The map of the human heart...

Rating: 9/10 (5 July 2007)

Love doesn't come in a minute,
Sometimes it doesn't come at all
I only know that when I'm in it
It isn't silly, no, it isn't silly, love isn't silly at all.
These words, from Paul McCartney's 'Silly Love Songs', seem to me to be a very accurate description of the theme of 'When Harry Met Sally'. This iconic romantic comedy, written by Nora Ephron, is, for me, one of the most insightful comments on the place of love in the post-60s world. It charts the way that acquaintance can turn into friendship and then into love.
Harry (Billy Crystal) encounters Sally (Meg Ryan) on a long car journey during which they both seem to decide that the other is obnoxious in one way or another. Their path to love is funny, totally engaging and ultimately unforgettable.
One of the greatest - no THE greatest - characteristic of the cinema is its ability to access our deepest emotions. How many times do we weep cathartically in our normal lives - most of us, not many. Yet there are dozens of films that induce just this kind of reaction. How many times do we laugh so much that we ache - very rarely outside a cinema, but often within. How many times are we so scared that we cannot move - almost never in life, but often in the cinema. And these emotions cannot be accessed in the same way through any other art.
And there are laughs and tears galore in 'When Harry Met Sally'. Why? Because we really *care* for these kooky characters, and the love that they find has a kind of purity that our loves struggle to emulate.
For some people (and I feel sorry for them) films that induce a warm feeling of pleasure are sentimental and worthless. They should avoid this film as it might undermine their sterile cynicism. But if you trust your emotions and regard them as your greatest asset, 'When Harry Met Sally' will be one of the most worthwhile films of the modern era.