It doesn’t take more than one Meg Ryan – Tom Hanks movie to tell that those two have really got some great on-screen chemistry. They simply work great together and make sparks fly off the screen. But, you know what? No matter how much Hollywood seems to obsess over them, they’re not the only ones able to bring to life perfect romantic comedy couples. In fact, we’ve got five other pairings all lined up for you. They’re witty, cute, sexy, funny and just perfect for those nights in when all you crave is a bit of romance and light-hearted comedy.
1. Zooey Deschanel and Joey Gordon-Levitt
She’s been embodying the manic pixie dream girl movie trope for years now. He’s a TV child star who graduated to a full-fledged, outspoken, articulate indie star in his own right. They both have great acting chops and a lot of on-screen credibility. So seeing them together in 500 Days of Summer just seemed like the logical thing to do. We, for one, never get tired of seeing them in that movie (again and again and again…), so we’d be beyond thrilled if they ever chose to work together again.
2. Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper
She’s simply a darling: America’s sweetheart, funny, pretty, and simply an all-round wonderful person, it seems. He’s dashing, to say the least. They make up one of those perfect romantic comedy couples that no one ever saw coming, by all accounts. However, in 2014 they shot their third film together: Serena, set in the times of the Great Depression. Like their previous two efforts, here’s hoping this one, too, gets an Academy Award nod.
3. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant
He’s not exactly the nicest guy in the world, but she’s the prototypical sweetheart – and one with great flair for romantic comedies (she also makes a great pair with Richard Gere, for that matter). Put together, for the rom-com classic Notting Hill, they sparkled. Unlike Love, Actually, another one of Grant’s forays into rom-com territory, there’s nothing particularly innovative about the one in which he stars alongside Ms. Roberts – save for their amazing chemistry, of course.
4. Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger
At the time when 10 Things I Hate about You came out, no one gave it credit to be more than your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Most people were unable to predict the staying power this movie proved over the years. Yet here we are, in 2014, gushing over the great way in which the Heath Ledger – Julia Stiles pair works on screen. Of course, it helps that Ledger has garnered the aura of Hollywood legend since (through his unfortunate and untimely demise). He was undoubtedly an amazing actor and one whom we would have loved seeing teamed up with Julia Stiles again.
5. Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater
If you were born in the 1990s, you might have never heard of this gem of a movie, titled True Romance and starring by-now Hollywood A-listers Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater. At the time when the movie was made, they were just young hopefuls, but boy did they make for one of them perfect romantic comedy couples! If you haven’t seen the movie, go out and grab a DVD copy and stockpile on the popcorn. In the film, the two play Clarence and Alabama, a couple who manages to convince the viewers that they’ve known each other since forever – even though they actually met one night ago. There’s definitely great chemistry at play here and both actors accurately manage to convey vulnerability, passion, and a long-lasting sense of love between their respective characters.