Independent Films, Film Profiles

When Harry Met Sally...
by Rob_Reiner

When Harry Met Sally... is a 1989 romantic comedy film written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. It stars Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally. The story follows the title characters from the time they meet on a cross-country carpool ride, through twelve years or so of chance encounters in New York City. The film raises the question "Can men and women ever just be friends?" and advances many ideas about love that have become household concepts now, such as the "high-maintenance" girlfriend and the "transitional person".[2]The origins of the film came from Reiner's return to single life after a divorce. Ephron interviewed Reiner and it provided the basis for Harry. Sally was based on Ephron and some of her friends. Crystal came on board and made his own contributions to the screenplay, making Harry funnier. Ephron supplied the structure of the film with much of the dialogue based on the real-life friendship between Reiner and Crystal. The soundtrack consists of standards performed by Harry Connick, Jr., with a big band and orchestra arranged by Marc Shaiman. Connick won his first Grammy for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.Columbia Pictures released the film using the "platform" technique, which involved opening it in a few select cities letting positive word of mouth generate interest and then gradually expanding distribution over subsequent weeks. When Harry Met Sally... grossed a total of US$92 million in North America, well above its $16 million budget. Ephron received a British Academy Film Award, an Oscar nomination, and a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for her screenplay. The film is 23rd on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs list of the top comedy films in American cinema and number 60 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies". In early 2004, the film was adapted for the stage in a production starring Luke Perry and Alyson Hannigan.In 1977, Harry Burns and Sally Albright finish college at the University of Chicago and meet while carpooling to begin their careers in New York City. At the time, Harry is dating a friend of Sally's. The film examines their ideas about relationships between men and women. It is Harry's view that, "Men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way." Sally disagrees, claiming that men and women can be strictly friends without sex. This argument becomes an underlying theme to the movie. On the way, at a stop in a diner, Sally is angered when Harry tells her she is attractive; she accuses him of making a pass at her. In New York, due to their divergent philosophies, they depart less than friendly.Five years later they meet in a New York airport, and find themselves on the same airplane. Both are in relationships; Sally has just started dating a man named Joe, and Harry is engaged to a woman named Helen, which surprises Sally. Harry suggests they become friends, forcing him to elaborate on his previous rule about male-female friendships; they can never be friends because sex will always be in their way spoiling it. They separate concluding that they will not be friends.Harry and Sally meet again five years later in a New York bookstore. Their earlier relationships have ended, and they have coffee together where they talk about their previous relationships. After leaving the café, they take a walk and decide to become friends. In the scenes that follow, they have become very close friends having late night phone conversations, going to dinner, and spending a lot of time together. Their dating experiences with other people during this time highlights their different approaches to relationships and sex.During a New Year's Eve party Harry and Sally find themselves attracted to each other. Though they remain friends, they set each other up with their respective best friends, Marie and Jess. The four go to a restaurant, where it is Marie and Jess that hit it off and end up getting married. Sally, however, breaks down crying once she hears the news that her ex, Joe, is getting married. Harry, who has been listening to her crying over the phone, goes over to her apartment to comfort her. They have sex that night, resulting in an awkward moment next morning as Harry quickly leaves Sally's apartment. This creates tension in their relationship, as the two have a heated argument during Jess and Marie's wedding dinner that leads to their friendship cooling for three weeks. At a New Year's Eve party that year, Sally feels alone without Harry by her side. When she decides to leave the party early, Harry walks in and declares his love for her, and they make up and kiss. It is shown in the last segment we see that Harry and Sally have gotten married, and they are the last couple who discuss their relationship history.