Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Disagreements are healthy; personal attacks are not.

The way to stop violence is to stop manufacturing the hatred that fuels it.

The “burn-it-down” people are good with that until they become part of the kindling.

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

You are here: Home / Medium Cool / Medium Cool – Chemistry!

Medium Cool – Chemistry!

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Medium Cool is a weekly series related to popular culture, mostly film, TV, and books, with some music and games thrown in.  We hope it’s a welcome break from the anger, hate, and idiocy we see almost daily from the other side in the political sphere.

Arguments welcomed, opinions respected, fools un-suffered.  We’re here every Sunday at 7 pm.

Tonight let’s talk about chemistry on stage and on screen.  And about the plays and films and shows where that chemistry is totally on display.

Is chemistry between actors a real thing, or just great acting?

Is chemistry between actors limited to sexual tension?  (No it is not!)

Discuss!

For those new to Medium Cool, these are not open threads.

Reader Interactions

174Comments

  1. 1.

    NeenerNeener

    Chemistry between actors is a funny thing; all I know is that it’s obvious when two actors don’t have it. That happens a lot in Hallmark movies.

  3. 3.

    Chris

    Lethal Weapon is a definite example of chemistry being a thing. Full credit to the writers, but Mel Gibson and Danny Glover really had fantastic chemistry without which I don’t think it would have lasted four installments.

    Another example that really worked was Sean Connery and Michael Caine in The Man Who Would Be King. It’s a remarkable achievement, because the script doesn’t at all hide the fact that both characters are gigantic fucking scumbags according to almost any moral code you care to mention. The fact that you feel any investment in them is completely down to the actors’ charisma and their onscreen chemistry selling a lifelong best buddies relationship.

  4. 4.

    Peke Daddy

    Sean Connery and Michael Caine in The Man Who Would be King had great chemistry.

  5. 5.

    Anyway

    Gilmore Girls — show went off the rails when Luke and Lorelei got together— zero chemistry between the actors.

  6. 6.

    geg6

    Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Pretty Woman.  A totally unbelievable plot but you really believe they fall in love.  The scene with the jewelry case is just real and totally charming.

    Anything with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.  Also, the Chris Guest regulars.  Total chemistry and synergy.

  7. 7.

    Ihop

    Renee Russo and pierce brosnan in the second “Thomas crown  affair”

     

    I’m not good at identifying poor chemistry,  they’re actors for goodness sake

  8. 8.

    Suzanne

    Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally. I usually hate rom-coms, but it absolutely worked.

    Also, oddly…. Chris Cooper and Meryl Steep in Adaptation.

    From a comedic perspective….. Steve Martin and Michael Caine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels make me laugh until I have tears rolling down my face.

  9. 9.

    geg6

    @Chris:

    Ooooo, I love, love, love The Man Who Would Be King.  Saw it first run in a nearly empty theater around 11 am.  I’m not sure why I chose that film because all I knew about it was the stars.  I came out of that film just thrilled by what I saw.  Great movie, great stars, great performances.

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    Walter White and Jessie Pinkman
    Butch and Sundance
    Mulder and Scully
    Gomez and Morticia
    86 and 99
    Kirk and Uhura
    Bob and Emily Hartley
    Ned Racine and Matty Walker
    Henry Blake and “Radar” O’Reilly

    More where that came from but need to empty the brain first.

  11. 11.

    Mr. Prosser

    I enjoyed the chemistry as I understand it between Glenda Jackson and Walter Matthau in Hopscotch and a movie I can’t remember the name of but he was a doctor and she made cheesecakes. Also all the films with Matthau and Jack Lemmon and the addition of Burgess Meredith in the grumpy old men films.

  12. 12.

    funlady75

    Redford & Newman

    Tyrone Power & Gene Tierney in all their movies

    Bogart & Bacall….

    Bette Davis & George Brent…

  14. 14.

    Chris

    Oh God, can’t believe I forgot –

    Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It’s the best of the five almost entirely down to those two and how well they play together.

  16. 16.

    prostratedragon

    @geg6:  Wilder and Pryor, certainly. Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawernce, Redford and Newman, Loy and Powell, Belafonte and Poitier. And need I say Tracy and Hepburn? In all these cases I think the people were at least friends, but with good actors maybe it’s not necessary, at least in the sense that they need not have the same relationship as their characters.

  17. 17.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    A perfect example of no chemistry working really well onscreen would be Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen (sp?).  As that was a marriage from hell, it made sense that the two did not seem to belong with each other.

  18. 18.

    David_C

    Shoot – I was starting to get moments of pain (organic chemistry) and moments of delight (biochemistry).

    For chemistry, old school, I would put the cast of the old The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or for a modern show, Severance.

    Old, old school would be Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, or Claude Rains, in Casablanca.

  20. 20.

    Anonymous At Work

    Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  Say what you will about their relationship after the movie, but that was chemistry between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

  21. 21.

    tsquared2001

    Since we just lost Gene Hackman, him and Barbara Hershey in Hoosiers had NO chemistry! It is still painful to watch their “romantic” interactions.

    Spencer and Hepburn were the ult but Ingrid Bergman would have chemistry with her male co-actor playing a priest even when she was playing a nun.

    The chemistry between Butch and Sundance … oh la la. Hot!

  23. 23.

    Chris

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop:

    I read something recently that claimed they actually had pretty good chemistry when allowed to improv – Lucas just insisted on sticking them with terrible dialogue, which is what ended up onscreen.

  24. 24.

    Another Scott

    Lizzie and Mr. Darcy!! :-)

    I used to watch Cheers! regularly back in the olden days, but I don’t trust my memory of it enough to have strong opinions about it; Sam and Diane, Diane and Frazier, Sam and Rebecca, etc.  I bring it up because I recently heard a bit of Jesse Thorn’s interview with Kelsey Grammer on Bullseye.

    He said the nut of Frazier’s character was that he was deeply in love with Diane and always would be.

    I didn’t remember that as being the nut of his character, at all. I found that remark very surprising. But, as I say, I don’t trust my memory about the show.

    What I do remember is that I thought the chemistry between Sam and Diane made the show and liked it a lot. (I remembered her from her TV ads for the Homemakers furniture store in Chicago, before she hit the big time. She was great there.)

    Good chemistry can be faked by good actors. A romance without it is torture.

    Thanks.

    Best wishes,
    Scott.

  25. 25.

    Xentik

    @Suzanne:  I think Steve Martin has chemistry with almost everyone, honestly.

    The scene with Steve Martin and Bill Murray in the Dentist’s office in Little Shop of Horrors, for instance. Or more recently, between him and Martin Short in Only Murders in the Building.

    How about Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor in “I love you Phillip Morris”? I thought they had great chemistry. Very different from the normal Jim Carrey movie.

  26. 26.

    CaseyL

    @geg6: ​ Funny thing about that: film lore has it that Gere and Winger hated each other.

    There are lots of stories about actors who had great on-screen chemistry who couldn’t stand each other. So it seems to me that “chemistry” doesn’t necessarily mean “they really like each other.” Intense dislike somehow can also translate into terrific on-screen chemistry.

  27. 27.

    funlady75

    Lana Turner & Gable in Homecoming….

    Cary Grant & Ingrid in Notorious….

    I love Turner Classic movies…

  28. 28.

    FelonyGovt

    Bill Murray and Scarlet Johansson in Lost in Translation. A really sweet relationship.

  29. 29.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Xentik:

    The scene with Steve Martin and Bill Murray in the Dentist’s office in Little Shop of Horrors, for instance. 

    Yes!  And he apparently didn’t always have white hair!

  30. 30.

    tam1MI

    @WaterGirl:  Robert Downey Jr. and James Spader in LESS THAN ZERO.  They also made the cult classic TUFF TURF a watchable movie purely on the strength of their chemistry.

  32. 32.

    WaterGirl

    White Collar is the only show I can think of where there is 3-way chemistry.  Peter, Neal, and Mozzie.  Any two of them separately, all 3 of them together.

  34. 34.

    CItizen Dave

    @Chris:  I never watched that Indiana Jones but remember at the time–and now with the www to confirm, Connery was only 12 years older than Ford yet it was Father-Son.  No surprise they made it fun, though.

    I like the little quirks, such as the web re-confirming that Sally Field played Tom Hanks mother in Forrest Gump, and love interest in Punchline.  Weird.

  37. 37.

    zhena gogolia

    @funlady75: Bette Davis and George Brent were always fabulous. I think they were getting it on in real life, so not sure if it counts!

  40. 40.

    zhena gogolia

    @Montanareddog: Yes, I was going to say that. I can’t think of anyone he didn’t have chemistry with. Maybe Alexis Smith in Night and Day, but I think that’s him acting Cole Porter’s ambivalence.

  41. 41.

    RevRick

    Gabriel Macht and Patrick Adams in Suits, with a side order of Sarah Rafferty as The Donna.

  43. 43.

    tam1MI

    @WaterGirl: Can you give an example of that?  I’m not sure it can be faked, so I am curious.

    I would use the rom-com TWO WEEKS NOTICE starring Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock as an example of two pros making it work.

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    @tam1MI: I will have to watch that and see what I think.  Never seen it.

    I would love to watch While You Were Sleeping again but I don’t think I subscribe anywhere that streams it.

  47. 47.

    Montanareddog

    Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung – In the Mood for Love

    ETA: and in Hero, too

  48. 48.

    zhena gogolia

    Carrie and Big (I know he’s been disgraced, but still).

    Carrie and Baryshnikov — NO CHEMISTRY WHATSOEVER

  50. 50.

    trollhattan

    @CaseyL: ​
    Lots to dislike about Gere–one of the most oleaginous actors I can name, which was put to good use in Looking for Mr Goodbar.
    Woody Allen and Louise Lasser paired effectively in her several films with him, and were also married for a part of that run.

    Might as well add Gene Wilder and Teri Garr. “Why, sank you, Doktor!”

  51. 51.

    tam1MI

    As one who watched soap opera back when their #1 rule was, “Go with the chemistry, no matter what”, I would nominate Anthony Geary and Genie Francis, aka “Luke and Laura” of GENERAL HOSPITAL. L&L’s origin story was all sorts of problematic (and, contrary to popular belief, was recognized as such even back then), but their chemistry together was off the charts so the show threw caution to the winds and went all in on them… and the rest is history.  The word “supercouple” was coined to describe the Luke & Laura phenomenon.

  52. 52.

    trollhattan

    @Xentik:

    Steve Martin and John Candy were letter-perfect in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And speaking of the genius of Candy, he and Ally Sheedy in Only the Lonely—underrated film that could have gone wrong seventeen ways but did not.

  54. 54.

    geg6

    @CaseyL:

    I had read that about An Officer and a Gentleman.  But it was still great chemistry, much like Roberts and Gere.  I have read several articles over the years that basically said that Julia Roberts has chemistry with all her male co-stars.  She apparently is the kind of woman who can hang with men.  They like her and they don’t feel uncomfortable around her.

  55. 55.

    kalakal

    Geoffrey Palmer and Judy Dench in May to December just worked perfectly together as a will they/won’t they couple

    Nigel Hawthorne, Paul Eddington, and Derek Fowlds were a perfect cast for some superb script writing in Yes Minister/Prime Minister . Comedy at it’s best

    David Tennant and Michael Sheen in Staged. Two real life friends having a blast

    A great example of where the characters are meant to loathe each other is Red Dwarf with the 2 main characters Lister and Rimmer . The actors Craig Charles and Chris Barrie apparently  initially loathed each other when they first met* and there’s a real edge to the on screen relationship. They ended up as good friends in real life.

  60. 60.

    frosty

    @tam1MI: Nope. Grant and Bullock didn’t make it work, IMHO. He did movies with just about every good American actress, starting with Four Weddings. The best chemistry I can recall is from Notting Hill with Julia Roberts. It might just be her talent that made it seem like chemistry, though. To quote Grant’s character: “She’s an actess, she knows how to deliver a line.”

    The first dozen times I watched it I was convinced, though!

  62. 62.

    frosty

    @WaterGirl: I have the DVD of While You Were Sleeping. I don’t know if I’d call Bullock-Pullman chemistry though. Good writing and good acting, at least. (Plus I have a major crush on Sandra Bullock!)

  64. 64.

    Mousebumples

    Apologies for being OT – but I just put in the Angel match money. Now, just waiting for the thermometer to jump…

  65. 65.

    narya

    Eleanor and Chidi in “The Good Place”

    also, Costner, Sarandon, and Robbins in “Bull Durham”

  67. 67.

    Percysowner

    Platonic chemistry

    Doctor Who: David Tennant and Catherine Tate

    Elementary: Lucy Lui and Jonny Lee Miller

    White Collar: Matt Bomer and the entire main cast
    ​

  68. 68.

    funlady75

    Two for the Road  movie with A. Hepburn & A. Finney……

    Also Houseboat with Cary & Sophia.

  70. 70.

    frosty

    @geg6: ​ Well, that comment about Julia would explain why I thought Hugh was better in Notting Hill than any of his other movies.

  71. 71.

    WaterGirl

    @frosty: Yeah, I wasn’t thinking chemistry, I was just reminded of Sandra Bullock and that made me think of how I have been wanting to see that movie again.

  72. 72.

    Mousebumples

    @narya: Eleanor and Chidi in “The Good Place”

    Yes.

    Also Logan and Veronica in Veronica Mars. That pairing was not in the original plans for the show, but the protagonist/antagonist sparks made 🔥 that turned their relationship into an on again/off again battle of wills, at least through the first 3 seasons.

    Sam & Dean on Supernatural – at least starting midway through season 1. (*note – I haven’t watched much past season 6) The played brothers and really seemed to have great chemistry, familial chemistry, together.

  75. 75.

    Mousebumples

    @Chris: Harrison Ford and Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It’s the best of the five almost entirely down to those two and how well they play together.

    I’ve only seen the first 3,but 100%,yes. They just played so well off each other.

  77. 77.

    tam1MI

    @frosty: Well, that comment about Julia would explain why I thought Hugh was better in Notting Hill than any of his other movies.

    When Hugh Grant was in his “adorable stammering” phase of making movies, I absolutely hated him and hated every movie he was in – with the exception of NOTTING HILL.

    Then he played an absolute rotter in BRIDGET JONES DIARY and I like him in that, and then he did ABOUT A BOY, a movie I loved, and at that point I had to throw in the towel and say, “Yeah.  The guy can act, and act well”.

  79. 79.

    WaterGirl

    @RevRick: I may be the only person on earth who has never even watched a single episode.  Same is true of Friends.

    So i had no idea, thank you!

  80. 80.

    A Ghost to Most

    In keeping with our recent loss, I loved the chemistry of Bill Murray, Karol Kane, and David Johansson in Scrooged. Also, Bobcat Goldthwait.

  82. 82.

    frosty

    @WaterGirl: ​While You Were Sleeping is a great movie. I’ve watched it almost as many times as Notting Hill.

    That was during my RomCom period when I decided I’d much rather watch movies with love and sex than anger and death… I’m still there, but the RomComs are nowhere near as good.

  84. 84.

    WaterGirl

    @zhena gogolia:  Never saw the show.

    So it wasn’t even an actor’s name; it was a character.  That’s evil enough that it qualifies you to write crossword puzzle clues. :-)

  85. 85.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl: I had never watched a single episode until last fall, when I watched the whole thing straight through. I was looking forward to her romance with Baryshnikov, and that turned out to be the WORST PART OF THE WHOLE SERIES.

  86. 86.

    Mousebumples

    @WaterGirl: White Collar is the only show I can think of where there is 3-way chemistry. Peter, Neal, and Mozzie. Any two of them separately, all 3 of them together.

    I think of Mozzie actually having A+ chemistry with Elizabeth (Mrs. Suit 😂).

    And Neal and Rebecca/Rachel in the second to last season just had great chemistry too.

  90. 90.

    Mousebumples

    @WaterGirl: I would love to watch While You Were Sleeping again but I don’t think I subscribe anywhere that streams it.

    I’ve still got that one on DVD.

    Also, I love checking stuff out from the library still (DVDs included!). I can’t have all the streaming services, after all.

  92. 92.

    WaterGirl

    @Mousebumples: I gave up my DVD after not having used it for 5 years.

    I have a friend who got the old TV and the DVD player and my old Apple TV device.  She was thrilled!

  94. 94.

    Ajabu

    Lou Gossett and Richard Gere in an “Officer and a Gentleman”.

    Lou Gossett and James Garner in” Skin Game”.
    Completely different characters and completely different vibes in both films. My friend Lou was a wonderful actor. He even did “The Zulu and the Zayda” on Broadway with Menasha Skulinik. That’s some chemistry!

  95. 95.

    zhena gogolia

    @ema: Walton Goggins is the most interesting part of this season’s White Lotus. He and Aimee Lou Wood are hilarious.

  96. 96.

    Mousebumples

    @narya: when it was airing new, I stopped watching mid S3. When the kickstarter movie came out, I rewatched it all.

    And when S4 on Hulu came out, I re-rewatched it all. Parts of it hold up better than others. I’ll be generic on purpose – but I hope you enjoy it!

  97. 97.

    Mousebumples

    @WaterGirl: lucky her! We have my old Blu Ray player, and I think Mr. Mouse has a PS4 & PS5 that will both play DVDs. Helpful for the kiddos, too, since we don’t have Disney+.

  98. 98.

    SFBayAreaGal

    Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

    Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer, Batman

    Original Magnum P.I.

    Almost everyone in Supernatural

    Buffy the Vampire Slayer

    Will Trent

    Elementary

    Remington Steele

    Deep Space Nine, Father/son, Benjamin and Jake Sisko played by Avery Brooks and Cirroc Lofton

    Abbot Elementary

    Just a few from my list

  100. 100.

    zhena gogolia

    Oh, and of course John Thaw and Kevin Whately on Inspector Morse, not to mention John Thaw and James Grout on Inspector Morse, not to mention John Thaw and Peter Woodhouse on Inspector Morse.

  101. 101.

    tam1MI

    @zhena gogolia:Music and Lyrics is also great, and he has great chemistry with Drew Barrymore.

    I love that movie!  (Yeah, post ABOUT A BOY I became a bit of a Hugh Grant stan).

  102. 102.

    zhena gogolia

    Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss have chemistry on Mad Men, even though they don’t sleep together.

  103. 103.

    stinger

    @zhena gogolia: Ah, but Gregory Hines and Baryshnikov! Magic!

    Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray in Remember the Night and the very different Double Indemnity.

    Kelsey Grammer and David Hyde Pierce; in fact, all five regulars in Frasier made perfection week after week. Streaming it now.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @SFBayAreaGal: I love Will Trent – you haven’t said who has the chemistry in those shows, though.

    Remington Steele – totally agree, I was thinking of them myself.

  109. 109.

    WaterGirl

    @stinger:

    Ah, but Gregory Hines and Baryshnikov! Magic!

    I thought so, too, but I hadn’t gotten around to typing that yet.

  111. 111.

    persistentillusion

    Anti-chemistry: David Tennant and Jennifer Garner in Camping.  A film where no-one was having any fun.

  112. 112.

    NeenerNeener

    @tam1MI: As one who watched soap opera back when their #1 rule was, “Go with the chemistry, no matter what”, I would nominate Anthony Geary and Genie Francis, aka “Luke and Laura” of GENERAL HOSPITAL. L&L’s origin story was all sorts of problematic (and, contrary to popular belief, was recognized as such even back then),

     

    OMG, I remember their origin story. She was married to Scotty Baldwin but working as a waitress for Luke when he decided not to take No for an answer one night after his place closed. I was stunned when a year or so later, based on pressure from fans, they were suddenly in love and the original violence was romanticized instead. I’ve always wondered if that affected public opinion when real women were attacked.

  115. 115.

    p.a.

    One I think of as every combination of actors having chemistry is Get Shorty.  Even the as-written-no-chemistry between Renée Russo & Gene Hackman is… chemistry.

    Another Travolta vehicle, with S L Jackson, Pulp Fiction.

  117. 117.

    stinger

    Julianna Margulies and Archie Panjabi on The Good Wife as two women who became friends, but it didn’t last. Also, Margulies and Chris Noth as her cheating ex had better chemistry than she and her supposed lifelong love, Josh Charles; I could never believe in that relationship.

  120. 120.

    Chris

    @Mousebumples:

    I’ve found that the sidekicks make or break these movies for me. Loved the third for Connery, and while the second is as the kids these days would say “problematic” in all sorts of ways, Ke Huy Quan actually has really good chemistry with Ford, so I manage to enjoy it all the same.

    The newer ones? The fourth is probably the worst of the lot because Shia LaBoeuf can’t act. The fifth is… Phoebe Waller-Bridge doesn’t have as good chemistry as Connery or Quan, but a lot better than Shia, which helps make it a lot more watchable.

  122. 122.

    SFBayAreaGal

    @WaterGirl: I feel the whole cast of Will Trent has chemistry between each other.

    Remington Steele, Pierce Bronson and Stepanie Zimbalist

    The cast in Magnum PI. They all clicked.

  123. 123.

    geg6

    @geg6:

    Missed the edit window but would like to add that the second season with Kevin Spacey was also full of chemistry, which was woven into the plot line with Wahl, Spacey and Joan Severance.

  126. 126.

    Just look at that parking lot

    Anthony Perkins & Janet Leigh. Well, at least for a little while.

  128. 128.

    Chris

    And tonight’s episode of Firefly reminds me that pretty much everyone on that show nailed the chemistry they were supposed to ha e with each other.

  129. 129.

    SFBayAreaGal

    @kalakal: So did I. The scene where she kisses each spot where he doesn’t hurt.

    I also like the scene where she says I’ll tell you what. Until I get back my five thousand dollars, you’re gonna get more than you bargained for. I’m your goddamn partner.

  131. 131.

    Hodge

    @SFBayAreaGal: Yes, I think that’s why Will Trent is compelling. The actors all seem to give each other such love.

    Also Joe Locke and Kit Connor in Heartstopper

  132. 132.

    stinger

    Paul Gross and David Marciano in Due South.
    Yannick Bisson and Hélène Joy in Murdoch Mysteries.

  135. 135.

    WaterGirl

    @SFBayAreaGal: I won’t disagree on Will Trent.

    Remington Steele, absolutely.  I wonder if that stress anywhere.

    I think the same of the new Magnum PI – chemistry abounds.

    Aside: How hot did Will Trent look in the first two episodes of this season when he was wearing regular street clothes and had a little facial hair????

  137. 137.

    WaterGirl

    @stinger:

    Paul Gross and David Marciano in Due South.

    Yes, yes, yes!  Insert Meg Ryan in the restaurant scene here.   Just last week I looked again, probably for the 10th time, to see if Due South is available anywhere.  (no)

  139. 139.

    Comrade Scott’s agenda of rage

    Enemy chemistry:

    Hepburn an O’Toole in ‘The Lion In Winter’

  142. 142.

    WaterGirl

    @stinger: I would even buy the show if that was an option.  I don’t have and don’t want a DVD player.

    LOVED that show so much.

  149. 149.

    FelonyGovt

    Ooh, just remembered Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott as the hot priest in Fleabag. 🔥

  153. 153.

    Mai Naem mobil

    There’s so many good ones mentioned here. Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah in Splash. Also Hanks and Sally Field in Punchline. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in Speed. Susan and Geena Davis in Thelma & Louise., Mary Stuart Masterson&, Mary Louise Parker in Fried Green Tomatoes, Michael Douglas and Annette Benning and maybe Matt Damon& Michael  Douglas in Behind the Candelabra

    From tv, Martin Clunes and Caroline Katz in Doc Martin + Bitty Schram and Tony Shahloub in  Monk.

  156. 156.

    hitchhiker

    @WaterGirl: Me too. Witness is one of my go-to movies when I just want something to be playing. And then I stop what I was doing and watch. That barn-raising scene? Dayum.

    I think almost all the actors on the West Wing have great chemistry. Toby and CJ. Donna and Josh. Josh and Amy. Bartlet and Leo. Charlie and anybody.

  157. 157.

    RevRick

    The pear eating scene in Tom Jones with Albert Finney and Joyce Redman

    Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore molding clay in Ghost.

  158. 158.

    scribbler

    Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea in The More the Merrier (1943).  Especially the scene where he is walking her home.   Man, they burn up the screen.

  159. 159.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @Anyway:

    Wasn’t that how it was set up to be? The relationship was doomed from the get go, like all of Lorelai’s relationships.

  162. 162.

    prostratedragon

    @stinger:  The actors playing the Brackenreids in MM, also.
    Madschen Amick and Dana Ashbrook, and Everitt McGill and Peggy Lipton in Twin Peaks.
    Right now, watching Gable and Colbert in It Happened One Night. That’s certainly a case.

  163. 163.

    JML

    you can definitely have fine actors that can’t make the chemistry happen. and it can become really frustrating when characters have amazing chemistry but getting them together kind of wrecks the story or they re-write the plot extensively in order to embrace the chemistry.

    (Lot of WB/CW shows have this sort of problem. well, I think it’s a problem. some people just want the chemistry and hotness of hot people being hot and sexy)

    I’ve heard that Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney didn’t get along all that well on Out of Sight, but they had scorching chemistry. Not sure she’s ever been close to that in another movie. George has pulled off the scorcher in other things, but has also fallen flat with his co-stars?

    Claudia Black & Ben Browder in Farscape had elite chemistry. Loads of eye-fucking going on too.

    I love it when the chemistry really cooks. It’s unfortunate when two actors that aren’t supposed to have chemistry have all the chemistry. (Harry Potter movies are a good example; Emma Watson has better chemistry with Daniel Radcliffe than Rupert Grint, which has led to people wanting to re-write all the teen romances in that series)

  164. 164.

    moonbat

    Mulder and Scully are my top UST chemistry duo of all time. Bar none.

    People who had better chemistry with a character they weren’t supposed to: Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman in Sense and Sensibility. They made me want to rewrite Austen.

    Bullock and Reeves. Someone mentioned Speed, but they kick it up several notches in The Lake House which is kind of amazing since they aren’t on screen together until the very end.

    Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe were cooking in Robin Hood, too bad the final battle was so contrived and stupid that it overshadowed the romance.

    And this is a weird one but true: Ron Perelman and Selma Blair in the first Hellboy film. The two literally catch fire when they kiss.

  166. 166.

    Ruckus

    Is chemistry between actors a real thing, or just great acting?

    C. It can be both.

    If it’s good, there is some level of chemistry, and great acting is making the character and the script believable. It is often both, great actors have the concept of chemistry down, which is one of the things that makes them great actors.

  167. 167.

    scav

    @moonbat: To be fair, Emma Thompson and Hugh Laurie had enough chemistry in the film to make you wonder if that character pairing would work. I mean, anything that can bring a spark of interest to Mr Palmer . . . But then, granted, anything would be better than what Mr Palmer has but to make it alive what the alternatives could be.  Bravo to both actors. And to Alan Rickman; this is definitely a plus comment, not an instead of comment.

  169. 169.

    David_C

    @Mark: “William Powell & Myrna Loy.”

    Bingo! Scrolled down to mention that, but you were thinking along the same lines.

  170. 170.

    WaterGirl

    @hitchhiker:

    That barn-raising scene? Dayum.

    My absolute favorite scene in that movie.  The  plot line.  The music.  The looks exchanged between the two rivals as they are working.  The barn raising itself.  Everything.

    Totally agree on West Wing, also.

  173. 173.

    Chat Noir

    Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Bornstein (also Rachel Brosnahan and Luke Kirby!) in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

    Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in “Hacks”

    Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul in “Breaking Bad”

    Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in “Absolutely Fabulous” (actually, the whole cast!)

  174. 174.

    George Kennan Was Right

    This is just my opinion, and of course I could be wrong, but the greatest positive chemistry in screen history, encompassing love, passion, respect, admiration, “uh-huh, sure, honey” attitude, and general mayhem in the interests of both plot development and just plain fun, was between Myrna Loy and William Powell. See the martini scene in “The Thin Man” and tell me I’m wrong.

    (Bonus points: Shout out to everyone who knows where “Oh, Nicky, Nicky, you’re such a tool” comes from.)

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