When Harry Met Sally, 1989
When Harry Met Sally... (Collector's Edition)
I have actually tried to watch this movie on multiple occasions, but I never seem to make it the entire way through the movie. At best, I think I have seen the first forty minutes of the movie. As far as the story is concerned, I know the two meet when they need to share a ride from Chicago to New York together. I know Sally can't seem to stand Harry for various reasons at first, but the pair meet up again. And because it's a Romantic Comedy, I'll go out on a limb here and say they probably realize they're perfect for each other and get together.
I'm actually not a fan of many Romantic Comedies, I think they tend to be about thirty minutes longer than they need to be and are kind of predictable. But predictable in a way that I could do without the additional thirty minutes, and still know there is a happy ending waiting for them just around the corner. I feel like a lot of movies from this genera get played out too much as well. Of course there are a few exceptions to my "I typically don't like Romantic Comedies" for instance the only other movie I like as much as Gone With the Wind is 10 Things I Hate About You. I didn't realize it until now, but the Romantic Comedies I tend to favor seem to be Teenage Romantic Comedies. I guess I tend to be more interested in first time romance as a whole? I'm willing to give When Harry Met Sally another chance and finally watch the whole thing before I decide if this one is for me or if I should pass it up the next time it is on TBS.
After having watched the movie:
(Possible spoilers below)
Here's the thing about Romanic Comedies, there comes a moment in each one when the audience realizes, and typically long before the characters, that they (the two leads) are meant to be with each other. This is the biggest problem for me. From this point on in the story until they finally get together, I get frustrated with the characters. I start to lose interest in their love story as a result. I'm willing to accept that this might be my own "defect." I've already confessed that I typically don't have the attention span or patience for some movies, of which Romantic-Comedies make up a large portion.
I had mentioned before that I had seen the first thirty or forty minutes of the movie, but never managed to make it past the thirty minute mark. Once I got past the things I had already seen, I was really interested in Harry and Sally's story. Actually, there are more things that I really liked and appreciated about this movie than I disliked.
I did get a little impatient and irritated with Harry and Sally after they slept together for the first time, but I appreciated the fact that their relationship spanned over such a long time period. I know it's possible to fall in love with someone at first sight, as that's the story behind my grandparents marriage. I've just never really bought into it in a movie, the best example of this would be in Double Indemnity: Our hero goes over to check on renewing an insurance policy with a man, meets a beautiful woman (the man's wife) and is suddenly willing to kill her husband so they can be together?
The thing I liked most about When Harry Met Sally and the relationship between them was watching their relationship change throughout the course of the movie. When they first met after college and shared a ride to New York, I don't think Sally could have removed Harry from her car any quicker. Years later in the airport Harry still hadn't managed to make the best impression on Sally, but finally after deciding to be friends they set up each other with another single friend they each have, Jess and Marie. On the date, Harry and Sally are able to completely sell their friends (and the audience) on the idea that the two of them should end up together. At first it's fun watching Harry and Sally play "couple" when to the both of them they are strictly just friends, but after a couple of scenes or dates we're already to move on and we would be glad if Harry and Sally could join us.
Sidestepping and dating other people is necessary for Harry and Sally in the story, and I realize that. But thank God for the scene with an early morning phone call to Jess and Marie from Harry and Sally at the same time. To talk about what else? The first time they had sex. Harry and Sally built up a subtle sexual tension between each other that wasn't overly obvious, but was strong enough that I'm positive Jess and Marie felt a bit of release when they first found out.
From that point on it was a little sufferable, we had to watch Sally try to move on all the while rooting for her to run into Harry again. But as all Romantic-Comedies would have it, Harry finds Sally again on New Years. I actually couldn't have been more pleased with the ending. Throughout the movie, my favorite parts were the stories older couples shared of their first relationship and how they met for the first time. It was perfectly brilliant to end Harry and Sally's story the same way. The two of them together on a couch sharing their love story.
Final Thoughts: Overall I liked the movie. I did have a kind of love/hate thing going though with the idea that Harry and Sally were "just friends," even though to the audience as well as Jess and Marie, were clearly already dating. I got tired of sitting around waiting for them to realize what was right for them. Maybe they were blinded by love?
OFFICIAL COUNT: 12 DOWN 353 TO GO
Next up: The Cell
No comments:
Post a Comment