"Chemistry" is a word that gets thrown around a lot in critical reviews of movies and television. It is a word writers like us love to use, but it is a word and a theory that are not viewed as importantly by the talent involved in these projects. If there is one aspect in which chemistry could be as important as some examiners make it out to be, it would be in the comedic genre. The ability for two performers to feed off of each other comedicaly is a gift that only a handful have been able to master throughout the years. The following 12 comedic duos have mastered this goal and have immensely entertaining "chemistry" with one another. Come along for the ride.
Emma Stone & Ryan Gosling
Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are a less traditionally funny comedic duo than the rest of this list, but yet have incomparable chemistry with one another. While the two films of note are not comedy films by definition, they do have comedy sprinkled throughout. Both La La Land and Crazy Stupid Love feature the duo as love interests of one another who find themselves in comedic situations as they become acquainted with one another. Sometimes two actors just work, and with Stone and Gosling... they just work.
Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes
Lifelong friends Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, better known to many as Jay and Silent Bob, have been delighting fans for almost two decades. Featured in solo adventures, as well as classic comedies such as Clerks and Mallrats, the filmmaker and actor bounce comedy off one another to perfection. Credit their real-life friendship for the chemistry displayed by these two performers.
Martin Short & Steve Martin
Martin Short and Steve Martin have all the chemistry of an old married couple, and it produces some of the best comedy we have ever seen between two performers. Whether it is in their live stage show, Short's cameo in Martin's Father of the Bride film, or their murder investigating friendship with Selena Gomez in Only Murders in the Building. The two feed off of one another, making each other better and funnier in the process.
Catherine O’Hara & Eugene Levy
Both Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy cut their teeth together on the Canadian sketch comedy series SC TV throughout the '70s and '80s. Almost 40 years later, the two were able to display their hilarious chemistry together as Moira and Johnny Rose in the hit comedy series, Schitt's Creek. Together, the two would combine to be nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for some of the show's funniest episodes, with each winning one. Their genuine charm when with one another shines through their comedy throughout the series and beyond.
Amy Poehler & Tina Fey
The chemistry between Amy Poehler and Tina Fey far exceeds the six movies they have featured in together, but expands to their days working at Saturday Night Live with one another and their handful of presenting and hosting duties throughout the years. They are a comedic force when teamed together, whether that is delivering the news on Weekend Update or lambasting celebrities at an awards show.
Gene Wilder & Richard Pryor
As we have already discussed, a genuine friendship off-screen, albeit a complicated friendship, can translate onto the screen as well. This is very much the case with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor and the four films they starred in together. Stir Crazy being the funniest of the crop, the ability for two iconic comedians to coexist on screen is a feat in itself.
Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum
Big screen adaptations of '80s television shows don't always land well in theaters and can oftentimes leave moviegoers disappointed. The trend was bucked in 2012 with 21 Jump Street, led by comedic directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord and starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, the film received rave reviews, with most praising the chemistry and hilarity of the two leading men. This chemistry would carry over into a sequel to the film as well as promotional interviews throughout the run.
Kristen Wiig & Maya Rudolph
Another duo of SNL alums that is bursting with chemistry is the hilariously talented Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. Whether they are featured in a sketch on Saturday nights or starring in hilarious films like Bridesmaids, the two have a genuine feel for comedy with one another that helps to produce some of the best comedy of the last two decades.
Abbott & Costello
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello met up at, of all places, a burlesque theater. From there, the two would go on to feature in several radio, film, and television productions until their split in the 1950s. The two are most well known for their iconic "Who's on First?" comedy routine, as well as their run in with Universal Monsters in the 1940s. Despite both having massive egos, they worked well together for years, and their chemistry would go on to be a blueprint for many comedic duos moving forward.
Simon Pegg & Nick Frost
While most movie fans may know Simon Pegg and Nick Frost from Edgar Wright's Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, their journey together goes as far back as the late 1990s in the British television sitcom Spaced. Playing friends in almost all appearances together, the real life relationship between the two bleeds over into their roles, and the two have teamed up to produce some truly memorable comedy.
Will Ferrell & John C. Reily
Step Brothers and Talladega Nights are two of the funniest and most memorable comedy films of the 2000s. Thanks in part to the brilliant on-screen comedy of both Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. The duo has featured in five films together, and their chemistry on screen is matched in today's Hollywood.
Gene Wilder & Mel Brooks
The chemistry between a comedic duo is not always seen on the big screen. It can oftentimes be crafted in the writing room, as is the case with Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks. Their friendship and bond, as well as their working relationship, helped to craft some of the funniest movies of all time, including Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.