In an aside note I also realize that this is the first of five Rob Reiner films I own in this collection, four of which are his output from the '80s. Considering Rob only made five films during this period and the only one I'm missing is a fairly obscure (at least in the UK) teen comedy starring a young John Cusack called 'The Sure Thing' (although reading up about it, not only does it contain Mr Cusack but also Anthony Edwards, Tim Robbins and Nicollette Sheridan which now makes me want to check it out).
So without further procrastination, here's today's film:
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989 dir. Rob Reiner)
Why I bought it/Why I liked it:
By the turn of the millennium, a young teenage Matt was beginning to take movie watching a tad more seriously. Swayed by the prospects of college and an upcoming Film Studies class, the slow realization that I hadn't really watched enough 'classic' films was beginning to bug me. Sure, I'd watched enough action films by then to easily boast about who would win in a fight between Bruce, Arnie and Sly but I needed to broaden my horizons.
In the early 2000s, Channel 4 was still a respectable channel. Despite reality tv beginning to creep in with the advent of 'Big Brother', Channel 4 weren't above still showing some classic films on mainstream tv. It's how I filled in a lot of gaps in my Hong Kong cinema finally being able to watch "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer" but they wouldn't shy away from showing the greatest hits of the past two decades.
As a keen fanatic of movies, I also happened to read Empire a fair bit too and occasionally they would wax melodic about "When Harry Met Sally". Feeling that I should give it a go and conveniently being screened on the aforementioned Channel 4, I taped it and sat down to watch it at a decent time.
And I was pleasantly surprised.
I think the main reason for this is, it doesn't play up to the tropes that romantic comedies are for women. In due time this sort of became the case, especially heading into the 90s into the 00s. The action films were for gents, the romantic comedies for the ladies. This primarily had to do with the majority of romantic comedies being told from the female viewpoint and thus not giving the male (who was most likely forced to watch along with their partner) any strong male character to support.
It didn't help that further writing would have the male essentially be weakly written as this was mainly a vehicle for the female character to explore her arc.
"When Harry Met Sally" doesn't play up to these tropes. Both the male and female characters are represented fairly and supported by friends. There is no side heavily in favour of the other. The collaborative efforts of Nora Ephron, Rob Reiner and Billy Crystal help make the male viewer actually relate to occurrences on screen.
Beautifully acted by Billy Crystal (who is a firm favourite of mine and always elicits a smile) and the perfectly balanced performance of Meg Ryan, this was a heart warmer and somehow made enough of an impression on me that during a 'Cheap CEX raid' to bulk out the collection in numbers, I didn't turn down the £1 price tag for it.
If I think it'll stay in the collection:
It depends on my mood honestly. Back in the 00's young Matt was still filled with the hope of romantic relationships and the like. Fast forward to the 20s and I'm a lot more bitter and jaded so maybe its magic spell won't be weaved another time.
On the other hand, the soft opening piano chords of 'It Had To Be You' might just sweep me away and back into the collection it'll go. It's genuinely a 50/50 chance here.
The review:
"When Harry Met Sally" is just as charming as it was when I first watched it. As expected the performances are wonderful. Meg Ryan is still cute as she still has the ability to move her facial muscles and make expressions, something ill-advised plastic surgery would prevent in the years to come.
Likewise, Billy Crystal is on excellent form with his wisecracks but believable everyman routine, you can see why a character of his would be easy to get along with, he nervously makes jokes to fill in the silence and is persistent in making things right when things go south between the two friends.
Ultimately that's where this movie delivers, you feel that it's an organic relationship between two people who initially don't like each other but through repeated meeting gradually become good friends and even more. Throw in solid performances from both Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby also rounding out each friend and you have a prototype here that David Crane and Marta Kauffman must have had in mind slightly when pitching 'Friends' to various networks.
The aesthetic is pleasing, the late end of the 80s into the early 90s, we were enjoying a 20s/30s revival with soft jazz crooning in the background, the camera work is excellent thanks to cinematographer and later director Barry Sonnenfeld also capturing New York and all its seasons in visual glory.
The most complimentary thing I can say about this film is that is still fresh despite being made in 1989 and the ending scene during New Year's Eve is still as memorable (Even to the point where I unwittingly pilfered the structure for scripts and stories I wrote in the past) as it was the first time I saw it.
Should it stay or should it go?
"When Harry Met Sally" is still a breeze of a movie to watch portraying love for character work as much as a postcard to New York. It's an easy 90-minute watch and might still be the best movie to agree on between couple if a romantic comedy simply has to be watched. It gets a respectable 7.5 out of 10 from me.
Brucie Bonus time next time but not the Clint boxset again. A late entry into the collection when I restructured it which I still need to watch for the first time.
So until next time, I remain,
Matt Major.
No comments:
Post a Comment