SWAK: The 40 most unforgettable couples in movie history
Harry and Sally. Baby and Johnny. Bonnie and Clyde. We're showing some love to cinema's most enduring tandems
Film Features Peter Parker
When you think back at the most memorable on-screen couples in movie history, it’s natural to think of romantic dramas and sugary rom-coms first—something that stars Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Richard Gere, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hanks or Kate Hudson, for example. It turns out that sexual chemistry is not limited by genre, and sparks fly between couples in action, sci-fi, and even horror movies as well. Consider Neo and Trinity in The Matrix, Han and Leia in The Empire Strikes Back, Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese in The Terminator, and Gale and Dewey in Scream for starters. This Valentine’s Day, look back with us at some of cinema’s most iconic romantic pairs, from Old Hollywood classics to more recent movies of all genres. Which couples are your favorites?
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You guys know Marion was 15 when she and Indiana first got together right?Also you couldn’t find one lesbian couple?
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
Rick Deckard and Rachael.
Frodo and Sam.
Bond and Tracey/Vesper.
Diana Rigg as Tracey was The One – the only one worthy of marrying Bond.
In a nicer universe: Bond and Blofeld.
Anakin and Obi-Wan
R2-D2 and C-3PO
Nick and Nora Charles.
Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund Louis Renault.
Mr and Mrs Gigli
Mr and Mrs Smith Potato Head
Dumb and Dumber?
Can’t just ignore these two:
Seriously lovin’ the list… but I think Emma Stone had more connection/heat with her Spidey than Kirsten Dunst did with hers.
Connor and Heather MacLeod – HIGHLANDER (1986). Maybe it was Freddie’s sorrowful singing in agony:“Who wants to live forever
Who wants to live forever
Ooh
Who dares to love forever
Oh oo woh, when love must die…”but their love story gets to me every time. Maybe it’s the real reason old married couples tend to die shortly after each other.
I’m that guy that always has to mention this…If the Von Trapp’s had “escaped” over the mountains south of Salzburg, as shown in the film, they would not have reached Switzerland, which lies about 400 km to the west, but they would have walked straight into Berchtesgaden. Not exactly where you want to go if your goal was to avoid Nazis in the 1930s.
In fairness, we never actually see them arrive any place in particular. They could have walked right into a Nazi machine gun nest for all we know.
Clarence and Alabama
You’re so cool.
I remember a teach showing us Harold and Maude in high school and when we all realized they slept together the class all going “AHHHHHHH!!!!!!”Teenagers can not accept the idea that grandmas get it on too
but grandmas with teenagers!?
Internet’s a great thing!
Adults can’t always accept it either:“Mr. Cort’s baby face and teen-age build look grotesque alongside Miss Gordon’s tiny, weazened frame.” – from Vincent Canby’s NYTimes review.
Edward and Bella??Ron and Hermione???
33, 38
That is what I was objecting to
But just look at the passion!I at least enjoyed Ron being an oblivious idiot.
Walter and Catherine from Father Goose (1964):The flick took an Oscar for Best Screenplay. This is the rom-com gem of gems that doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. So here it is.
You also could include Cary Grant & Katharine Hepburn from Bringing up Baby, Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell from His Girl Friday, and Cary Grant & Audrey Hepburn from Charade, for starters. But Father Goose is as good as any of them
You’re absolutely right. Father Goose, Bringing Up Baby, and His Girl Friday are what I consider the Big Three Rom-Coms. Oh look: they all star Cary Grant—not a coincidence.
Megan and Graham
“SWAK”?
“Sealed With a Kiss.”
Do you not know what that means? Is this a generation thing?
I had never seen the acronym before this article. Just googled it.
Beats me. I’m 42. I’d never seen it before.
Huh. Interesting! Feels like a core 80’s memory to me
Which generation?
Sealed With A Kiss. It’s written on the back of an envelope and/or on the apex of the flap, after the enveloped is sealed. The contents of said envelope is a love letter.
Slide TitleButtercup and Westley, The Princess Bride (1987)You should probably remove Slide Title from this one.
List is missing Maverick and Iceman.Also Finn and Poe Dameron.
Yes, Slide TitleButtercup was a great romantic lead.
STBs? I don’t believe in them.
Rick and Ilsa?Nick and Nora?
Li Mu Bau (Chow Yun Fat) & Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) and Jen (Ziyi Zhang) & Lo (Chang Cheng) from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
All of those are legit, but this list is 100% invalid without Ellie and Carl.
How could I have overlooked Ed and HI? That’s my favorite movie!
40 slides? You must be joking. Hard pass.
Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung in “In the Mood for Love” have some of the most electrifying chemistry in all cinematic history.
Was this list rejected by Watchmojo for being too normie?
I think Rick and Evelyn (Evie) should be on this list.
Oh, I love Tombstone. You’re right, Doc and Wyatt have more chemistry than they do either with either of the female love interests.
…life together with more singing and less Nazis.Something we all strive for.Re: Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor, I’d like to add Aliens’ Hicks and Ripley, the ‘ship that launched a thousand fanfics. Their chemistry is so evident when he’s teaching her to shoot… And you can never have too much Michael Biehn.
An article/listicle about the best movie couples and no mention in it or in the comments about “The Odd Couple”, a movie with “couple” in the title? Oscar and Felix were a great couple, albeit not a romantic one.
I just have to chime in here and say C3po is the greatest cock blocker of all time.
AVClub writers clearly don’t know how to whistle.