# The Sizzle -- Chemistry Between Romantic Leads **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241 "2006-12-31T20:20:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/21 "2007-01-02T22:44:23Z")
John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in _The Quiet Man_ certainly acted like they had actual hots for each other. ---
**Author:** ![Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebecca_DiMwitter)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/22 "2007-01-02T22:51:37Z")
William Hurt and Kathleen Turner in **Body Heat** , for amazing chemistry. Jennifer Aniston and anyone, such as **Jake Gyllenhaal** in **The Good Girl** , **Jim Carrey** in **Bruce Almighty** , **Clive Owen** in **Derailed** and especially recent ex-b/f **Vince Vaughn** in **The Break-Up**. I guess she had chemistry with David Schwimmer on **Friends** , according to fans (although I never was one), but on the big screen, she’s failed to spark any excitement in any of her pairings for me. –Beck ---
**Author:** ![Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@Rebecca\_DiMwitter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebecca_DiMwitter)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/23 "2007-01-02T23:16:08Z")
Also I hope I am not the only one who thought the chemistry between Robert Forster and Pam Grier in **Jackie Brown** was smouldering…damn, I was hot for Max Cherry in that movie! –Beck ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/24 "2007-01-02T23:21:27Z")
The movie that had the most on-screen sizzle for me was _Natural Born Killers_. Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson, neither of whom I normally dig all that much, were HOT together. I totally bought into the premise of this movie because of their chemistry. Oliver Stone always walks the line for me between compelling and pretentious, but his two leads definitely made this one great. ---
**Author:** ![Southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southpaw)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/25 "2007-01-03T01:05:09Z")
Sizzle: Lana Turner and John Garfield in **The Postman Always Rings Twice**. The Snooze: Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise in **Days of Thunder** and **Far and Away**. Its a wonder they were together as long as they were. > [@WhyNot](#): > > On the small screen, there’s no one like Kristen Bell and Jason Dohring of Veronica Mars fame. I’ve never seen Veronica Mars, but I can’t imaging those two could be even half as sizzling as the _best_ TV couple ever. Of course I’m talking about Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as Rob & Laura Petrie. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/26 "2007-01-03T01:25:32Z")
[QUOTE=Southpaw] I’ve never seen Veronica Mars, but I can’t imaging those two could be even half as sizzling as the _best_ TV couple ever. Of course I’m talking about Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as Rob & Laura Petrie. 😃 [/QUOTE] You have a point – but the Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd chemistry in **Moonlighting** was also prettty intense. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/27 "2007-01-03T02:35:39Z")
[QUOTE=Southpaw] I’ve never seen Veronica Mars, but I can’t imaging those two could be even half as sizzling as the _best_ TV couple ever. Of course I’m talking about Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore as Rob & Laura Petrie. 😃 [/QUOTE] Rob and Laura were pretty good, but the _best_ TV couple ever was James Gardner and Mariette Hartley in a series of commercials for Polaroid cameras. That Taster’s Choice coffee couple radiated chemistry, as well. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/28 "2007-01-03T02:40:34Z")
Fleishman and O’Connell in Northern Exposure. and, same series, I forget their names, the gay couple. ---
**Author:** ![Phantom\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Phantom\_Dennis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phantom_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/29 "2007-01-03T02:56:50Z")
[QUOTE=Shirley Ujest] Fleishman and O’Connell in Northern Exposure. and, same series, I forget their names, the gay couple. [/QUOTE] Ditto. And I always thought Shelly and Holling had some convincing chemistry too, especially considering their (vast) age difference. Their romance should have seemed icky, yet somehow they made it work. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/30 "2007-01-03T14:06:00Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] Rob and Laura were pretty good, but the _best_ TV couple ever was James Gardner and Mariette Hartley in a series of commercials for Polaroid cameras. That Taster’s Choice coffee couple radiated chemistry, as well. [/QUOTE] The Country Crock couple leaves me cold. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/31 "2007-01-03T15:14:13Z")
[QUOTE=kunilou] That Taster’s Choice coffee couple radiated chemistry, as well. [/QUOTE] Waitaminnit - wasn’t that Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Anthony Head? What matters to me is how legit the communication appears to be between the characters - could be cute, hot, angry-on-its-way-to-hot - as long as they appear to be really communicating. I remember when Hepburn says to Tracy “Hello you!” in - what? Woman of the Year? - it just seemed so familiar in the best sort of way. And as for the May-December romance thing, I agree - but there was an _extremely_ cheesy episode of ST:TNG featuing Jean-Luc getting reluctantly hot n’ heavy with a then-unknown Famke Janssen that actually worked. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/32 "2007-01-03T17:09:34Z")
How about that hovering around the telephone scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life”? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/33 "2007-01-03T17:30:09Z")
I’ll third _Before Sunrise_ and _Before Sunset_. I always thought that Chris Cooper and his lady were perfect in _Lone Star_. Their sex scene – about 30 years of pent-up desire – was excellent. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/34 "2007-01-03T18:45:03Z")
I know I am lame for mentioning this…but Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Noth had incredible chemistry on Sex and the City. So much so that whenever she switched boyfriends you could tell she AND the audience were getting bored. Their sizzle made the storyline that (well, an admittedly unlikeable protagonist) she’d go back to such a cad over and over again pretty realistic…in a weird, co-dependent unhealthy sort of way. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/35 "2007-01-03T18:51:08Z")
I’ll also add the actors who play Jim and Pam on The Office (American) as having great chemistry…except they’re not the leads since it comes off more like an ensemble show. In terms of WORST chemistry I’ll 2nd the Old Man Bond and Catherine ZJ pairing in that movie (was it Entrapment?) but it still doesn’t compare to the looks of loathing that really hot french babe was giving David Spade in that movie where she’s a violinist and there’s a dognapping and he loses his best friend’s wife’s diamond. I think her name is Sophie something or other…I’m pretty certain she was also a Bond girl. You could really tell she hated him. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2007, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241/36 "2007-01-04T02:46:14Z")
Fred Astaire, in _Daddy Long Legs_ and _Funny Face_. Kermit the Frog would have been more convincing. (In the latter, at least, he seemed to have some chemistry with that annoying woman who wasn’t his love interest. Actually, that just makes it worse, doesn’t it?) As for GOOD chemistry…Kurt Russel and Goldie Hawn in _Overboard_ is cheating, right? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sizzle-chemistry-between-romantic-leads/386241.md?page=1)