When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer (WGA):

Nora Ephron (written by)

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?

Plot:

Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Friendship | University Of Chicago | New York | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Billy Crystal	...	Harry Burns
Meg Ryan	...	Sally Albright
Carrie Fisher	...	Marie
Bruno Kirby	...	Jess
Steven Ford	...	Joe
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Alice
Michelle Nicastro	...	Amanda
Gretchen Palmer	...	Stewardess
Robert Alan Beuth	...	Man on Aisle
David Burdick	...	9 Year Old Boy
Joe Viviani	...	Judge
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Helen (as Harley Kozak)
Joseph Hunt	...	Waiter at Wedding
Kevin Rooney	...	Ira
Franc Luz	...	Julian

Also Known As:

Harry, This Is Sally (USA) (working title)
When Harry Met Sally (USA) (DVD box title)
Cuando Harry conoció a Sally (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
Quand Harry rencontre Sally... (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Cuando Harry encontró a Sally (Spain) [es]
Da Harry mødte Sally (Denmark) [da]
Da han møtte henne (Norway) (TV title) [no]
Da han møtte henne - eller vennskap og sex (Norway) [no]
Harry & Sally - Feitos um Para o Outro (Brazil) [pt]
Harry Sally'le tanisinca (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Harry und Sally (West Germany) [de]
Harry, ti presento Sally (Italy) [it]
Kdyz Harry potkal Sally... (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Kiedy Harry poznal Sally (Poland) [pl]
Kun Harry tapasi Sallyn... (Finland) [fi]
När Harry mötte Sally (Sweden) [sv]
När Harry träffade Sally (Sweden) [sv]
Um Amor Inevitável (Portugal) [pt]

Runtime:

96 min | Turkey:89 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Norway:11 (TV rating) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Italy:T | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

While writing the script, Rob Reiner once said, "You know how women have a base of makeup, I have a base of depression. Sometimes I sink below it. Sometimes I rise above it." Since the Harry Burns is based on the depressing Rob, Nora Ephron threw the line into the script, which Rob cut somewhere along the line.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Harry is dropped off in New York's Washington Square in 1977 the street signs are green and white. In 1977 the street signs in New York were still gold and black.

Quotes:

Harry Burns: Had my dream again where I'm making love, and the Olympic judges are watching. I'd nailed the compulsories, so this is it, the finals. I got a 9.8 from the Canadians, a perfect 10 from the Americans, and my mother, disguised as an East German judge, gave me a 5.6. Must have been the dismount.

Movie Connections:

References Planet of the Apes (1968)

Soundtrack:

Don't Be That Way

When romance met sheer genius

I am no expert on the genre, but I'd have to say "When Harry met Sally" is, besides the plethora of truly wonderful films made by Woody Allen, the wittiest and most funny romantic comdedy waiting for you out there in video world. I'd only wished I'd seen the film sooner because this seems like that perfect film for discussion with a circle of good friends at Pizzaria Uno. The movie came out in 1989, but for some reason, I think this is one even our kids may like.

Like all good films coming from the genere, this film thrives most on its witty dialgue and cleverness in not "sentimnetalizing" it too much. In other words, there is that perfect equilibrium between scenes of sheer poignancy and scenes of brutal comic relief. The thespians involved, of course, have a lot to do with the film's success and overall appeal. Ryan and Crystal are perfect for the roles assigned, each one of them bringing their charisma and fresh breath of life to the screen. Crystal fits snugly into that character we find all too obnoxious but can't help but loving and Ryan, well, she is as adorable as always.

The issue the film tackles is an important one, I think. It asks us a question of universal importance, namely, can women and men ever be friends?. I'll leave that for you and your friends to talk about at Pizzaria Uno. For now, I'll just say that with heaps of quirky, funny dialogue, a taut script from Nora Ephron, and clean directing form Reiner, "When Harry met Sally" is a highly enjoyable film that unsurprisingly has held strong a decade after its inception.

dan