On-Screen Reunions

For whatever reason, some actors and actresses just click when they are on screen together. There is no formula, or method to follow. Casting directors basically take a shot in the dark and hope for the best. Every once in a while they hit it out of the ballpark and a visible sense of chemistry will form between an actor and an actress. Sometimes this on screen chemistry turns into off screen romance (Brad and Angelina in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005)). Other times, the on screen chemistry is expected to replicate itself later on in the careers of the actor and actress, but rarely does that initial spark reappear. These expectations are oftentimes hard to meet because on screen chemistry isn't just about who the actor and actress are. So many things factor into the equation. The script, the director, the music (Yes, the music. It sets the scene like nothing else), etc. Here are three on screen reunions that have been deemed unsuccessful.


1.) Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan



These two first rippled some feathers in 1993's sappy romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle. Hanks plays a widowed father, who's son calls into a national radio program to try explain his father's difficulty in finding love again. Hanks' character eventually takes the phone (the radio host refers to him as Sleepless in Seattle) and talks about both his feelings for his dead wife and his desire to move on. Meg Ryan plays one of the show's listeners that is touched by Hanks' story. They are hardly on screen together, but their fairly tale meeting on the top of the Empire State Building at the end had American housewives creaming themselves back in '93. The film garnered 2 Oscar (one for Best Music) and 3 Golden Globe nominations (both Hanks and Ryan were nominated for best actor/actress in a comedy/musical).

Writer/director Nora Ephron, who won an Oscar for writing Sleepless in Seattle, hoped the chemistry between Hanks and Ryan could transcend yet another communications medium in 1998's You've Got Mail. In this film, Hanks and Ryan play rival business owners who unknowingly correspond with one another via email. Although I think the movie is worthless, I must give Ephron credit for the timely plot on internet dating. This was pre-EHarmony and Match.com.

When the online friends first decide to meet in person, Hanks realizes that his beloved Shopgirl (Ryan's screen name in the movie) is in fact his business rival. He plays it off as a chance encounter, but then tries to improve the relations between the two before they again decide to meet in person. Sure enough he wins her over and when the online pair finally meets, Ryan's character says, "I wanted it to be you," and they kiss. You've Got Mail received much less critical acclaim (only 1 Golden Globe nom- Ryan).


2.) Richard Gere and Julia Roberts



Pretty Woman (1990) was an instant classic because of it's obscure, but heart warming love story. In the film Richard Gere plays a big shot corporate raider who hires a prostitute (Roberts) to pose as his date at a number of high society functions over the course of six days. Gere's character showers Roberts' with a limitless supply of money and she transforms from a Hollywood whore into a stunning socialite. Of course they fall in love, have a brief falling out, and then reunite at the end. The film also features a pre-George Costanza Jason Alexander. Roberts' performance earned her an Oscar nomination as well as a Golden Globe win, while Gere settled for just a Golden Globe nomination.

The Gere/Roberts reunion, Runaway Bride (1999), also directed by Gary Marshall, was a flop. The film was about a male chauvinist writer (sound familiar?) who is sent to cover a story about a woman who has walked down the altar with three different men, only to runaway before the beginning of each ceremony. Gere's character follows her (Roberts) around and the two grow on each other. He even starts defending her from mocking townspeople, who are all too familiar with the runaway bride's antics. Eventually they fall in love and break up the 4th wedding before Roberts' character even has a chance to run. With the wedding all planned, she decides to marry Gere's character instead. Sure enough, she runs away from him too. He chases after her, but can't catch her. When Gere's character returns home, Roberts' character is there waiting for him. She proposes to him, they get married, and ride off together on a horse. This film was shut out from the awards circuit, but I must give Richard Gere some props for being married to Cindy Crawford during her prime (1991-1995).


3.) Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet



James Cameron's Titanic (1997) not only won 11 Academy Awards, but it also launched the acting careers of two of the best in the business in Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. This love story is about a low class wanna be artist and high class future housewife who yearns for more. The unlikely pair fall in love, but are forever separated when DiCaprio's character drowns in the icy waters during the aftermath of the most famous shipwreck of all time. Winslet was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe, while DiCaprio only received the Golden Globe nomination. It should also be noted that Canadian sensation Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" won the Oscar for Best Original Song. I'm telling you, music plays a significant factor in this whole chemistry game.

I, like many others, could not wait for the this year's DiCaprio/Winslet reunion in Revolutionary Road. Arguably the best actor and best actress in the prime of their careers were reunited as a volatile 1950's suburban married couple 12 years after starring together in one of the most successful films ever made. How could it fail? Well, I guess the better question would be, how could it ever live up to those kind of expectations? DiCaprio and Winslet both gave emotionally charged performances that, as I've written previously, sort of came off as a who is better at acting contest. The film did receive 3 Oscar nominations (none for DiCaprio or Winslet, although I'm sure Winslet would have been nominated and probably won if it wasn't for her Oscar winning performance in The Reader). Winslet did win a Golden Globe for her performance and DiCaprio was nominated. As far a movie standards go (awards wise, anyway), this film was very successful, but it is seen as a failure because it did not live up to the extraordinary hype.