Romance February Review: When Harry Met Sally

“You see? That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you.”

One of finest Romantic Comedies of all-time, When Harry Met Sally explores the relationship between two people who were meant for each other, they just take a little longer to get there than most of us. Directed by Rob Reiner and featuring performances from Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, When Harry Met Sally is endlessly re-watchable and thoroughly enjoyably. Both men and women can enjoy this romance of two very different people who have the craziest conversations.

Harry and Sally first meet at the University of Chicago and decide to carpool up to New York City together. Over the course of a nineteen hour drive, you can hear somebody’s entire life story, but Sally states that she hasn’t begun living yet so the story has just begun. Harry shows that he knows how to charm women by eating his grapes and then spitting the pits, at the window. Yes, he forgets that the window is down. The is only a sample of the type of dialog that these two share.

They part ways at the end of their trip, but are fated to meet again briefly a few years later. They share their new relationships together and it seems as though both will be married happily. Ahead again a few years later and they are both out of a relationship. Harry and Sally decide to form a friendship even though men and women can’t be friends, because you can’t be friends when sex is involved.

It’s the perfect balance between Harry and Sally that make this such a joy to watch. It’s obvious to everyone but them that they were made of each other. Sally is the first one Harry wants to talk to in the morning and the last one he wants to talk to before going to sleep. Their conversations together are a riot. In a famous scene, Harry believes that no woman has ever faked orgasm with him during sex. Well Sally shows how easy it is to fake, by having an orgasm right in the middle of the café! It’s so uncomfortable to watch her make a scene like that, but it’s very effective.

There’s a lot of romantic comedies that strive for the same brilliance that When Harry Met Sally achieved. It could be argued that the chance to meet up all those years later would be improbable, but all throughout the film Rob Reiner showcases magical relationships between couples that have that same feeling. When Harry Met Sally might be considered a fairy tale, but aren’t all romances? This is one of the finest romances ever captured on film and one of my favorite romantic comedies.

5 Hearts / 5