Sleepless in Seattle

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Rosie O'Donnell, Bill Pullman, Rob Reiner
Directed by:Nora Ephron
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 4

Summary: When a kid calls a radio talk show to ask how to convince his widower father (Tom Hanks) to get a new wife, when "Sleepless in Seattle" gets on the phone, and is heard by milions of women, many of whom become interested in him. One such case is a recently engaged woman (Meg Ryan), who becomes interested in him. The biggest problem is she's in New York, and he's in Seattle. Now, she must not only find a way to meet him, but decide if she should break it off with her fiance to go after this guy whom she's never met before, and where there are no certainties he'll even feel the same way about her.

Review:

Tim: Tom Hanks is incredible, and Meg Ryan is always irresistable, so this film was bound to succeed from the very beginning. Its a smart, funny, incredibly romantic comedy that is fun to watch.

One aspect of this movie to mention is that Hanks and Ryan aren't onscreen together until the final scene of the movie. This is particularly interesting since this is a romatic comedy with Hanks and Ryan as the two leads. At first thought, you might not see how this could work. So its a romantic comedy/drama, but the two love interests won't even appear on screen together until the film is practically over? While definitely not the conventional way to do a film, the formula works miraculously, due mostly to the performances of Hanks and Ryan.

Tom Hanks is superb as always in this movie, but the down side is that he doesn't have a whole lot to do. Sure, he is the star of the movie, but with an acting talent like Hanks, you want to see him go all out. He does have his incredible moments, like when he talks to the radio host on the phone, and some great interactions with his son. However, most of the movie he plays it straight, not stretching himself very far at all.

Ryan is adorable as always, playing her intelligent yet absent-minded role to perfection. With her amazing acting abilities and brilliant smile, she immediately makes you fall in love with her character. Its tough to talk chemistry in a film where the "lovers" don't even meet until the final scene, but in a crazy way, Hanks and Ryan share some chemistry even though they aren't on film together nearly at all. Going back and forth between them, however, you can't help but hope they end up together.

The film also boasts an excellent supporting cast. Rosie O'Donnell is very good as Ryan's best friend, and Bill Pullman does very well as Ryan's fiance. Both actors add a quality to Ryan's character that makes you love her all the more.

The greatest scene in the film is the climactic one at the end, when Hanks and Ryan appear on screen together for the first time. After watching both these characters struggle for two hours, when they finally appear together, well, its... magic.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Joe vs. the Volcano, You've Got Mail, Cast Away, I.Q.