20 of the greatest rom-com pairings in cinema history

There’s a reason Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan starred in more than one rom-com together. Something about that pairing was absolute magic on screen. Ryan’s sweet, earnest nature contrasted with Hanks’ brooding demeanor beautifully in every frame. 

If there’s one person with whom Meg Ryan matched better on screen than Tom Hanks, it's Billy Crystal. Crystal carried himself on screen similarly to Hanks, but he had a touch more humor, bringing out the best in Ryan. What a duo. 

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are a modern rom-com lover’s dream pairing. Both are phenomenal actors in their own right; their mutual adoration off-screen translates seamlessly on screen, making for scenes that range from charmingly magnetic to electric in chemistry. 

Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo could be in a relationship in real life. Their energy in 13 Going on 30 made it impossible not to root for them, implausible as their circumstances seemed. 

Pretty Woman wouldn’t have fared nearly as well as it did without Julia Roberts and Richard Gere as the stars. Those two could make even the driest of love stories worth watching. 

Lives were changed when Julia Roberts stood in front of Hugh Grant and asked him to love her in Notting Hill. Sure, it’s their job to have chemistry, but they both deserved raises after those performances. A rom-com moment for the ages.

Is there a rom-com pairing you’d want to watch bicker more than Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey? The latter has publicly stated that his rom-com era nearly made him quit acting, but lovers of the genre everywhere thank him deeply for his service. 

Okay, John Corbett could have chemistry with literally anyone. The man oozes appeal. But his connection with Nia Vardalos was genuine and sweet. It's obvious why My Big Fat Greek Wedding has stood the test of time. 

Brooding, handsome men pair so well with sweet, ethereal women, which is why Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell worked so spectacularly in Four Weddings and a Funeral. They gave hope to romantics everywhere that if you meet someone at enough events, eventually, they’ll fall in love with you. 

Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck wrote the book on rom-com chemistry. Their performances opposite one another in Roman Holiday set the tone for decades to come. The movie is timeless, and it’s thanks to Hepburn and Peck. 

Yes, it’s weird that Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd were step-siblings in Clueless and (spoiler) still fell in love, but their chemistry shows why. The two were magnetic on screen. Their bond was so strong that millions of viewers were willing to overlook their bizarre family connection. 

Some say that Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler haven’t starred in any good rom-coms, but those people can’t say the two don’t have chemistry. The duo are friends in real life, and it’s evident on screen. They’ll forever be that rom-com couple.

Part of Will Smith and Eva Mendes’ appeal on screen might be how they look next to each other, but whatever it is, they’ve got chemistry. Hitch is often left out of favorite rom-com lists, but the fire between these two is undeniable. 

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti in Palm Springs proved that rom-coms don’t need to have at least one lead who’s a hopeless romantic. As long as there’s chemistry, both can be miserable cynics, and the audience will root for them. Samberg and Milioti had plenty of chemistry. 

Constance Wu and Henry Golding were drawn to each other in Crazy Rich Asians, and in turn, the audience was drawn to them. A unique storyline and beautiful setting certainly helped, but if they had been left in Manhattan with no money like many romcom characters, Wu and Golding would still have kept viewers’ interest. 

Juno is one of the most unique romcoms in the genre. It contained not one trope and didn’t have the typical tone of a rom-com, but Michael Cera and Elliot Page’s chemistry made none of that matter. Their characters showed that there’s someone out there for everyone. 

Amanda Bynes wasn't herself for the majority of She's The Man , but she still had insane chemistry with Channing Tatum. That's how powerful their connection was. If Bynes ever reenters the entertainment industry, she needs to star in another movie with Tatum. 

Whether Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd are main characters, like in This Is 40, or supporting characters, like in Knocked Up, they make an irresistible duo. Their energies match the other so well, and it's refreshing to see a couple on screen that's relatable but still has great chemistry.

Even couples with great chemistry break up sometimes. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in (500) Days of Summer are proof. They tried their best; it just wasn't meant to be. But their chemistry is undeniable. 

The relationship between Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson in About Time is about as sweet as it gets. Most wouldn't have put those two together, but once they were in the same frame, it was clear that there was something special going on between them.