Acerbic insights and clever sound-bites

Rating: 6/10 (2 May 2009)

Nora Ephron's original screenplay for "When Harry Met Sally..." often doesn't feel original at all. Her acerbic insights are wrapped up in Woody Allen-isms, while director Rob Reiner lays on the autumnal romanticism of a dozen other movies. Still, it's an enjoyable picture, with at least one line (delivered by Reiner's real-life mother) that still brings down the house. Single man and woman (he the chauvinistic one, she both headstrong and insecure) are thrown together for a one-time car trip, which leads to numerous such meetings in which both characters constantly square off against the other for their respective sexes. Ephron's world isn't peopled with living, breathing human beings ; she's interested in clever sound-bites and lyrical humdingers--anything to get a smile out of the audience. Reiner handles stars Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan very well, and his chapter stops involving various married couples, done pseudo-documentary style, is cute in a winking, Hollywood way. Still, while the public was tickled and critics were entertained, nobody thought this was great filmmaking, resulting in one Oscar nomination for Ephron. **1/2 from ****