3. Peter Parker and Mary-Jane - Spider-Man
Superhero romances have never worked particularly well on-screen as the actor will often struggle to find the balanced ground of superhero and normal man, but here, Tobey Maguire, for his many faults, balances Spider-Man and Peter Parker pretty well. The big problem is his horrible chemistry with Kirsten Dunst. Their emotional interactions in the film have you cringing for Peter, as Maguire seems uneasy with the more romantic and emotionally involving scenes, perhaps a reflection of the character himself, but it makes considerably uncomfortable viewing. Maguire brings the geeky weirdness that Peter Parker has, but the tone appears to always be misjudged, because when acting with Dunst, there's more nervous tension than sexual. Given the target audience, Spider-Man was never going to be full of Eyes Wide Shut-esque eroticism, but there's not even the slightest spark of an innocent romance at hand. The cringiest moment was not when Maguire was Peter, but when he had donned the suit. The (in)famous upside down kiss in the rain is a horrible moment of pure cheese that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the film. In Maguire's defence though, when James Franco is your co-star, it may be harder than usual to create chemistry with the ladies.