Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
June 19th, 2007
Romantic comedy written and directed by Nora Ephron, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It’s an extended homage to ‘An Affair to Remember.’ I liked it.
Hanks’ character, Sam, is a widower with a young son. He comes into contact with Annie (Ryan) by way of a late-night advice-to-the-lovelorn radio show. We know the two are made for each other, star-crossed lovers, even though they only meet in the last scene of the movie. They meet at the top of the Empire State Building, just like the lovers in ‘An Affair to Remember.’
This is a smart, appealing romance (chick flick), with likeable characters and convincing performances. The young Hanks and Ryan do seem made for each other. Ryan is older here than in the earlier (excellent) Ephron-penned ‘When Harry Met Sally,’ but she has yet to inflate her lips like a trout. She looks good. I even like the kid, who some reviewers find insufferably cute, and I don’t think it’s completely out of left field that he manages to book a ticket to New York and fly across the country by himself.
As for this being a chick flick, of course it is. There is an ongoing gag about all the female characters bursting into tears whenever they even think about ‘An Affair to Remember.’ Hanks and his buddy, played by Canadian Victor Garber, make fun of the women by pretending to tear up at the thought of the ending of ‘The Dirty Dozen.’ It’s a funny scene.
I like chick flicks when they are well done and not insulting. I think anybody who doesn’t absolutely require exploding helicopters is likely to enjoy this movie.
Meanwhile take a look at my reviews of An Affair to Remember and Before Sunrise.
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