Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Director:

Nora Ephron

Writers (WGA):

Jeff Arch (story)
Nora Ephron (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

25 June 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?

Plot:

A recently-widowed man's son calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

Plot Keywords:

Radio | Love | Valentine's Day | Christmas Eve | Widower

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. Dec. 18	6:30 PM	BRAVO
Sat. Dec. 19	11:00 AM	BRAVO

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Sam Baldwin
Ross Malinger	...	Jonah Baldwin
Rita Wilson	...	Suzy
Victor Garber	...	Greg
Tom Riis Farrell	...	Rob
Carey Lowell	...	Maggie Baldwin
Meg Ryan	...	Annie Reed
Bill Pullman	...	Walter
Le Clanché du Rand	...	Barbara Reed
Kevin O'Morrison	...	Cliff Reed
David Hyde Pierce	...	Dennis Reed
Valerie Wright	...	Betsy Reed
Frances Conroy	...	Irene Reed
Tom Tammi	...	Harold Reed
Calvin Trillin	...	Uncle Milton

Also Known As:

Algo para recordar (Spain) (Spain: Castilian title) (dubbed version) [es]
Sömnlös i Seattle (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Schlaflos in Seattle (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Sintonía de amor (Argentina) (Venezuela) [es]
Sintonia de Amor (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Неспящие в Сиэтле (Russia) [ru]
A szerelem hullámhosszán (Hungary) [hu]
Alguna cosa per recordar (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Bezsennosc w Seattle (Poland) [pl]
Insonnia d'amore (Italy) [it]
La magie du destin (Canada: French title) [fr]
Nuits blanches à Seattle (France) [fr]
Romanca v Seattlu (Slovenia) [sl]
Søvnløs i Seattle (Norway) [no]
Uneton Seattlessa (Finland) [fi]
Unetus Seattle'is (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated PG for some language.

Runtime:

105 min | Turkey:93 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:PG (certificate #32238) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

1904 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington, USA

Company:

TriStar Pictures

Trivia:

The scene between Tom Hanks and Victor Garber crying over the movie The Dirty Dozen (1967) was completely improvised during the take.

Goofs:

Continuity: Walter is supposed to be allergic to wheat, but he ordered a sandwich on white bread, which is made from wheat.

Quotes:

Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: People who truly loved once are far more likely to love again. Sam, do you think there's someone out there you could love as much as your wife?
Sam Baldwin: Well, Dr. Marcia Fieldstone, that's hard to imagine.
Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: What are you going to do?
Sam Baldwin: Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Casting a Spell: Making 'Bewitched' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Bye Bye Blackbird

It succeeds at what it sets out to do

I won't lie to you-this movie is a CHICK FLICK! Though I never saw it with a guy, it is definitely a chick flick. That said, it's a high-end chick flick, which probably a few guys might enjoy, unless they happen to be the exploding helicopter type^^; This movie feels more like a modern day adaptation of the classic romance "An Affair To Remember," and it keeps referencing it too (In fact, the Cary Grant classic is very integral to the plot). Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have great chemistry together, and they both do what they're good at-Tom Hanks portraying the Everyman, and Meg Ryan being cute and innocent. I have to disagree with an earlier comment that this film is unfair to guys-the way the characters are portrayed, I'd have to say that in the reverse situation, I'd still feel the same way. Meg Ryan does not have the "evil woman" syndrome that popped up in later 90's chick flicks (The most notorious of which was "My Best Friend's Wedding"). She is very believable and actually does care about the feelings of her fiance. What I particularly liked is that the fiance was not portrayed as someone who Meg would do well to leave. Most movies fall into this trap-Someone is about to marry someone who is horrible and find that someone else is better, the viewer supposedly not feeling bad because the fiance was a jerk anyway. Tom Hanks really shines here as someone who has lost the most important person in his life and is trying to rebuild again. He always has a knack for easily slipping into the roles he's given and making them really convincing. He does not fail here-you feel for him especially during the sequences where he starts remembering his late wife. The movie's plot starts to stretch plausibility at the end, but not to the point where it destroys the entire film. The ending scene in particular is handled very carefully. You could have had a big, romantic, tear-jerking moment. Instead, the movie takes a more simplistic approach, and it succeeds-it feels much more natural than the alternative. Overall, if you're in for a feel good romance, you should see this. If you happen to be female, this is DEFINITELY worth watching.