Bel Air, thank you for the comments and opinion on "Two hands". Sounds interesting enough that I probably should try to get hold of it.
well, I gave it some thought. i'm not sure I would actually use the word 'chemistry' to describe Heath and his costars in any of the other movies I've seen. there are certainly levels of believability/convincability if you will.
Mika muses on "chemistry"... I would agree that there is a level of believabliity in films that can either hurt or help the "chemistry" between the leads. But it's certainly a two-way street. Good chemistry - ie. the actors playing off of each other and making each other shine, and their connection blazing off the screen at us - can help make an otherwise plothole-filled bumpy story seem credible and engaging.
As I mentioned, I found the romantic relationship totally tacked-on in "Ned Kelley". Which indicates that there wasn't any strong on-screen chemistry to help make it seem real. (Weirdly enough, considering real life goings-on between Heath and Naomi....) But also to me that part of the story seemed so contrieved and invented - so the script and plot didn't help the secret lovers much in creating chemistry. I guess that's one film where the chemistry thing and the plot thing dragged each other down. (As far as a the romance went, it's not the main concern of that film, of course...)
I certainly think there was a degree of chemistry with Shannyn Sossamon in "Knight's tale" - not anywhere near the Heath/Jake levels of course, but clearly sufficient to bolster the romantic part of the comedy. I also figured that their onscreen connection in Knight's Tale was what brought them back together again in "Sin Eater" - which of course had no comprehensible story
at all so the relationship between the characters there just seemed random, out of the blue, enigmatic and unfulfilled. Indifference and a shrug where there should have been angst and strong emotions on the part of the viewer.
So, apart from Brokeback, where *has* there been chemistry?
Definitely with Abby Cornish in Candy. Yes yes.
Definitely not with Sienna Miller, nor with Kate Hudson in 4 Feathers. Even when Heath and Kate were dancing or the like in 4 Feathers, they looked to be on different planets. Same with Sienna. I got the impression of an invisible but strong barrier between their characters, a barrier causing them to act their roles together in slightly alternate realities. Is there such a thing as
anti-chemistry?
But then there's no reason chemistry has to involve romance, is there? I think Heath and Matt Damon worked well enough together in Brothers Grimm.