From CGI Kisses To Huge Age Differences — 27 Movie Couples People Think Have No Chemistry At All

    "You can never convince me that Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel want to have sex with each other. Ever."

    Amy Glover
    by Amy Glover

    BuzzFeed Staff

    In a recent Reddit post shared to r/PopCulture, site user u/Joanna_Valdes asked, "Which movie had romantic leads with zero chemistry?" Here are some of the most-upvoted responses:

    1. "Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon in Your Place or Mine was SO bad."

    Two people standing in front of a promotional backdrop. The person on the left is wearing a strapless blue outfit, and the person on the right is in a gray suit
    Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Netflix

    u/anongirl55

    "This gives the energy of a divorced couple forced to take a photo at their child’s piano recital." 

    u/Hotsauceinmygymbag

    "There was zero intimacy." 

    u/Joanna_Valdes     

    2. "Zooey Deschanel and Mark Wahlberg in The Happening. These two are supposed to be married..."

    Split-screen image of a woman on the left and a man on the right, both looking forward with serious expressions
    20th Century Studios

    u/BalletWishesBarbie·  

    "Okay, but to be fair, Mark had better chemistry with Zooey than he did with the script." 

    u/LoveForDisneyland

    3. "Jonah Hill and Lauren London in You People. It's genuinely one of the worst movies I've seen in my life."

    Two characters kissing in a festive setting with onlookers in the background
    Netflix

    u/Persephony_1029

    "Allegedly, they had to CGI the kiss* between them." 

    u/my_happy_reddit·  

    *however, this was due to COVID restrictions at the time.

    4. "Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright in the Harry Potter franchise."

    Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter characters share a close moment. Ginny, with hair up, touches Harry's face. They are indoors
    Warner Bros.

    u/Joanna_Valdes   

    "Daniel Radcliffe and Bonnie Wright together were so awkward, and it didn’t help that the screenwriters gave them such weird interactions (the shoelace-tying scene gives me so much secondhand embarrassment)." 

    u/stopthenrewind

    "God, Harry and Ginny in the movies were paiiiiiiiiiiiinful."

    u/New-Examination8400

    5. "Cara Delevingne and Dane DeHaan in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets."

    Side-by-side close-ups of characters Paul Atreides and Chani in a scene from a film
    EuropaCorp / STX Entertainment / China Film Group Corporation

    u/Min13

    "I legitimately thought they were related for about 30-40 minutes before realising that wasn’t the case and then becoming aggressively bored by it and shutting it off." 

    u/zestfullybe

    6. "I thought Henry Cavill and Amy Adams were devoid of chemistry in Man of Steel. They seemed so awkward together."

    Superman holding Lois Lane in a comforting embrace at night
    Warner Bros.

    u/likeellewoods

    "Agreed. They seemed like siblings who cared about each other."

    u/Medical_Gate_5721·  

    7. Okay, it's not TECHNICALLY a movie, but "Selena Gomez and Cara Delevinge in Only Murders In The Building."

    Split image showing a woman looking surprised on the left and the same woman kissing another woman on the right
    Hulu

    u/TargetTheReavers

    "The lack of chemistry here was so uncomfortable." 

    u/toothpastenachos

    8. "Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis in Jupiter Ascending. I unapologetically love that movie but their chemistry is just soooo bad."

    Elsa from Frozen wears a sparkling dress; character dances with a man in a suit. They are on a lavish set designed like a ballroom
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Roadshow Entertainment

    u/gible_bites·  

    9. "Kaitlyn Dever and Ben Platt in Dear Evan Hansen."

    Two people smiling and enjoying each other's company, appearing to share a joyful moment
    Universal Pictures

    u/BalletWishesBarbie

    "AHHHHHH I LOVE HATING THIS MOVIE SO MUCH!" 

    u/Maleficent-marionett

    10. "I love love love the Fast and the Furious saga but you can never convince me that Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel want to have sex with each other. Ever."

    Two characters from Fast & Furious in a car, man driving and woman passenger, both appear focused
    Universal Pictures

    u/noodlemonster68

    11. "Hayden Christensen and Emma Roberts in Little Italy."

    Two actors portraying a couple, seated in a diner, smiling at the camera. They wear casual denim outfits
    Entertainment One /  Lionsgate Films

    u/Joanna_Valdes  

    12. "The answer is obviously Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson in Marry Me."

    Two actors in a close embrace, portraying characters in a scene from a film or television show
    Universal Pictures

    u/trishyco

    "I loved this movie but I agree. I just can’t buy them as a couple." 

    u/Beneficial_Abroad_99

    13. "Anne Hathaway and Chris Pine in The Princess Diaries 2."

    Split image: Left shows Rory and Dean from Gilmore Girls in formal wear; right shows Lorelai and Luke posing, Lorelai in a hat
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    u/Joanna_Valdes    

    Let the records show that multiple commenters disagree! 

    "Not them including the couple that made me a WOMAN, the chemistry is undeniable to even childhood me." 

    u/rubydoobydoo69

    "Even as someone who prefers Mia and Michael, I COULD SEE THE CHEMISTRY between Chris Pine and Anne Hathaway in this movie, it's off the charts!!"

    u/mangoesandsweetness·  

    14. "Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in Fifty Shades of Grey."

    Man whispering to woman who is smiling with eyes closed, in an intimate close-up scene
    Universal Pictures / Focus Features

    u/Joanna_Valdes      

    15. "Liam Hemsworth and Jenifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games."

    Two characters, a man and a woman, about to kiss, with a natural backdrop
    Lionsgate

    "It’s me, popping in for my regularly scheduled Liam Hemsworth slander. This weak-ass kiss, knowing it’s probably one of the only ones you’ll get?!" 

    u/yoshisal

    16. "I’m surprised nobody mentioned Emma Watson and Dan Stevens yet. Has the live-action Beauty and the Beast faded from public consciousness that quickly?"

    Belle in a yellow gown dancing with the Beast in a blue coat in Beauty and the Beast
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    u/Froggy-Shorts1209

    17. "Vanessa Hudgens and Josh Whitehouse in The Knight Before Christmas."

    Netflix

    u/BalletWishesBarbie  

    "I was so distracted by how cute the guy was, I didn’t even notice how stiff his performance was at first." 

    u/heyhicherrypie

    18. "Josh Hartnett and Shannyn Sossamon in 40 Days and 40 Nights."

    StudioCanal

    "I maintain this is one of the worst romcoms I have ever seen and the lack of chemistry between the two leads is the least concerning thing about the film. The 2000s were mind-boggling." 

    u/m_zayd

    19. "I watched Picture Perfect Mysteries: Exit Stage Death with Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega, and they had NO onscreen chemistry at all, which is hilarious because they are MARRIED. It was so bad."

    Two characters, one holding a camera, stand behind a jewelry display with a necklace
    Hallmark

    u/Mystery1001  

    20. "Ana de Armas and Chris Evans have so much chemistry in Knives Out, so I don't know why it didn't work out in Ghosted."

    Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in formal attire, Evans in a suit and de Armas in a sleeveless dress, looking to the side
    Apple TV+

    u/sekhmet009

    21. "Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman in Thor: Love and Thunder."

    Thor and Jane Foster face each other, close-up, with Thor holding Jane's hand gently
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "Thor had more chemistry with Captain Marvel in their few seconds of interaction than this." 

    u/michellejoy18

    "Thor had more chemistry with the CGI raccoon."

    u/LizzyLizAh

    22. "Chris Evans and Emily VanCamp in "Captain America: Civil War."

    Two scenes from a film: On the left, a couple kissing. On the right, they are close to kissing
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    u/m_zayd·  

    "Sibling vibes." 

    u/Joanna_Valdes

    23. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie or series where Emma Roberts has chemistry with her male co-star."

    Emma Roberts wearing a ring, holds a microphone, emotional expression with blurred background
    Netflix

    u/bedpeace

    24. "Scarlett Johannson and Mark Ruffalo in Avengers."

    Two characters in an intimate moment, the man touching the woman's face tenderly
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    u/babalon124

    25. "Lupita Nyong'o and Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther."

    Two characters from a movie, a man and a woman, are standing side by side in textured, formal attire
    Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

    "These two always gave me siblings vibe in every scene." 

    u/KissesnPopcorn

    26. "Lindsay Lohan and Chord Overstreet in Falling for Christmas."

    Two actors from a holiday-themed movie, dressed in warm winter clothes, standing with festive decorations in the background
    Netflix

    u/BalletWishesBarbie·  

    "The name Chord Overstreet makes me laugh so much more than Benedict Cumberbatch ever did and I don't know why." 

    u/sherlip

    27. "Okay, hear me out — Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face."

    Audrey Hepburn and actor in formal attire sitting in a car from a classic movie scene
    Paramount Pictures

    "Audrey obviously respects Fred and sees him as a mentor, and that comes through in the film. Fred obviously sees Audrey as a sweet young girl, but that’s the problem — they were badly matched as he was too old for her, and looked too old for her. They had no romantic chemistry whatsoever." 

    u/Tsarinya·  

    Shout out to r/PopCulture and u/Joanna_Valdes for having this discussion.

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.    

    Do you have any other romantic leads to add? Let us know in the comments below!