IMDb top 250: -
Rating 6/10
Director: Rob Reiner
Writers: Nora Ephron
Starring: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher & Bruno Kirby
"You see? That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you."
In 1977, Harry Burns (Crystal) and Sally Albright (Ryan) finish school at the University of Chicago and share the drive to New York City, along the way they discuss issue of "can men and women ever just be friends". The two disagree and don't exactly hit it off, but over the years after a few chance encounters they become friends, but is love just around the corner?
This is the first time I've ever seen When Harry Met Sally, however I was aware of the film and it's most infamous scene, more on that later. Firstly, the screenplay by the late, great Nora Ephron is great. Really likeable characters with some funny dialogue. Whilst Nora writes Harry really well, she excels with Sally. Such an interesting, annoying, neurotic, adorable, loveable character and played so brilliantly by Meg Ryan, who wouldn't fall in love with Sally.
After researching the movie, I noted that Director Rob Reiner directed two of my favourite movies; Misery and The Princess Bride. The direction here is pretty good and he has created some great and memorable scenes. The wardrobe is very "bad 80's", I mean Marie's wedding dress, really? Just awful...but I'm pretty sure bang on trend when the film was made/released. Loved the music, Harry Connick Jr's voice is gorgeous and it really suits the tone of the film.
The chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal is great and I love the idea that Sally would fall for someone like Harry. An uptight, kinda OCD, girl who you would expect to be looking for a 6ft handsome prince falls for a short, can be annoying guy who she never agrees with. Is this where Sex and the City got their Charlotte and Harry storyline from?
Meg Ryan steals the movie, even from Princess Leia herself!! But that's ok, she really is great and even though I've seen the clip on thousands of shows before I still laughed out loud at the "fake orgasm in the cafe" scene, it's played wonderfully. I can imagine it took quite a few goes to get that take. Billy, the crew and the extras must have been wetting themselves laughing. Carrie Fisher I could watch all day, I imagine I'd be transfixed watching her do the laundry I love her!!
Now I did enjoy the film, but it just didn't blow me away, to me it was a bit run of the mill. Maybe because I've seen thousands of rom-coms; rom-coms that probably pinched ideas from this movie but nevertheless I wasn't thinking, "can't wait to watch that again". It was an enjoyable 1 hour 30 minutes spent but definitely not worthy as number 90 on the top 500 movies ever made. At least not for me!
