Among your "couple friends," you may have that one pair who still seem smitten with one another years or even decades into their relationship. If you're really lucky, you're one half of that relationship yourself. Hollywood couples are no different; a pair with sizzling chemistry can't hide that inevitable attraction. These matches seemed destined to happen.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the couple that no one saw happening, or at least not for long. Russell Brand and Katy Perry lasted just 14 months. Separately, each half of the brief partnership was young, talented and fairly attractive, yet it was obvious even to fans that they didn't fit. Their chemistry felt off-kilter. While the pair was together, they seemed intent on talking about how wonderful their relationship was, but happy couples don't need to announce their happiness.

The unforgettable image of Tom Cruise jumping on a sofa on the Oprah Winfrey Show years ago was another prime example of telling instead of showing. When love is self-evident, no one needs to jump on the furniture and shout it from a rooftop. Chemistry's impossible to hide, as Eddie Cibrian and LeAnn Rimes discovered. They're still facing the fallout from the actor's divorce from ex-wife Brandi Glanville, but they seem willing to face it together, bonded by their unmistakable chemistry.

Look at Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom. While no one would call any Kardashian shy or reticent to talk about her love life, Khloe's never made a big deal about her relationship with Lamar. Despite a one-month courtship, their marriage has already lasted three years and seems to be strong despite the stress of his job and her reality TV appearances.

Body language is another sure indicator of chemistry or a lack thereof, and it was obvious for years that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were speaking entirely different tongues. Their gazes were usually in different directions, rarely toward one another. Pictures in which they held hands appeared to have all the passion of a couple of kindergarten kids who didn't much like one another being forced together for the buddy system. Even their kisses captured on film looked dutiful.

Compare their lukewarm interaction to the electricity that pervaded "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt appeared together in the action flick. They weathered storms of controversy after their chemistry spilled over into real life, but it's still obvious from the way they look at one another on the red carpet: the inexorable force that pulled them together during filming that movie is still exerting its gravitational pull. Meanwhile, Tom and Katie appeared to travel in entirely separate orbits from early in their courtship.

When compared with celebrity couples who have genuine chemistry, the TomKat marriage looked doomed from the start. Perhaps the real surprise is that it lasted as long as it did.

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Originally posted here:
Celebrity Chemistry: How Tom and Katie Compare to Other Star Pairs