When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

When Harry Met Sally is a classic comedy. It's from a magical time when Billy Crystal could be a romantic lead and Meg Ryan was adorably not plastic. The dialogue is quick and witty and the characters are believable and likeable. Rob Reiner does a great job capturing the anxieties of friendship and romance.

Suffice to say throughout the course of Hollywood, we have been faced with many romcoms with most ultimately failing. However, the late 80's and early 90's added many entries that reinvigorated the genre. In this sweet flick, sweet and sarcastic Harry meets sweet and beautiful Sally. Then the sweet couple meet again. And then again...and again. Oh, and again. Basic plot full of conveniences, but director Rob Reiner took the risk of removing a complex and captivating story to flesh out the characters. I can see why this is popular yet I do see issues that detract from my personal enjoyment with the film. Firstly, I adored the minimalistic approach that Reiner took. Just two friends communicating. That's all this film is. There is no plot device. Instead we experience the natural progression of two friends slowly falling in love as they spend more time together. Incredibly relatable and insufferably sweet. The only thing sweeter than this is a bowl of sugar. The narrative boasts an utterly witty screenplay that brings these characters to life. Perhaps slightly too focussed on the topic of sex. Billy Crystal's Harry is brimming with sarcasm and a dark intelligent sense of humour whereas Meg Ryan's Sally reeks of innocence and exhumes optimism. The juxtaposing personalities make for some compelling conversations including, but not limited to, an orgasm reenactment in the middle of a diner. Sally's got balls. Big balls. Meg Ryan's performance was solid however I felt Billy Crystal was too monotonous in an attempt to come across as sarcastic. Didn't really connect with him. The lack of substance within the plot does unfortunately prevent a thrilling story and I did occasionally find myself disconnected with the narrative. However this is just a personal preference. As a romcom, When Harry Met Sally is refreshingly innovative that can be enjoyed by all, just too sweet and thinly plotted for my liking. This is as much fun as observing two young people's lives should be.

This is one of the best romantic comedies ever made, about a "gradual" romance. I liked the couples talking about their romances sprinkled in throughout the movie, and of course I loved the deli scene with the fake orgasm and the subsequent "I'll have what she's having" line. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan first meet in college and run into each other several times over the years, gradually forming a friendship and eventually a romance despite Ryan's assessment that a man and a woman "can't be friends." Crystal and Ryan have terrific chemistry, and this movie is thoroughly funny and delightful throughout. I loved it and you will too.*** out of ****

Firstly I must say that I have been a fan of this film for such a long time. I saw it on Friday evening and I have been in love with it ever since. Everything about this film is perfect. But I have a few things that I think could be better.Firstly the title of the movie is a bit misleading as I think it can come across a bit sexist to say when Harry met Sally. I mean what year was this film made the 1930's? Are we not to think that Sally did in fact meet Harry Aswel?Might I suggest a new title for the movie. "When Harry and Sally meet each other" I think this gives a better indication of what the film is about and would make it a much more enjoyable film for people to watch. Actually I have had another thought the story of the film actually tells the story of Sally and Harry meeting on 3 occasions 5 years apart of each other (spoiler alert)Sorry I have just read that you should put the words "spoiler alert" before the spoiler so that you don't spoil the film for anyone. I want to apologise for my mistake that lead me to do it wrong.In light of my new thoughts on the story may I suggest the renaming of the film to "When Harry and Sally meet each other on three different occasions"One of the many things I loved about this movie was Billy crystal. I just think he is amazing in the movie. At the beginning of the movie he is quite mean to Meg Ryan and I was thinking he could be called Bully Crystal.Then when he is in the restaurant if he had ordered a steak he could be called Grilly CrystalBut I love the way he's always making jokes throughout the movie and he should be renamed Silly Crystal.When it's Christmas time in the film and he and Meg Ryan go for a Christmas tree while it's snowing he looks cold and he could be called Chilly Crystal.At times in the movie he is being a bit of a Knob and he could be called Willy CrystalIf in the movie he decided to wear one of Meg Ryan's ruffled dresses he could be called Frilly Crystal.But non of this happened and I am getting sidetracked so I will apologise.I love the part in the movie when the ogre rescues the princess from the tower that's really powerful stuff.Sorry that was part of Shrek I watched it on the same evening and I keep getting a bit mixed up on what parts of the movie happened in which film.I think I will leave the review here. I just hope the rumours of "when Harry met Sally 2" are true as I have been such a lover for this classic for so long.