as i write the review for the new hanks / ryan romantic comedy you 've got mail , i am acutely aware that i am typing it on a computer and sending it a billion miles away on the internet .
i am also aware that i have just spent the last 2 hours watching the world 's biggest paid commercial for america online .
and i wonder : is that so bad ?
well , the commercial part is .
as for the movie , well , as long as i can watch tom hanks and meg ryan , i think i 'll be okay .
to paraphrase james berardinelli , whose reviews i admire very much , tom hanks and meg ryan can act .
they are both wonderful , but for all of hanks ' glorious work in serious films , such as his magnificent performance in saving private ryan , and his glorious triumph in philadelphia , i like him best when he 's suitably obnoxious .
tom hanks is wonderful
when he is obnoxious in a romantic comedy when he 's going to get the girl : the only question is how ?
meg ryan , america 's high school sweetheart , can act .
she 's had a handful of memorable performances , including the great scene in the diner in when harry met sally ( i must not mention what she does , due to the , well , um , you get the idea , and if you do n't , get the movie-- fantastic ) .
but , i like her best when she 's , well , perky .
she is so adorably perky / cute that together with hanks , they are the most amazing onscreen duo in my short lifetime .
some people have them going back to really old classic romantic couples , but i do n't really know .
all i know is that i just like them both .
they have such wonderfully kinetic chemistry that 's really hard to resist , and i 'm not going to even try .
they 're just really , really cute , sweet , and charming .
hanks and ryan collaborate once again with nora ephron , who directed them in the megahit sleepless in seattle .
here , the setup is a little different .
kathleen kelly ( ryan ) owns a small children 's bookstore which her mother founded 42 years ago and passed down to her .
she is successful , beautiful , and dates a well - known columnist with very radical idea ( kinnear ) .
she is also having an affair , of sorts .
you see , kathleen , with the handle shopgirl , is secretly emailing ny152 .
they have a strictly un - detailed relationship : there are no specifics , and they have no idea who each other is .
ny152 happens to be joe fox ( hanks ) , a multimillionaire bookseller who is the heir to the fortune of the fox chain of mega - bookstores , run by his father ( coleman ) .
fox books has decided to open a store on the west side , right across from a little children 's bookseller named " shop around the corner " , run by a perky girl named kathleen kelly .
every morning , these two email each other silly , and every day , they fight " to the death ! ! " .
it 's a charming premise , and one that works nicely , balancing the immense troubles kathleen is in with the romance she wants to have .
it also has the great sense of being a classic romance : there is
no " let 's have sex tonight " mantra , if you 'll excuse my bluntness .
this is a solid romance built around that vague concept of love .
hmm .
well , the movie goes through twists and turns , having some sad moments and happy ones , until at one moment tom hanks and meg ryan " hook up " , to use modern terminology , and kiss their way into happiness .
you know it 's going to happen , the question is now ?
thankfully , ephron has a wonderful supporting cast with posey , kinnear , chappelle , and a host of others , including a great scene involving brothers , aunts , and two sweet kids .
it 's all cute and wonderful , and for all of the idealism , it makes me feel good .
hanks is as obnoxious as ever on the outside and as warm on the inside as he always is .
he is , i believe , america 's greatest actor .
does he show it here ?
nah .
but he 's still tom hanks , and she 's still meg ryan .
which is what this movie boils down to .
it 's pure confection .
all the bits about the godfather , the jokes , the superb script
, it 's all really sweet .
there are some immense flaws , like pacing .
the last third of the movie really does n't work as well as i would have liked , and for a romantic comedy , it 's slow .
once hanks knows the secret , it gets really slow .
i even looked at my watch a couple times , to make sure ephron was going to deliver the big onscreen kiss i was waiting for , so that i could get home at a reasonable hour .
the other problem is that this movie is shaping up to be really dated .
e - mail ?
when my kids are my age , i do n't know what we 'll be using .
but hanks can do more with one eyeroll than anybody , and meg ryan just loves to dive into a pillow better than anyone in movie history .
they just work together , and it 's nice to see .
it gives you , well , a smile .
the script helps with some great lines that are absolutely hilarious , and that always come at the exact right time to keep the audience awake .
i was arguing with my father on the drive back home on what the purpose of movies was .
i 've always believed that movies are very powerful , very powerful indeed .
you see , mankind has three abilities he needs to survive : the ability to think , entertain , and procreate .
movies can definitely do the first two , and as for the third , well , i 'd rather not think about that .
i always thought films that made you think enlightened you and made you see something from another viewpoint , and that films that entertained you were good , because you forgot about your troubles and thought about something nice for a night .
and i was thinking about how incredible a year tom hanks has had .
hanks was the driving force behind one of the year 's best films in saving private ryan , which is one of those thinking films that truly made someone wonder about the world .
he 's also half of the glue behind the year 's best example of pure entertainment .
tom hanks and meg ryan are magical , as is this movie .
it 's a sweet , lovely affair with a technology twist .
it may be a long commercial , but it gave me a pretty big smile on my face .
Output: P