This week,
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (1989)
Starring- Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby
I would call this one of, if not the, definitive New Year's Eve movie. Most of the action takes place in other times of the year, but the critical part, the ending, takes place as the ball drops. Not only is this film a great vehicle for its two stars, it also made the romantic comedy a genre unto itself. Crystal and Ryan are a fabulous tandem that perfectly balance neurotic tendencies with funny quirks as they develop a friendship that ultimately turns into true love.
Directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron, this film has the perfect blend of behind the camera and onscreen talent. I can only see the lines being said by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan because it feels as if the roles were tailor-made for them by two people who actually lived lives that paralleled the characters. Beginning with Harry and Sally's meeting at the end of college, we are taken on an eleven year journey that sees their relationship evolve as they progress and mature. It is great to see how people can change over time and still maintain who they are at their core. Harry is forever the pessimist, seeing the dark side and never really giving himself over to love, while Sally is the upbeat optimist who works hard to see the bright side of things. I have always marveled at how these two characters slowly come together and meet in the middle by the end of the film, having been through so much together.
The heart of When Harry Met Sally is undeniable, but it is the persistent comedy that makes it a special movie. Never before, or since, for that matter, has a film so brilliantly captured the humor of dating, sex, men and women, and the differences between them. I have applied much of this film to my own marriage, which started as a friendship. So much so that I have used lines from it in my daily life. In fact, here are some of the maxims which I have learned from When Harry Met Sally.
-Men and Women can't be friends because men always want to have sex with their female friends
-Women fake orgasms
-Men can't tell when they fake them
-Sex complicates things
-The little things are what you come to love most about a person
There you have it. If you need more clarification, pop in this movie and see the many sides, moods and jokes of friendship and love.
Things to watch for-
Mr. Zero
Surrey with the Fringe on Top
The Wagon Wheel Coffee Table
Baby Fish Mouth
Days of the Week Underpants
Pecan Pie
"Someone is staring at you in 'personal growth.'"