Title: Sleepless in Seattle
Director: Nora Ephron
Original Release: 1993
My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5
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| via Wikipedia |
The story: widower Sam (Tom Hanks) has moved to Seattle to begin a new life with his son, Jonah. One evening, Jonah phones a radio call-in show expressing his concern for his sad and lonely father. Jonah convinces Sam to tell his story on air. Women across the country swoon including Annie (Meg Ryan), a newspaper reporter in Baltimore. Annie herself is engaged to Walter, a nice enough guy but their relationship lacks a certain magic. Annie writes a letter to Sam. Jonah reads it and conspires with his eight-year-old girlfriend Jessica to bring the cross-country pair together.
I myself hadn't watched the movie in probably 20 years. One theme I've frequently returned to in my movie posts is how our perceptions of films change at different stages in life. Some improve with age, others not so much. I've learned a lot about life and love since the last time I watched. The night Annie announces her engagement to the family, her mother Barbara tells the story of her first date with Annie's father: "At one point I looked down, at our hands, and I couldn't tell which fingers were mine and which were his. And I knew." It's the sort of story I would have thought was cute 20 years ago without truly understanding it. Now I know. I also have a stronger appreciation for the character of Walter (Bill Pullman). He could have been painted as a worthless jerk but he wasn't. He fell in love with the wrong woman and he bows out gracefully once he knows he's lost her.
I probably would have chosen a different favorite scene 20 years ago, too. Now, it is most certainly the conversation Sam has with two friends about the movies Affair to Remember and The Dirty Dozen. I laughed to the point of tears.
One of the movie's strongest selling points, especially in the long term, is its chart topping soundtrack featuring numerous old crooner classics like "As Time Goes By" and "Stardust." Interestingly, the initial score composer, John Barry, quit when given the list of 20 songs he had to include. Marc Shaiman picked up the reins and was ultimately nominated for a BAFTA for his efforts.
Trivia challenge again for April! Pick your own movie to share. Post three clues on Friday, April 1st. Post your reveal and review on Friday, April 8th. Meanwhile, please visit my friends today:
I liked this movie, too; it was sweet :)
ReplyDeleteSure was.
DeleteI was late in getting my post up:) I enjoyed this movie when it came out and I still do. An Affair to Remember is so remembered so nicely in this film that many people went out in search of that movie with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. I also liked that scene when they discuss the 2 films. The kid was really quite good even though he scared his dad to death by flying all by himself to NYC.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the bit with Jonah flying across the country unaccompanied sure doesn't ring true in the post-9/11 high-security world. As one who has put a child on a plane by herself, it's a lot more complicated these days.
DeleteI should probably watch this one again.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will.
DeleteI haven't seen this one in over 20 years myself. I love the points you made about seeing things in a different light at different ages. I can totally see that as being true. I should give this one a rewatch! Glad the family liked it. :)
ReplyDelete~Jess
If you do rewatch, I hope you will let me know what you think.
DeleteI like this movie a lot, but oddly enough it's the references to other movies that pulled me in when I first saw it. I've always enjoyed watching classic movies and this film was the catalyst I needed to get a bunch of friends together for a movie marathon including: the original Love Affair (the other one came out after this movie), An Affair to Remember, and then Sleepless in Seattle.
ReplyDeleteIt was a good movie for the retro crowd in both film and music.
DeleteWhen a teenager, I saw "An Affair to remember". Cary Grant won my heart right then.
ReplyDeleteDaughter has a bit of a crush on Grant.
DeleteI love Sleepless in Seattle. No idea how many times I've seen it. So many great moments. Sure, it's a bit cheesy, but those were more innocent times. Thanks for your review!
ReplyDeleteThe world was more innocent? Parts of it, certainly. Was I? Yes, I would say so.
DeleteI don't know that it ages particularly well (Meg Ryan's ridiculously conservative style, for instance), but it's sweet, fits in well with this period of Tom Hanks movies, and is an excellent argument for letting old movies talk about old movies. I finally saw it last week, and then You've Got Mail, which inadvertently became a time capsule soon after its release thanks to its increasingly antiquated look at the early Internet. But it's nice to see a pair like Hanks and Ryan have multiple movies together. Joe Versus the Volcano, anyone? Director Nora Ephron was at the peak of her hot streak at this point. I don't know that she could have matched When Harry Met Sally... if she'd tried any harder, but she certainly made some game efforts.
ReplyDelete..."letting new movies talk about old movies." I wish fewer people had a problem with things created from the same era reflecting on each other. Why we think the creative world ends every time there's a remake is consistently beyond me, and the whole nonsense about adaptations (the "book is better" argument). Anyway...
DeleteWhat I mean in terms of seeing it differently now is that I see the characters and the story in a different light with the benefit of life experience.
DeleteI've seen the movie a few times over the years, and I agree that it strikes different chords now from when I watched it as a teen. I always had a soft spot for Walter, and loved that he wasn't a buffoon or blowhard. He was a decent guy who fell for a decent girl, and I had hopes that he'd find his soul mate...
ReplyDeleteThat whole flying alone thing, though. So ridiculous. Even then. At age 13 I did fly unaccompanied in 1988, and my folks had to drop me at the gate and pick me up from the gate. Otherwise, they would not allow me to board or leave the boarding area. I do love a nostalgia-viewing. Thanks for sharing!