When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."

My favorite Rob Reiner film has always been When Harry Met Sally, a romantic comedy that I never expected to enjoy as much as I did. It's the best Woody Allen film not directed by Woody Allen. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal's quirky chemistry in this movie is probably one of the best I've seen in any film. Reiner is a director that is hard to categorize since he has worked with different genres: thriller with Misery, fantasy/adventure with The Princess Bride, coming of age with Stand by Me, mockumentary with This is Spinal Tap, drama with A Few Good Men, and comedy with The Bucket List. He's made his share of bad films (his latest films are probably his weakest), but he seems to have excelled in every genre without establishing a common trademark. You could watch When Harry Met Sally back to back with Misery and you'd never guess it was directed by the same person. The secret to his success with this rom-com is that the relationship feels true to life as he first introduces these flawed characters that don't seem to care too much for each other, but over the years they begin bonding and establishing a strong friendship. These characters are so relatable and we can see ourselves or our friends in the film. It reminds us of that friend of the opposite sex we had and how easy it was to blur the line between friendship and love. It makes us think of that universal question: Can a man and a woman be best friends without falling in love with each other? A lot of credit must be given to Nora Ephron's Oscar nominated screenplay because the dialogue and debates between the main characters are authentic and sharp at the same time. There are so many memorable scenes, including the fake orgasm which turned Meg Ryan into such a star, but the final tear jerking scene is my favorite because Billy Crystal delivered his lines in such a perfect way. Even the scenes where old couples are being interviewed in documentary style works perfectly and serves a purpose other than simply serving as transitions taking place in the story. The honesty that comes through in each conversation between Harry and Sally and the incredible chemistry between them is what makes this one of my go to films when it comes to recommending a romantic movie. Did I mention that the film takes place in New York of all places?

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Fmovies: I decided to watch this for the first time and thought it was one of the most realistic romance movies that there is. It is also really cute with showing older couples between the scenes and hearing their love at first sight stories.

This is Billy Crystal's show. He has an understated, ordinary, humble screen presence. It's not the case that every single line HAS to be funny in order for us to like him - with Crystal, a joke can fall flat and somehow it doesn't make him personally look bad. But here every line IS funny, so he has charm to burn.

I know people like Meg Ryan - I guess I do, too, in this particular film - and I know that there are people who find her `orgasm' scene amusing, but Sally is really just someone for Harry to meet and ultimately fall in love with. She's completely clueless. Most of the jokes are at her expense rather than his. The genuine wit, the power of observation, the theoretical insight, all lie with Harry. Is this a problem? Not in the least. Unlike most romantic comedies this is not some kind of duel - it's the more realistic study of many, many separate encounters.

Also unlike most romantic comedies, this one is funny. I think I mentioned that.

The film benefits from its second rank support: good performances by Carrie Fischer and that guy whose name doesn't matter, locations someone actually went to some trouble to look for, and a song-score that is doesn't intrude and hit us repeatedly over the head. Allegedly `When Harry Met Sally' has been imitated by later productions, but I can't think of a case where the imitation is accurate enough to even be recognisable.

When Harry Met Sally... fmovies. This movie is not just your average chick flick tearjerker romance movie. I'm sure that a lot of guys can relate to this movie as well.

First of all, there are some hilarious lines in this movie that will appeal to men and women. Second, the orgasm scene in the restaurant has got to be one of the funniest scenes in movie history. And finally, the guys will be cheering on Billy Crystal, as he makes love to a LOT of women in this movie. I really enjoyed this movie, and I'm pretty sure that I am a guy (I'll check later).

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan will remind everyone of their everyday lives in this true-to-life (and very funny) movie. So guys, don't reject "When Harry Met Sally..." just because women cried at it. And girls, if you see this movie, you will probably want to see it another 50 times.

Aside from freer language and more explicitly sexual humour, When Harry met Sally is a very traditional romantic comedy, very much in the mould established in 1934 by It Happened One Night. Two very different but evenly-matched people are thrown together by circumstance. They are initially hostile to one another, but over the course of the film, this hostility turns to love as their personalities are softened by exposure to their opposites. Indeed, the central traits of Harry and Sally correspond very directly to those of Peter and Ellen in IHON - he worldly-wise and cynical, she spoiled and certain of what's what. Neither of them, it turns out, is as right or as self-confidant as they believe. What's very modern about WHMS is its attitude to long-term relationships. It's no longer enough for the couple simply to fall in love and live happily ever after. They must have a full and real understanding of exactly what, or who, they're letting themselves in for. They must also be sexually compatible (hence the importance of their having slept with one another before they finally get together). Within this framework of traditional romance in an unromantic world, WHMS is almost perfect. Structurally, there are no gaps or implausibilities. Even the central coincidence of these people running into each other under these circumstances is answered. The short but affecting intermissions of successful old couples describing their relationships are not only crucial to the pacing of the film, they also make the point that Harry and Sally are just another couple with an unusual and interesting story. There's an element of luck and coincidence in every successful relationship. The effectiveness of the film's structure is perhaps best highlighted by the soundtrack. There's a perfectly selected Louis Armstrong track for every phase of their relationship - the soundtrack not only complements the mood of the film, it comments on the action. The acting is superb, with the two main protagonists as well as their two foils (Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher) all giving career-best comic performances. Without such fantastic performances, it's very possible that the film could have failed: these are essentially self-indulgent people, that we sympathise with them and recognise them is in great measure down to the stars. Finally, the script is fantastic. Of course nobody really speaks like that, but like all great scripts it distills emotions and points of view into a few lines. And it's funny. The one-liners are still sharp and amusing on the twentieth viewing, and the set-pieces are beautifully realised (the orgasm scene is only the most famous - check out Harry's olympic sex-dream speech - "Must have been the dismount" - or the "I'm through making a schmuck out of myself" phone call). All this, and a dinner party talking point about male and female relationships. Can we ever be just friends? Not even with an ugly girl? "Nah, you pretty much want to nail them too."

"When Harry Met Sally" may not at first seem to be the kind of film that remains classic and timeless. In this very cute exploration of an age-old question: "Can men and women truly just be friends?," Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan play the kind of characters we have come to love to see them play. No surprises there as they skillfully banter back and forth between adorable, hysterical and morose as the plot rolls on. But upon closer inspection, this film is actually full of nice surprises, including its durability. Watch carefully and you will find one of the best examples of the way an excellent script can propel the plot, character development and pacing of a film perfectly from start to finish. Many lines may seem to be merely entertaining one-liners, but they also serve these other purposes simultaneously. This is a well crafted and well acted script. Even the most dated aspect of the film, the intentional focus on clothing, hair and makeup styles as they change throughout the decades, has taken an unexpected poignancy now that the styles we may remember as current at the time have come to be old-fashioned themselves. The end result is that "When Harry Met Sally" speaks to us if we remember the times portrayed in the film or not. We're still asking questions about men and women and friendship, and films such as this still help us answer them.