When Harry Met Sally

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2017)

When Harry Met Sally is one of those films that I was in no way prepared for, which is my favorite kind of new favorite film to watch. Having never seen a Rob Reiner film, I wasn't sure of his style or technique or how he approached his subjects. I quickly learned through his 1989 feature that he provides a very real look at the lives of people in relationships. When Harry Met Sally tells the tale of a chance meeting between two strangers who then continue to reappear in each other's lives. The way in which Reiner exposes the truths of finding someone you can best tolerate in a partner, rather than the person that makes your heart turn to mush is a brilliant grasp of how to illustrate the human condition. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan star in the titular roles and provide the brilliant illustration of everyday, flawed human beings often sensationalized for cinema.
Sally (Meg Ryan) agrees to give her friend's boyfriend, Harry (Billy Crystal) a ride to New York upon their graduation from the University of Chicago. After a long car ride of sharing all the quirky details that make up their existence, completely uninhibited since they are unavailable to each other. After the journey to New York is complete, the two part ways not thinking much of each other. Harry and Sally keep bumping into each other over the years as their lives intersect. They finally decide to maintain a friendship, and quickly become friends and confidants. As they see each other through each successive stage of their lives, it becomes increasingly more difficult to watch the other date. Neither of the two has ever shared such intimate details of their lives, their hopes, fears, and dreams with another person so it only makes sense that the two fall in love. Two people with such neuroses in some ways make a perfect match, but in other ways are their own biggest obstacles in love.
A film that looks and feels this much like Annie Hall is obviously going to rank highly on my list. I had begun writing about the similarities this film shared with Annie Hall, but I soon gave up because there are just too many. The dialogue is fantastic and the entire film is so well-written. Even though the famous line "I'll have what she's having." has worked its way into the American lexicon, it loses nothing when it is spoken. Oftentimes, with a line so popular, the audience member has the "roll-your-eyes-"oh" moment when it's spoken; but that's not the case with When Harry Met Sally because the script is so perfect. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were perfect in their roles, with just enough chemistry to make their unconventional friendship work. Despite how great Meg Ryan was in the role, and also despite the fact that the fate of the universe wouldn't allow it, I couldn't help but think all throughout the film how perfect Gilda Radner (R.I.P.) would have been in the role opposite Crystal. Anyway, When Harry Met Sally is a brilliant look at the lives of real people, and an exceptional film that has already become a new favorite.