Every rom-com has a couple that falls in love with each other, but we also fall in love with them. From the writing and characters to the actors, every aspect of the romantic pairing elicits our love. And sometimes, when actors pair up again and again, it makes it that much easier for us to fall for them. It’s kind of like starting a relationship three dates in–if we’ve seen them fall in love on screen before, we want it to happen again.
This has created a trend of actors who just can’t seem to stop co-starring together. Sometimes, this is because they’re behind the production of the film and know who they like to work with. Other times, it’s simply because the director knows those two actors have the chemistry they’re looking for. Regardless, typically when a couple comes back together, we love it, so here are some of our favorites.
We were definitely inspired to look at the pattern thanks to Adam and Drew, who notoriously filmed three rom-coms together and are now looking for a fourth. Their first film together was The Wedding Singer in 1998, which Adam often credits as the film that turned him into a romantic lead. Before that, he was just a goofy comedian! His chemistry with Drew definitely contributed to that–something about her naïve openness brings out the best in Adam, which continues to their next two films, 50 First Dates (2004) and Blended (2014).
Repeat romantic film pairings aren’t just a thing of the present! In fact, many old-school movie stars would consistently act opposite one another because there were fewer blockbuster stars in those days. And no one could dance, sing, and act like Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, who starred together in Top Hat (1935), Swing Time (1936), and Shall We Dance (1937), among others.
Emma and Ryan are our modern-day Ginger and Fred — they’re easy to love, multi-talented, charismatic box office-breaking stars. They first starred together in 2011’s Crazy, Stupid Love, and when looking back on it, most people only remember the parts with Emma and Ryan. Their on-screen chemistry was so electric that it led them to act together again in Gangster Squad just two years later, and then the award-winning La La Land in 2016.
If Emma and Ryan are the fun, musical duo of film, Bradley and Jennifer take a different approach. Their films together, which began with 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook, often have a more serious undertone that forces both of them into chameleonic roles. In 2013’s American Hustle, Jennifer went to lengths we had never seen before as a suburban housewife with a drinking problem. But the push-pull connection between Bradley and Jennifer led them to pair up again in Serena (2014) and Joy (2015).
Don’t worry, we can’t forget our favorite Nora Ephron rom-com film couple! Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan started with Joe Vs. The Volcano (1990), a wildly absurd rom com that has yet to be rivaled. Their chemistry was undeniable. Luckily, Tom and Meg came back together in Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998), but we wouldn’t mind a reunion today.
Taraji and Terrence are the epitome of Black love and we are all here for it. Of course, they’re a longtime on-screen couple in Empire, considered one of FOX’s greatest shows, but their on-camera relationship actually began long before that. They starred opposite one another in 2005’s Hustle & Flow, which was a bit of a star-maker for both of them. That same year, they were also in Animal, although we’re ready for some more Taraji and Terrence magic.
Of all the Old Hollywood couples we could highlight, there’s none as iconic as Richard and Elizabeth, who had a notorious love affair (which included two weddings and two divorces). They were able to effectively bring their real-life love onto the screen, which also meant playing out the often toxic love between their characters, such as in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966). Their legacy lives on through the romance in their films, which include Cleopatra (1963), The Comedians (1967), and more.
Of course, there are several other film couples we can think of, like Brad and Angelina, or Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, or Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. But for some reason, when we think of classic film couples, those seven duo are easily our favorites, and all we can hope for is that they keep making movies together.
