This is the romantic comedy that all romantic comedies should be held up to. Why is this film so much better than others in the genre? The genre stands pretty predictable with boy meets girl and either something keeps them apart or something tears them apart until they are reunited in the final scene. This is true even about this film, however it's all built around great characters. Though the conventions are there you don't even notice them because not once do you feel some external script device is keeping these two people apart. It's the characters own internal issues that dictate what happens.
I love how the film has Harry and Sally meet than meet again and then finally develop a friendship. The story does a brilliant job showing both the male and female point of view on friendship, love and sex and even shows how those opinions can change over the course of time. As college students, Harry and Sally are almost polar opposites. He's kind of rough around the edges and blunt while she is prim and proper and reserved. The college Sally isn't the same Sally who fakes an orgasm at the table of a diner. Like I said the characters mature over the course of the film, however they still remain the same person at their core with the same issues as they had at the beginning. The older Harry and Sally are just mellowed out versions of their college-aged selves.
Billy Crystal (CITY SLICKERS) as Harry and Meg Ryan (JOE VS. THE VOLCANO) as Sally are pitch perfect in their roles. Carrie Fisher (STAR WARS) and Bruno Kirby (CITY SLICKERS) as Harry and Sally's friends, who get married, are the perfect supporting characters. On structural level, they allow Harry and Sally to discuss their feelings about each other while their relationship helps set up new dilemmas for the protagonists. Comedies aren’t known for crafty imagery, but the scene when Harry and Sally both call Marie and Jess is one of the most ingenious shots in movie history.
Two things are needed to make a romantic comedy fresh — a good twist and unique characters. This film's twist is that Harry and Sally start out as platonic friends and grow to love each other. Not the most original twist, but it's presented here in a believable way, mainly because both Harry and Sally have equally valid reasons for not wanting to jump into bed with the other. Plus the script allows time to breathe, taking place over several years, making two people who start out disliking each other not have to fall in love by the end of the week. Then we come to the characters. Harry is a commitment phobe while Sally is anal. The duo help each other get over their personal hang ups and grow. This is the core to any successful pairing. This is a smart film that really knows something about love and relationships.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
