In real life, the ideal situation is that you meet someone that you, you know, like right off the bat. After all, life is short, and hoping that someone you hate will miraculously turn into someone you love feels like a lot of work when you could just focus your attention on finding a person you get along with in the first place. But that’s the real world. In movies, there’s something special about the idea of two people who seemingly can’t stand one another gradually coming to realize that they can’t live without each other.
Often, their fiery encounters are simply an outlet for the simmering chemistry they can barely contain, making for some of the most memorable on-screen pairings, especially when their feelings for each other begin to deepen. Fairy tale romances are sweet, but where’s the fun in watching two nice but bland people fall in love at first sight and go on to live happily after ever? For our part, we have a soft spot for the kind of cinematic romances that start off with a little bit of good old-fashioned emotional toxicity, but reward audiences as their prickly leads melt for one another.