Director: Nora Ephron
Writer: Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron (Screenplay) Miklos Laszlo (Play)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Steve Zahn, Heather Burns
Plot: Two business rivals who despise each other in real life unwittingly fall in love over the Internet.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Charming Romantic Comedy
Story: You’ve Got Mail starts as we see two complete strangers Joe Fox (Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Ryan) who chat online every night even though they are both involved in relationships with Patricia (Posey) and Frank (Kinnear). The two set up the rule of not knowing anything about the personal lives of each other and remain friends in New York City.
Kathleen owns a small book shop that is going to have a giant book shop open around the corner from it, Fox Books which just so happens to be run by Joe. When the two business rivals meet the tension between begins but when the two mail each other they still think they are talking to just any stranger.
When the truth comes out the love they feel towards each other online must go against the hatred they have for each other in real life.
Thoughts on You’ve Got Mail
Story – The old story of falling in love with someone you have never met through conversation. The idea of not knowing who you are chatting to makes this story have this extra spark. We do get a smaller story about business how small family businesses can be closed by dominating force. I will say this story has now become outdated because of the next level of technology but the fantasy idea still works wonders for this film.
Comedy/Romance – The romantic side of this story is all good showing how you could fall in love with someone you least expect. We do get small laughs throughout the film without them overshadowing the romantic story.
Characters/Performance – Joe was the new age business man, he does care about people outside of work but is happy to squash them when it comes to business. Kathleen was one of the dying breed of shopkeepers who cares about their customers offering them the best service in New York. We do have supporting characters who are mostly all involved to advise our Joe and Kathleen.
This film has two brilliant performance from Hanks and Ryan who showed they have excellent chemistry together and you can see that in the romantic or the arguing scenes. I do think everyone else does everything they need to do working with the leads.
Settings – Looking in the settings we are have New York which is perfect choice because we get to see how small business would suffer next to the big store, it also plays into the effects of meeting someone even in the busy streets.
Final Thoughts – This is easily one of the most enjoyable romantic comedies you will have seen, it is accessible for all and will bring a smile to your face.
Overall: Sit back and enjoy this sweet charming love story.
Rating
