I’m a sucker for a good romance, I admit that and on screen chemistry that sizzles is hard to find. Therefore, I give you five of my favorite on screen couples and please feel free to share one of yours.

5. Gone with the Wind – Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara
These two don’t sizzle they spark, especially with going back and forth between love and hate before Rhett convinces himself he’s indifferent. Whether there was chemistry between Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh is an unknown, but you can see it in their characters, which makes them the legendary actors that they were. Story wise, the fact that Rhett was able to make Scarlett grow up and realize not only how childish she was being, but that she truly did love him was a feat in itself. In the end I really can’t blame Rhett for walking out with his oh so famous line.
“Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn.” - Rhett

4. The Princess Bride – Westley and Buttercup
Maybe the sparks didn’t fly but the romance sizzled even though the chemistry was lacking. Robin Wright’s Buttercup was a milksop, spoiled little girl given everything she ever desired and couldn’t see love under her nose until it was too late. Westley the foolish farmboy who idolized her and increased her petulant and spoiled ways until she finally opened her eyes and then he was off on the high seas. It’s not until he returns as the infamous Dread Pirate Roberts that you really get a sense of the devotion and love these characters have for one another. Shoving him off a hill and realizing who Roberts is is one of the best scenes in the film and one of the few you truly see the sparks and chemistry of on screen romance.
“Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.” - Westley

3. The Princess Bride – Miracle Max and Valerie
Now here, the sparks fly, even for as little screen time as they have. The relationship between Max and Valerie is settle and into the long run, displaying the dynamics of a long married couple. Billy Crystal and Carol Kane have a long comedic history which is emphasized by the scene and adds to the chemistry between the characters. The fact you can see both the care and animosity in both characters toward one another is what ranks this couple higher than the Pirate and the Princess. Besides, watching her chase him around the house is a riot.
“I’m not a wench I’m your wife, and I’m not even sure I want to be that anymore!” – Valerie

2. Love Actually – Jamie and Aurelia
There is a poignant sweetness in watching two people overcome a language barrier to express themselves, especially in the case of Jamie driving Aurelia around and both realizing it’s their favorite time of the day. In the case of movie magic, you see them both learning the others language so they can eventually commutate. Colin Firth has a history of playing romantic characters and he outshines his history in his nonchalant wooing of Lucia Moniz’ Aurelia. The gentle chemistry between the two characters is one of the driving forces behind the whole film.
“Beautiful Aurelia, I’ve come here with a view of asking you to marriage me. I know I seems an insane person - because I hardly knows you - but sometimes things are so transparency, they don’t need evidential proof. And I will inhabit here, or you can inhabit with me in England.” – Jamie in Portuguese

1. Batman Returns – Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle
Whether as themselves or their alter egos, there is no doubting the chemistry, sparks and passion between these two characters. The need to hide their otherselves from one another and the desperation that they feel to truly reveal all comes out in an exchange of lines twice in the film, allowing for the revelation. Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer certainly heat up the screen together and with characters as twisted as these two you can’t help but watch them sizzle.
“A kiss under the mistletoe… mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it” - Selina
“But a kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.” - Bruce