The romantic comedy was at its apex in the late 80s/early 90s, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan its crown prince and princess. I love the genre myself and have seen many examples I might recommend, but this one -- Sleepless in Seattle -- was simply the perfect choice for us. I'm not sure I realized just how well it might go over or how good it was; but Sleepless has to be the best of the genre -- a near-perfect serving of style, warmth, humor, and absurdity.
About an hour and a half, rated PG
Our family's average rating on a scale from 1-10:
An 8.88! moving it into a tie for second place overall (along with Roman Holiday and just behind It Happened One Night).
More about the film and our reaction to it:
Its hard to explain in a blog post what makes a movie like this so good and so acceptable for family viewing. By the way, although, it was perfectly appropriate for our family, others should note that there is some frank (and, frankly silly) dialog regarding Hanks' dating endeavors. It would be easiest to just direct you to the IMDB parents guide for details. So, no it's not perfectly tame; but it is pretty tame. It is also extremely sweet, but never actually sappy. I'm not sure exactly how they pulled that off. . . . Such is the magic of the film.
The film is magical; it knows it and it doesn't try to be realistic. Its a bit silly and almost weird. In less skillful hands, Meg Ryan's near-stalking of Tom Hanks might have felt objectionable. But instead, we cheer for her. There are other elements, too, that feel just a bit strange for a romantic comedy. For instance, we all know that Hanks and Ryan have great chemistry, but in this flick, it wouldn't matter if they didn't, because they are not actually together in it. That's odd indeed.
Although ostensibly about romance, the movie is truly about something bigger and funnier than just two people meeting and dating. It is more about the promise of love, and the hope of finding it, than it is about any realization. Thus, it seems so perfectly positioned to steal the hearts of a family -- where all is not lovely dovey and mushy. The kind of love in Sleepless is more familial; more about bonding, making do with what life has dealt and, of course, hoping.
The film is magical; it knows it and it doesn't try to be realistic. Its a bit silly and almost weird. In less skillful hands, Meg Ryan's near-stalking of Tom Hanks might have felt objectionable. But instead, we cheer for her. There are other elements, too, that feel just a bit strange for a romantic comedy. For instance, we all know that Hanks and Ryan have great chemistry, but in this flick, it wouldn't matter if they didn't, because they are not actually together in it. That's odd indeed.
Although ostensibly about romance, the movie is truly about something bigger and funnier than just two people meeting and dating. It is more about the promise of love, and the hope of finding it, than it is about any realization. Thus, it seems so perfectly positioned to steal the hearts of a family -- where all is not lovely dovey and mushy. The kind of love in Sleepless is more familial; more about bonding, making do with what life has dealt and, of course, hoping.
Iconic image:
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