"Would you like to have dinner?... Just friends"

Rating: Null/10 (15 April 2008)

There have only been but a very few films that have tackled the friendship-turned-to-love theme as beautifully as 'When Harry Met Sally' did. There have been numerous attempts thereafter, the most recent one being 'A Lot Like Love' but none of them come close to this wonderful gem. Nora Ephron's writing is top class as it provides clever one-liners, great dialogues, well-written characters and a lovely story. Rob Reiner tells a common story in a very uncommon way. A lot of the movie is based on both Ephron and Reiner's experience. Similarly the characters of Harry and Sally are based on themselves. However, they allow the actors to insert their own input which leads to the electrifying chemistry between the lead actors. The cast and crew have had a lot of fun during the making and the amount of heart that's been put into the film is quite obvious. The story obviously revolves around Billy Crystal's Harry and Meg Ryan's Sally. The two actors are fantastic to say the least and bring magic on screen. I wonder why they were never paired again. Perhaps it's for the best as they are remembered for this movie rather than what happened with Gere and Roberts after 'Runaway Bride'. Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher deserve mention too for their great support as Harry and Sally's friends. Together with Crystal and Ryan, they create some of the funniest scenes. The background music flows in a subtle way, giving voice to the city and the songs fantastically add to the narration. Without a doubt, 'When Harry Met Sally' is one of the finest films of its genre and one of the very few that stood the test of time. Even today people vividly remember Meg Ryan's memorable orgasm scene. Not that that's the only great scene in the movie. There are too many to list but to mention a few that I liked include the scene where Harry and Sally date each other's best friend but things take an unexpected turn, the car-ride to New York, the scene where Sally for the first time opens up to Harry about herself...For some people the film raised a question whether men and woman can be platonic friends without having sex ruining it. I don't think it was the intention of the movie as it's only about these two characters who have very different viewpoints and when they meet the first time, there's a very strong attraction which stays throughout the end and Crystal and Ryan display that in a very subtle way. As the friendship grows stronger, so does the attraction because it's not just physical anymore. The more they know each other the more they're drawn towards one another and the love gets stronger. Thus, it's not about whether men and woman can have a successful platonic friendship but about two people who were always fond of each other, become friends and gradually realize their love. 'When Harry Met Sally' isn't only for those who like romantic comedies because it can absolutely be enjoyed as a hilarious comedy.