-up, make-up and break-up, etc., but that's because their passion is so overwhelmingly believable that none of it feels forced. And while the may have not lasted in real life, their connection will be on film forever.



4. Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez - Unfaithful (2002)

Poor Richard Gere... If your movie is going to revolve around a heated affair, the cheaters better have hot chemistry. Fortunately, Lane and Martinez went above the call of duty in this Adrian Lyne erotic thriller. Infamous for its wildly hot sex scenes, Lane and Martinez cannot help but make the audience sweat as they initially flirt and then quickly descend into an affair that's so hot that you have a hard time blaming her. From oral sex in the movie theater to reading some poetry in the bookstore, these two emit flames no matter what they're doing.



3. Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney - Out of Sight (1998)

Entertainment Weekly once asked George Clooney what his favorite scene to film was and he told them it was the infamous trunk scene with Jennifer Lopez in this sexy crime comedy. And it shows. It's probably never been more fun to watch a couple resist their attraction for each other than in this Soderbergh yarn that stands out frankly because of the chemistry between Lopez and Clooney. Like love or faith, chemistry is hard to describe concretely, but in this movie, it's so palpable that the audience can't help but fall under the spell. Thick and heady like fog or humidity, this pair's connection blinds you to everything else but the two beautiful people in front of you.



2. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt - Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

It was the movie that broke up a marriage and began Hollywood's most powerful - and beautiful - couple. Rumors had speculated for months before their action-adventure premiered in theaters that these two were involved, and those rumors only increased when we all saw that indeed, there was something for Jennifer Aniston to worry about. Jolie's and Pitt's chemistry is so smoking hot that it turns what would have been just another predictable action romp into a unforgettable game of cat-and cat that makes even the fights look sexy. What is so cool about this film ten years later, though, isn't just the chemistry, but the knowledge that this began a family and a Hollywood dynasty. Plus, it's fun to imagine that this is how they rumble in real-life. Is it voyeuristic now?



1. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Antonio Banderas - The Mask of Zorro (1998)

Time after time, movie-goers have voted this couple as the sexiest of all time. I couldn't agree more. Even at 8 years old (yes, that is how old I was when I watched this movie in 1999) I responded to the blistering, smoldering heat that ignited between these two. Teasing the audience with moments of classic sensuality and playful naughtiness, Zeta-Jones and Banderas make even the most innocent of moments erotic. They're so believable as a couple that from the moment they set eyes on each other you're rooting for them all the way. And while we're ignore the existence of the heinous sequel, we'll never forget the fire that existed between them in this great movie. They're so hot they can't keep their clothes on.