140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
The greatest romantic comedy not named Annie Hall ever made. Only 25 years old, but feels like we’ve always had this one with us. Classic…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of When Harry Met Sally…:
This movie is so good it’s on another level. Nora Ephron’s screenplay is the best of her career, and she’s not alone in having this film be her personal best. When Harry Met Sally features arguably the best work put in by Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Bruno Kirby & Carrie Fisher.
There is unquestionably a very Woody Allen quality to the picture, enough so that he may have had grounds for complaint if not actual legal action. It’s that close…
That said, while it is a very stereotypical picture it goes about its business in very fresh ways. This may be a typical New York rom-com on paper, but in execution it is nearly flawless. The dialogue is lovely and full of great new commentary on relationships. If it seems familiar to new viewers it is only because nearly every rom-com since 1989 has been borrowing this playbook.
As great as the screenplay is, the actors really make the picture. Crystal certainly added a ton of the best lines and both he and Ryan played their roles so well that they were stuck doing the same thing for years after as a result.
When Rob Reiner developed this project with Ephron, he was in the middle of a serious hot streak, having just wrapped on The Princess Bride, following Stand By Me. When Harry Met Sally is among his finest efforts, and he is helped in his mission to romanticize New York perfectly by Barry Sonnenfeld’s cinematography.
Even more impressive may be the huge boost this film gave to the career of Harry Connick Jr., who was tapped by Reiner to provide a soundtrack for the film comprised of standards. He put together a Grammy-winning performance on the must-have soundtrack album, although for some bizarre reason the film itself only features a couple of the performances, opting instead for more traditional versions of the same standards. Bizarre.
It’s hard to find anything negative to say about When Harry Met Sally, unless you’re going to hold it responsible for all the crappy rom-coms it inspired. It’s pretty much a perfect comedy and still plays 25 years later.
Poster:
Trailer:
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: B (8 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Billy Crystal Harry Burns, Meg Ryan Sally Albright, Carrie Fisher Marie, Bruno Kirby Jess |
| Rating | R |
| Release Date | Fri 21 Jul 1989 UTC |
| Director | Rob Reiner |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama, Romance |
| Plot | Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 96 |
| Tagline | Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning? |
| Writers | Nora Ephron (written by) |
| Year | 1989 |
