PRINTRomance redux
If at first you do succeed ...
Warner Bros
Hudson and McConaughey show off their suspiciously bronzed bodies in Fool’s Gold.
February 14, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Movie-lovers, prepare to experience a little déjà two this month when Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey meet again in the lighthearted romantic comedy Fool’s Gold. The duo made their coupling debut in 2003’s How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and they’re at it again, which promises even more PG-13 wit and on-screen sparkle.
Hudson and McConaughey are not the first to re-rendezvous on the silver screen. Many actors have decided to team up again after finding a formula that works. “There’s two things that I think you need to have, and one is really strong writing and the other chemistry,” says Gary Susman, a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly. “Chemistry is like pornography. It’s hard to define, but we all know what it is.” Although cinematic history encompasses a multitude of repeat offenders, some couples are simply more advanced in the art of tugging at heartstrings.
An uneasy kiss. A stomach-churning sex scene. Awkward body language. These moments can make you want to push the fast forward button. Most people can think of movie couples whose chemistry makes their own relationships seem Dr. Phil-approved.
Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman:
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
A young Anakin Skywalker falls in love with an older, more mature Princess Amidala. Christensen’s rendition of a love-struck teenager was like a boy who has a crush on his hot baby sitter. The couple might have the worst chemistry ever.
Adam Sandler and Kevin James:
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
Some couples look as though they’re just going through the motions. Chuck (Sandler) and Larry (James) actually are. Larry wants a domestic partnership so his kids can be his beneficiaries, and the two straight guys must convince everyone they’re gay. Even after their slapstick wedding ceremony, it’s a little hard to feel the love.
Eddie Murphy and Eddie Murphy:
Norbit
Good chemistry can come from being attracted to the other actor. So it can be a challenge to pull off when an actor plays his own love interest. Murphy tries as mild-mannered Norbit, who struggles to leave a controlling relationship with Rasputia, also played by Murphy. Maybe if he were more egotistical, we could believe him.
--KELLI HOVEY
LAUREN BACALL and HUMPHREY BOGART
You had me at hello: To Have and Have Not (1944)
Reunited … and it feels so good: The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), Key Largo (1948)
Warm and fuzzy factor: A quintessential couple of
Hollywood’s Golden Age, Bacall and Bogart made their mark during the peak of film noir and Motion Picture Production Code censorship. Yet restrictions set forth by the code generated only more intense on-screen fervor and scripted double entendres. The 25-year age difference wasn’t awkward for this couple. “Lauren Bacall has such a strong screen presence, so assertive, so confident that she’s always a match for Bogart,” says Susman, adding that their off-screen romance translated well in their performances.
KATHARINE HEPBURN and SPENCER TRACY
You had me at hello: Woman of the Year (1942)
Reunited … and it feels so good: Keeper of the Flame (1942), Without Love (1945), The Sea of Grass (1947), State of the Union (1948), Adam’s Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), Desk Set (1957), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)
Warm and fuzzy factor: A classic couple — better yet, the classic couple. To prove chemistry applies in real life, the Royal Society of Chemistry compiled a list of best on-screen pairs, deeming Hepburn and Tracy No. 1. “One side had qualities and faults that the other did not have,” said its news release. “For example Hepburn was fiery, Tracy more considered; she was elegant, he was slightly shabby.”
KATHLEEN TURNER and MICHAEL DOUGLAS
You had me at hello: Romancing the Stone (1984)
Reunited … and it feels so good: The Jewel of the Nile (1985), The War of the Roses (1989)
Warm and fuzzy factor: Turner and Douglas gave audiences two romantic comedies before their third film, The War of the Roses. It’s about a divorce. In this movie, the ’80s “it” couple proved chemistry is not just whispers of sweet nothings and kisses in the rain. “It’s really bitter, but it’s really funny, too,” says Dean Stover, a Hickman High School teacher whose class studies films and screenwriting. “But it’s great screen chemistry in a sense because they really work well off of each other.”
MEG RYAN and TOM HANKS
You had me at hello: Joe Versus the Volcano (1990)
Reunited … and it feels so good: Sleepless in Seattle (1993), You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Warm and fuzzy factor: In You’ve Got Mail, Joe Fox is the only one capable of turning turtleneck-wearing Kathleen Kelly’s persona from sensitive to sassy. And in Sleepless in Seattle, the two achieve a cross-country romantic victory all because of a radio talk show. “There is a longing, as a viewer, for them to be together because you like them so much,” says Jon Westhoff, film aficionado and projectionist at Ragtag Cinema. The Ryan and Hanks team works because both are clever but genuine and likeable.
