Review for When Harry Met Sally

Director: Rob Reiner

Released: 1989

Genre: Romantic Comedy

When Harry Met Sally, directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1989, is one of the few romantic comedies that is both genuinely sweet and actually funny. It stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as Harry and Sally, respectively. Crystal is right at home playing a cynical but hilarious and oddly endearing counterpart to Ryan's emotional and incredulous character. When Harry Met Sally showcases what is perhaps the most sincere acting of their careers; the two have great chemistry on screen.

When Harry Met Sally starts out in 1977, when Harry, who was dating Sally's friend at the time, rides with the latter to New York City after graduating from college. Eighteen hours on the road proves to be enough for Sally, and she is initially glad to be rid of her insensitive passenger. The two don't meet again until both board the same plane flight five years later- again, Sally is somewhat annoyed by Harry's amusingly fatalist relational banter. Both are in a relationship, Harry tells Sally that he is getting married, and the two part ways once more after arriving at their destination. Fast forward another half decade, and the two meet once more in New York City- Harry is no longer married, both are in relationships, and the two finally become fast friends. Eventually, everything comes together and the two fall in love with one another.

The story, while involving the typical, predictable pitfalls of most films in the genre (the leading man and woman initially show no real interest in one another, but somehow wind up getting married), is saved by the excellent dialogue and situational comedy. Exchanges between the two main characters provide both insight, in the form of Harry's ramblings on romance philosophy, and hilarity, such as when Sally demonstrates how easily a woman can "fake it," even while sitting in a crowded restaurant. Such qualities add up to a movie that members of both sexes can appreciate immensely.

Stylistically, the film exudes a sort of Annie Hall quality, both with the story itself and in the way it depicts pre-Guliani New York City. There is nothing spectacular about the presentation, save for a few moments involving a split screen and a brilliantly executed four way phone call between Harry, Sally, and their two married friends. The score, another tribute to Woody Allen films such as Manhattan, mainly consists of breezy jazz numbers that help to promote a sort of light-hearted atmosphere throughout.

I would recommend this film to pretty much anyone- When Harry Met Sally manages to be both funny and risque without being offensive; anybody with a love life can relate to what Crystal rambles on about (a man and a woman cannot be just friends without both of them being romantically involved with someone else, etc). All things considered, When Harry Met Sally is a genre luminary, one of the few "rom-coms" in which the inherent cheesiness of the plot is overshadowed by cinematic brilliance.

3.25/4.00