Romantic comedy with attitude a disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (17 February 2008)

Rob Reiner has presented us with the strong coming of age tale "Stand by Me", the frightening "Misery" (both penned by Stephen King) and the dramatically powerful "A Few Good Men". It seems a shame to have to group this somewhat contrived 'romantic comedy with attitude' in with such fine films. Alas this big disappointment from 1989 is also a Rob Reiner film.
Billy Crystal's cynical eighties philosophies and morbid character make it hard for him to inspire the audience, and try as he might, he cannot manage to win anybody over for the entire film. Meg Ryan makes a pretty little damsel in confusion, but nothing else, while Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher just fill in the blanks.
The final, and probably most crucial weakness in this picture is Nora Ephron's screenplay, which has several similarities to her more recent triumph "Sleepless in Seattle". Sure there are some very funny scenes and lines dotted throughout (especially the now famous restaurant scene), yet the comedy is largely inconsistent. For just 93 minutes, the movie really drags, and the whole destiny theme is too obvious, making it romantically predictable, like "Sleepless". Again the musical interludes just don't work, and so "When Harry Met Sally" ends up relying entirely on its wit and the two lead performances, leaving it obviously lacking in entertainment value.
Also, this 'girl thing/guy thing' Nora does, which almost pits man against woman, may be accurate occasionally, but it's far too negative for me. Certainly no substitute for entertainment of the calibre of "While You Were Sleeping".
Friday, July 14, 1995 - Video