Nora Ephron And Meg Ryan=Martin Scorsese And Robert De Niro
For years, Nora Ephron has been my mortal enemy. I don't know how many people made me watch her films and I hated each of them. To give you a rundown, here are the films Nora Ephron are involved in:
"You Got Mail", "Michael", "Mixed Nuts", & "Sleepless In Seattle", all of which she not only wrote but directed. Then I was shocked, SHOCKED!!, that she wrote the Steve Martin movie "My Blue Heaven" which is one of my favorite comedies. I was surprised cause Nora just does mushy movies that makes me wanna choke either myself or whoever is next to me, or both. THEN, while looking up the movies she wrote and directed, I come to find out she's set to be the writer AND director for the movie version of "Bewitched". The hell??
Why am I rambling on and on about Nora Ephron? Because she wrote and produced this film which I'm about to critique, a film my friend April suggested to me because I'm letting her pick the movies for me this month, which happens to be April. I know, I'm a genius. Be glad I don't have any friends named May or June.
"When Harry Met Sally" starts off in Chicago in 1977, with Harry, played by Billy Crystal, is making out with his girlfriend Amanda. She is friends with Sally, played by Meg Ryan, who appears in about 95% of Nora's films. Hmm, Meg Ryan as Samantha? I don't see it, but it'll probably happen. Apparently, Harry and Sally somehow agreed to go to New York together, which stuck me as odd. How are two people, who don't know each other, gonna make plans to go on a road trip? Eh, whatever.
On the way to New York, Harry and Sally begin talking about relationships and Harry's views on friendships. He claims that men cannot be friends with women because the men will want to have sex with the woman and therefore the friendship is tarnished. Sally disagrees and just finds Harry to be a brute.
We pick up on Sally's little quirks on this road trip. She makes a big production of ordering food, by saying she wants an item, let's say Tacos. But she wants the taco shell to be soft not hard, the taco meat cooked medium rare, and wants the cheese, lettuce, and whatever else on the side. She's also borderline anal retentive by actually doing math when the check comes to figure out how much they both owe. In other words, if I knew her, I would've attempted to strangle her at some point.
They get to New York and Harry says they can't be friends, and she's fine with that, so they go their own seperate ways. No, don't think of the Journey song, it's only 1977, it's not around yet.
Flash forward five years later, which would be....(Does quick math...) umm...1982. Sally is making out with her boyfriend Joe in an airport when Harry, who knows Joe (Whatta ya know?) and sort of recognizes Sally. She remembers him being a brute and is miffed that he doesn't remember her. Until they get on the plane. Then he switches seats with the guy who originally sat next to Sally and they talked some more, catching up on old times. He works for some political thing and she's a journalist. He's about to be married to a girl named Helen, while Sally just started out with Joe. They arrive at wherever it was they were going (They don't say) and yet again, they go their own seperate ways. Nope, still no Journey, you're still one year off.
Five MORE years later, making it...1987, Sally and Harry both got dumped, Harry's ending in a divorce, and Sally's ending because she wants to get married to Joe. Harry is all bitter and lonely and Sally is just in denial. While shopping with her friend Marie, played by Carrie "Princess Leia" Fishe, they spot Harry. Harry doesn't act as much of a brute anymore and Sally sort of grows fond of him now. So they agree to be friends. No, don't sing the "Friends" theme song, that's way, way off. Sheesh...
They become super close friends, eating out, seeing movies, talking on the phone, hanging out, all that crap friends do with each other. Harry's friend Jess, played by Bruno Kirby, is baffled by this and doesn't understand how a man like Harry can only be friends with a hot thang like Sally.
Four months go by, it's the holidays and they spend New Years together, so now it's 1988, in case you're keeping track. While dancing at a party, they come to that realization that they are in fact crazy in love with each other but they just don't wanna admit it. So they won't have to admit it, they decide to set each other up with their best friends, meaning Jess will try to date Sally and Marie will try to date Harry.
During the double date, things don't go well with Harry and Sally, but Jess and Marie hit it off. So wouldn't you know it, four more months later, they're set to get married. While getting a wedding gift for them, Harry spots his ex wife Helen with Ira, her new husband. This upsets Harry and while Jess is asking Harry's opinion about a wagon wheel coffee table (You gotta see the movie to understand), he sort of flips out, meaning he still isn't over Helen.
Then Sally calls Harry saying that Joe called her to tell her he's getting married, and she flips out. So he goes to her place to console her when, yes, you know...(Insert porn music)
And then.....damn Harry was right, the sex will ruin the friendship and they both regret it but they don't feel comfortable around each other. Well, actually, he got over it but she doesn't and is mad at him for thinking it was no big deal because Harry's known for having one night stands with women. So they have this huge fight during Jess and Marie's wedding and they go their own seperate ways. YES!! It's 1988, you can sing it!!!!
"Someday, love will find you, break those chains that bind you!!!!! One night will remind you how we touched and went our seperate ways!!!!!!!!"
Rockin!!
I wonder why this song wasn't used in the movie, the entire thing describes Harry and Sally perfectly. I guess Nora isn't a Journey fan.
So another holiday season is upon them and they aren't friends. Harry constantly calls Sally to apologize for whatever it is he does (Men never know what they done wrong, they just feel it's safe to apologize. Remember that, women everywhere) and finally she talks to him saying no way in hell will she ever forgive him (I'm on his side, he didn't do anything wrong, he said it was a mistake, sheesh...) and that she's gonna spend New Years with Jess and Marie and some guy they set her up with.
Harry spends it alone at home, then decides to go for a walk to think things through. Sally is having a terrible time at the party and wants to go. Harry makes up his mind and rushes over to the party, just in the nick of time, because Sally was leaving. He says, "Dammit, I love you!!!" and she gets all upset cause she wants to hate him but women can't resist a man who says the L-word. Go on, try it. Go up to any woman and say "I love you" and they'll just be all mushy and tender and love you forever...or beat you with their purse while spraying you with pepper spray. So anyway, in the end, they get married and, yep, happily ever after.
One thing to mention, and I found it annoying, that in between scenes, they cut to old married couples who tell their story on how they met. I didn't see the significance of it, but one of the stories did amuse me. This might seem wrong, but there were an old Chinese couple and he was telling a story on how they were arranged to be married or something and he wanted to check her out before they got married, and they lived in seperate villages. But the man say, yes this is wrong to laugh at this so don't you kids do it, "Willages".
I hate to admit this but I enjoyed this movie. Normally all of Nora's films leave me wanted to bash my brains in, but I actually got into this movie, plus Billy Crystal was funny with his take on life and whatnot. The movie was directed by Rob Reiner and he did a kickass job in directing. The fourway split screen when Harry called Jess and when Sally called Marie was just awesome. Oh, and of course this movie is nortorious for the "Fake Orgasam" scene in the diner, when Sally says that men never can tell if a woman is faking or not and Harry says he can. It didn't have the impact it did on me since I seen that scene I don't know how many times before I watched this movie. So, Nora, you suckered me into two movies ("My Blue Heaven" is the other). I wonder how she's gonna fare with "Bewitched"...
Oh nevermind, I'm gonna rock to some Journey now.
"If he ever hurts you, true love won't desert you!!! You know I still love you though we touched and went our SEPERATE WAAAAAAAYYYSS!!!!!..."
3 stars.
"When Harry Met Sally" on IMDb.com:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/
More Info about Nora Ephron:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001188/
More Info about Journey:
http://www.journey-tribute.com/