Shrek and Donkey Joint Winners of On-Screen Chemistry Poll

21 February 2008

They may not have the romance of Bogart and Bacall and they certainly haven't got the looks of Brad and Angelina but the movie couple with the greatest on-screen chemistry, in first place, are...Shrek and Donkey!The animated twosome who have appeared in three hit movies are considered an even better partnership than many other cinema double acts including those from classics like Grease and Titanic.A recently conducted nationwide poll reveals the ogre and the donkey tied for top place of most charismatic cinema pairings with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.A representative sample of 1022 adults were surveyed by the UK cinema industry to find out just what makes an ideal match on the big screen to find playing it for laughs was just as important as romance.The research suggested the best couples for big screen audiences are those that allow the audience to "lose themselves" in what is going on.Not that the characters have to be human, or even real - as apart from Shrek, the list also includes cartoon favourites Homer and Marge from The Simpsons' Movie. In the trio of Shrek movies, the title character has been played by Austin Powers star Mike Myers and the Donkey by Eddie Murphy. Their hilarious love-hate relationship has been, arguably, a bigger contribution to the success of the series than that of Shrek with his true love Fiona, played by Cameron Diaz.Others in the top ten showed a taste for both a romantic happy ending and the less conventional relationship.This includes the late Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, the gay cowboys from Brokeback Mountain and Jake's sister Maggie Gyllenhaal with James Spader as her boss in the sexually charged Secretary.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made the list for their roles in Mr and Mrs Smith, not least because their off-screen romance blossomed after they made this film together.

According to cinema experts, what makes an ideal on screen partnership is the chemistry between them, whether it is a comic double act, a romantic liaison or simply two friends in a "buddy" movie.

Grace Carley, spokeswoman for the UK Cinema industry said:

"Shrek and Donkey may seem an unusual choice in that they are not romantically linked, they have this love-hate thing going on...and of course they're not even human.

"Yet somehow through the skill of the writing and the acting, people can associate with these two animated characters and help transform what could have been just another children's film for the summer holidays into one which adults loved just as much."

She added: "But the list also includes Grease, Titanic, Pretty Woman and Dirty Dancing, because no matter how many times it is done, cinema audiences will always be moved by a romantic ending."

The top ten, best "on screen chemistry", list: