Love is in the air, on the television, and the mega screens of the many movie theaters in the world. These days, films are packed with fictional movie couples. If the chemistry between the characters and the leads is there, we are encouraged to invest our time to see how their relationship evolves. But, when the chemistry between the movie duos is not there, the whole movie can fall apart. Iconic movie couples are born from the chemistry they create and foster. So what makes this element so important and why is it found in the most famous movie couples on the screen?
Surely, the best movie couples can be found in the romantic genre movies. There, leading actors have to have that needed chemistry to portray romantic couples realistically and naturally. Romance movies and series are built on chemistry and without it, the whole storyline can turn into a fiasco. Chemistry also seeps into other genres. From superhero movies to action movies, couples from movies are remembered mostly for the chemistry they can transfer to us from the screens of the cinema.
No matter how good the actors are, sometimes the chemistry is just not there. Some fictional couples in movies work, while others don’t. And perhaps that’s the beauty of chemistry — you can’t force it. With the list below, take a look at how various actor duos just couldn’t quite force the chemistry between the characters they played. Upvote the couples who couldn’t convince you with their chemistry. Also, comment down below if you know of any more movie couples without chemistry!
#1 Hayden Christensen And Natalie Portman (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones)
Anakin Skywalker might have hated sand, but the fans hated the relationship between him and Padme. The chemistry between Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman was weak and unable to reach the stars in the eyes of the fans.
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53points
#2 Daniel Radcliffe And Bonnie Wright (Harry Potter)
Not all movies can perfectly adapt a book. In the last few movies of Harry Potter, mainly Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows, the chemistry between Daniel Radcliffe’s and Bonnie Wright’s characters was “invisible,” unlike in the books, where their relationship was loud and clear.
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49points
#3 Jennifer Lawrence And Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games)
In this movie, there was a hunger for games and for the chemistry between the main characters. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson might have won The Hunger Games, but they couldn’t win the hearts of fans as a couple. When this chemistry couldn’t fill the hunger of the fans, at least the story did.
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45points
#4 Kristen Stewart And Robert Pattinson (Twilight)
Another relationship from Twilight that quickly disintegrates. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison, great actors, are emotionless romantics who talk slowly and are on the verge of falling asleep. Strangely enough, only one of them was supposed to be a vampire, but it seems both of them can perfectly capture the life of a vampire.
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43points
#5 Kit Harington And Emilia Clarke (Game Of Thrones)
Fictional relationships need to have a build-up so that we, the fans, can believe it. While Game Of Thrones overall lacked the build-up to the final, the main relationship of Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke's characters was forced at best, a total disaster at worst.
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39points
#6 Jessica Alba And Ioan Gruffudd (The Fantastic Four)
The Jessica Alba character was not the only one to be invisible in this movie. Her chemistry with co-star Ioan Gruffudd was barely visible and there was no flexibility available to be seen. While the movie might be fantastic, the relationship on the screen can be labeled as a solid four.
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38points
#7 Bryce Dallas Howard And Chris Pratt (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom)
Even in the old days of the dinosaurs, when there was no chemistry to be discovered, you just knew it instantly. In Jurassic World, the chemistry between the characters of Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt was barely there and only their good looks pushed their relationship forwards.
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35points
#8 Jason Momoa And Amber Heard (Aquaman)
Water is an important component of many chemical reactions, yet even Aquaman can’t dodge the bad chemistry with his partner. Jason Momoa and Amber Heard, the main actors in the movie, are unable to puncture the surface of the water with their poor chemistry.
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35points
#9 Adam Sandler And Salma Hayek (Grown-Ups)
As you grow up, you start to understand one thing — you can’t grow out of your childlike manners. Adam Sandler and Salma Hayek's characters act more like a new couple, where the relationship is based more on looks. They are funny and their timing is alright, but there is no way you can ship both of them as a couple.
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35points
#10 Chris Evans And Emily Vancamp (Captain America: Civil War)
Hailing from different centuries, Captain America has left his chemistry set in the 1940s. While Chris Evans and Emily Vancamp's characters are powerful on their own, adding a lot to the story, their shot at creating a romantic relationship between them is just not visible on the screen and lacks that chemistry.
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32points
#11 Henry Cavill And Amy Adams (Man Of Steel)
Even Superman is not safe from poor chemistry. While the movie itself is good and well-reviewed, the chemistry between the two leads, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams, is barely there and it just proves that looks alone can’t carry a relationship.
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30points
#12 Anne Hathaway And Adrian Grenier (The Devil Wears Prada)
Even the devil isn’t strong enough to pull these two actors and their characters together. The devil might wear some fashionable Prada for good looks, but Anne Hathaway and Adrian Grenier couldn’t even bother to emit some chemistry, even if it might look good on the screen. At least the saving grace is that the movie itself is pretty good.
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29points
#13 Chris Hemsworth And Natalie Portman (Thor)
Looks aren’t everything and Thor proves it perfectly. If looked at individually, these characters, Thor and Jane, are perfect and well-portrayed in the movies, but when put together and pushed to create a relationship, the actors couldn’t portray the romantic chemistry that was needed. Lucky for us, they were technically broken up in later movies.
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28points
#14 Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades Of Grey)
There might be Fifty Shades Of Grey to choose from, but there are also fifty-ish reasons why Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan were unable to create the right amount of chemistry between them. When the movie is focused on the romance between them, the lack of it feels forced and a bit cringe.
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28points
#15 Katherine Heigl And Gerard Butler (The Ugly Truth)
The ugly truth is — this movie lacked the chemistry that other good romance movies surely have. The script might be all right, but the relationship between the main actors is cringy. If you ever watch this movie, just make sure to pay more attention to the jokes and not to the romantic parts.
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27points
#16 Ashley Greene And Jackson Rathbone (Twilight)
Even vampires with their pale skin need some kind of chemistry to work together. While the main couple in Twilight is mediocre at best, the couple that Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone portray is without a heartbeat and emotions — literally.
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26points
#17 Julia Roberts And Nick Nolte (I Love Trouble)
Julia Roberts is the embodiment of the romance genre. If you remember watching a romantic movie in the 1990s or 2000s, there is a high chance that Julia Roberts was in one of them. So seeing her poor chemistry in this movie with Nick Nolte, makes you just wonder, who loves trouble like this?
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23points
#18 Nicole Kidman And Hugh Jackman (Australia)
In the land down under, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman do the romance part in a completely different way. The chemistry between them (or more correctly, the lack of it) puts a question mark on the romantic side of the movie and we, the fans, are left to see a barely alive romance taking its final breaths.
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22points
#19 Rupert Grint And Emma Watson (Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2)
Harry Potter is a miss when it comes to building relationships. A lot of fans would agree that they would have shipped Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe together, as their characters seemed to be so compatible, but the duo we got, of Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, is boring and not worth our investment.
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21points
#20 Angelina Jolie And Johnny Depp (The Tourist)
Italy is the place of love and pasta. But while you can buy some pasta and cook it on your own, you can’t do that for love, at least not the cooking part. When the chemistry is not there, it might feel artificial. Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp might have long names and short surnames, but they don’t have chemistry in the movie The Tourist.
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21points