“Men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.” This quote is the starting point of the movie, it kicks off the theme and sets the plot in motion. In the summer of 1989 When Harry met Sally premiered, this rom com by Rob Reiner starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan blew audiences away. The Castle Rock Entertainment production won 4 awards: The BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay, The ASCAP Top Box Office Films, The American Comedy Award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture, and the American Comedy Award for Funniest Actor in a Motion Picture. When Billy Crystal first states to Meg Ryan that men and women can’t be friends you realize that these two are somehow not done with their interactions even though they
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Everything in the movie set a new standard for what a movie in this genre should be. The casting fit exactly what the script needed and vice versa. The levels of humor and seriousness are balanced perfectly throughout the entirety of the film. One weakness that some may point out is the repetitive nature of the movie and how you can predict that the two will end up together no matter what happens in the middle, however, this being a romantic comedy is what one would expect. If it’s now what someone was looking for they should seek a different genre. This is the theory that one Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune takes away from the film. Saying that it is a predictable plot that spends too much time resolving the issue and focusing on “snappy one-liners” (Kehr). While one could see Kehr’s point of view and understand it, agreeing with it seems farfetched. On the other hand Hilary Mantel of the Spectator Archive felt that it set a very different tone for movies of its type. This new tone is one of lightness and gives a certain cheering effect to the audience and “has probably bred its box-office success.”(Mantel) It’s the tone that Hilary speaks of that will gives this film its iconic status.
This is a movie that anyone could recommend to others. It has something for everyone, whether you watch it for the love story, the humor, or Meg Ryan, you will enjoy this film. When Harry met Sally feels like the predecessor for all romantic comedies, so movies that are reminiscent of it are really the genre of rom com after 1989. The real moral of this film, the takeaway from When Harry met Sally is that men and women may not be able to be friends, but they can fall in
Everything in the movie set a new standard for what a movie in this genre should be. The casting fit exactly what the script needed and vice versa. The levels of humor and seriousness are balanced perfectly throughout the entirety of the film. One weakness that some may point out is the repetitive nature of the movie and how you can predict that the two will end up together no matter what happens in the middle, however, this being a romantic comedy is what one would expect. If it’s now what someone was looking for they should seek a different genre. This is the theory that one Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune takes away from the film. Saying that it is a predictable plot that spends too much time resolving the issue and focusing on “snappy one-liners” (Kehr). While one could see Kehr’s point of view and understand it, agreeing with it seems farfetched. On the other hand Hilary Mantel of the Spectator Archive felt that it set a very different tone for movies of its type. This new tone is one of lightness and gives a certain cheering effect to the audience and “has probably bred its box-office success.”(Mantel) It’s the tone that Hilary speaks of that will gives this film its iconic status.
This is a movie that anyone could recommend to others. It has something for everyone, whether you watch it for the love story, the humor, or Meg Ryan, you will enjoy this film. When Harry met Sally feels like the predecessor for all romantic comedies, so movies that are reminiscent of it are really the genre of rom com after 1989. The real moral of this film, the takeaway from When Harry met Sally is that men and women may not be able to be friends, but they can fall in