Best movie couples of all time

top 10 onscreen
couples
Lori Wilson

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The movies have a long history of legendary romances and epic love stories. With so many to choose from, narrowing it down to just ten is no easy feat and it’s also a very subjective task.
Here’s a list of some classic (and obvious) choices, but there are also couples that were picked because of the couples’ sheer chemistry, quirkiness or plain old sweetness.

So, here, in no particular order here are ten very memorable silver screen romances.

1. Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca

They’re a classic couple and on virtually everybody’s list, but is it the World War II setting, the pull of old lovers reuniting, the unforgettable music, or the classic lines that make them the standard to which all other movie couples are set? Whatever it is, you can’t not be affected by Humphrey Bogart’s portrayal of man’s man Rick letting the love of his life Ilsa  (Ingrid Bergman) go for the greater good of the cause.

2. Jack and Karen in Out of Sight

Before she was J. Lo, Jennifer Lopez was a pretty darn good actress and her federal marshal Karen has amazing chemistry with George Clooney’s bank robbing Jack. From the trunk of the car to the imaginary bathtub scene to their night in the hotel room, the screen sizzles with their sexy, electric vibe.

3. Crash and Annie in Bull Durham

In the type of role he does best, Kevin Costner plays the aging minor league catcher with just the right amount of aloofness, charm and swagger. Teamed up with Susan Sarandon’s sexy, baseball loving groupie, the two are a fun loving couple who truly get each other and jump off the screen whenever they’re together.

4. Robbie and Cecilia in Atonement

Angst is a major part of a good romantic couple and these two have more than their share. James McAvoy and Keira Knightley portray two separated lovers longing for each other like nobody’s business. The two spark in their playfulness and sexuality whenever they do share screen time.

5. Joel and Clementine in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Wouldn’t it be nice to erase the heartbreak of a lost love from your memory? Of course it would, but as Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet prove, your heart will never forget. Watching Joel and Clementine reconnect and fall back in love is sweet and charming and makes you think about the one that you can’t forget.

6. Mark and Bridget in Bridget Jones’s Diary

He likes her just as she is. While that’s more than enough to put them on this list, Renee Zellweger portrays the awkward, unsure, bumbling Bridget superbly while making the confidently put together Mark, played by Colin Firth, fall in love with her. It’s sweet and romantic, and gives hope to every woman who sees a little Bridget in herself.

7. Wesley and Buttercup in The Princess Bride

What woman wouldn’t want a man to scale the Cliffs of Insanity, battle rodents of unusual size or face torture in the Pit of Despair all just to get back to her? Cary Elwes does all this and more for his true love, Buttercup, played by Robin Wright Penn, all with humor, flair and panache. Their romance is sweet, funny and definitely romantic.

8. Paul and Victoria in A Walk in the Clouds

By far one of the best kisses on film -- Keanu Reeves playfully chases Aitana Sanchez-Gijon up the stairs and sweeps her up in his arms as he passionately kisses her for the first time (sigh). A classic tale of two people from different worlds who come together, you can feel the longing between them as their differing lives tear them apart. But really, nothing beats the kiss.

9. Ennis and Jack in Brokeback Mountain

Is there any greater suffering than two men in love who can’t express how they feel in public? Forget it’s a story about two homosexual men, it’s really a heartbreaking tale about two people longing for each other, but who are kept apart by society. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal give completely believably performances making you forget these aren’t really just two straight guys acting.

10. Peter and Ellie in It Happened One Night

Another oldie but goodie that spawned countless remakes and tributes, Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert give the classic opposites attract performance. Their banter and chemistry is spot on, as they take you on a fun and inevitable ride leading up to their hook up.

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Lori Wilson is a SheKnows.com Home & Living columnist, as well as a freelance writer in Los Angeles, who after a lifetime of enduring harsh Michigan winters, relishes the warmth year round.


Comments
By Peter May 5, 2008

I landed on SHEKNOWS while searching for "top romantic couples" articles. You may not know it, but your last sentence under 'Ennis and Jack in Brokeback Mountain' borders on homophobic - unintentional as it may be. I'm sure the goal is to attract readers (straight, gay, lesbian), but to imply that Jake and Heath were straight guys acting can wrongly lead people to believe that the "typical" gay man is effeminate and not believeable. And this could alienate some lesbian/gay readers. I was previously married to a woman (she and I were believeable in appearance, and more so - she was a real woman and I - a real man). I accepted the fact that a few years ago that I was indeed a gay man and we divorced amicably. Very few people even today (or back then) would place me in a typical gay stereotype of effeminate or unbelievable. Your statement takes away from the concept of two masculine men or two feminine women who can truly have real feelings toward each other. It feeds into the homophobic concept that gays are girly (unlike the characters on Brokeback), and by default that lesbians are by and large 'too masculine'. It places fear into persons who might be afraid to watch a movie if the characters are too 'extreme' in their gayness or lesbianism - appearance/mannerisms or otherwise. It places fear of developing a friendship with gays/lesbians if their range of masculinity or femininity are 'not acceptable'. A few questions - Would a movie about two lesbians who are very "feminine" in appearance (lipstick, soft features) also have the stamp of approval of believability? Where does this place the more "unbelievable" manly women and girly men, not to mention transgenders who might fit somewhere in between? Also, one never knows truly how straight or gay actors/actresses can be (unless a personal friendship exists with them). Jake now and Heath (while he was alive) could have degrees of gayness that are not known about - thus bunking the theory of 'two straight guys acting'.

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