Romantic Comedies

[methodwriter85]

Rachel McAdams deliberately took a step back after her insanely good 2004 and 2005.  I think she doesn't want a Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock style career. It's kind of disappointing, though I get it.

Speaking of, I re-watched Notting Hill and the movie really does hold up. I like that she doesn't totally squash her career for him, and that he's willing to live in her world for a bit as well.

[Morrigan2575]

On 6/10/2019 at 10:03 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Truth about Cats and Dogs

Yay! You very rarely hear people mention this movie.

I'm not a fan of RomComs, I generally avoid them but there are a few I really enjoy.

The Match Maker (another Garofalo movie)

Love Actually

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

While You Were Sleeping

Mrs Winterbourne 

Edited July 28, 2019 by Morrigan2575

[andromeda331]

9 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Yay! You very rarely hear people mention this movie.

I'm not a fan of RomComs, I generally avoid them but there are a few I really enjoy.

The Match Maker (another Garofalo movie)

Love Actually

The Truth About Cats and Dogs

While You Were Sleeping

Mrs Winterbourne 

I love the Truth About Cats and Dogs, While You Were Sleeping and Mrs. Winterbourne. All really great movies. 

[Bastet]

12 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I'm not a fan of RomComs, I generally avoid them but there are a few I really enjoy.

Same here.  And none of the others on your short list make mine, but I share in the love for The Truth About Cats and Dogs.  I almost never come across it on TV, so I don't think I've seen it again since it first came out; I'll have to rent it, because this reminds me how much I enjoyed it.

[topanga]

21 hours ago, Bastet said:

Same here.  And none of the others on your short list make mine, but I share in the love for The Truth About Cats and Dogs.  I almost never come across it on TV, so I don't think I've seen it again since it first came out; I'll have to rent it, because this reminds me how much I enjoyed it.

And I can’t remember if I’ve seen it or not, so I’ll be renting it as well. 

[Irlandesa]

The Truth About Cats and Dogs is on Starz for those who get that channel.

On 7/28/2019 at 1:20 AM, Morrigan2575 said:

The Match Maker (another Garofalo movie)

Oh I so loved the Irish scenery. 

[QueerGirrl]

You can love your pets,  just don't love your pets.

[aradia22]

I know I'm late but I wanted to wait until I was in the right mood (and had the time) to watch Always Be My Maybe.

I think the intro was a little long but the younger versions of them were really cute and wholesome. I feel like 

Spoiler

killing Marcus' mom was unnecessary. It was a big tonal shift and I don't know that it added much. If they wanted to make it a part of the story, it should have been better integrated into the story. There could have been any number of better reasons for them to hook up for the first time. I think that whole sex scene was supposed to be funny but I was still reeling from his mom's death and it was also badly paced. Like, this movie definitely doesn't need to be as long as it is. It's really slow, like the director and editor wanted everything to breathe... but it's just a rom-com. It should be quick and snappy. Not paced like a cringy comedy or a serious drama. 

My first real laugh was when Marcus just suddenly revealed he had a bunch of parmesan in the glove compartment. I feel like they should have hired teenage actors for that sequence. It was lacking because Randall and Ali can't pass as believable teenagers. 

God, Daniel Dae Kim is GORGEOUS.

Marcus' dad was wonderful. Why have I never seen that actor in anything?

Michele Buteau is great. Solid Judy Greer (i.e. good best friend energy). Look, I love Casey Wilson, too but her character was completely unnecessary.

Spoiler

It was weird for her to be okay with everything and then all of a sudden start rant-yelling at Brandon. I did laugh at the scaring the goats thing.

I feel like the jokes mostly worked but the overall structure of the movie was kind of sloppy. They didn't have great reasons to keep the characters apart, etc. All the stuff that you normally invest in with a rom-com wasn't really there.

I thought Keanu might be an underwhelming cameo but he was perfect from the moment we heard his voice. I know he was playing a character but he's also got his own weird energy. Like, this would not have worked with Brad Pitt or just any random handsome actor.

Does Randall have a believable body for a stoner who doesn't seem to go to the gym? No. But I'm not complaining. I have no idea why those scenes were filmed from so far away. Lot of weird directorial choices in this movie.

Spoiler

I feel like the conflict with her needing to go to NY and him feeling insecure and argumentative but also like she legitimately wasn't appreciating the value of his "regular" life could have been expanded over more of the movie rather than coming right at the end. I feel the script meandered its way there and they could have gotten together a lot sooner. If they wanted to be a real adult movie with this super slow pacing, they could have really delved into these issues instead of bouncing between little fights. 

Saintly Fare is a terrible name for a restaurant.

Ali wasn't as natural as the other actors but I think she held her own okay. 

Spoiler

Marcus ruining the audition was another scene that felt unnecessary. Not funny. Tonally off for a rom-com. 

Marcus in the Tom Ford store was a weird waste of time but very funny.

Marcus' big speech to win her back was the rom-com trope they got right.

Spoiler

The ending was sweet with Sasha's NY restaurant dedicated to Marcus' mom but it didn't really make sense narratively. Again, I feel like this movie had issues making things follow logically. Instead of just sending Brandon to India, they should have made it more clear that he had been distancing her from a traditional style of cooking. And instead of all those random scenes after Marcus and Sasha broke up, they could have showed us Sasha taking Marcus' criticism to heart and changing the concept of the restaurant to Judy's Way. 

Overall, it was too long and the script had overall structure issues but I liked a lot of moments in it and I hope to see the actors in other things. 

[EyewatchTV211]

On 7/1/2019 at 3:30 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I see what you mean.  Movies where 1 woman around that age leading a movie is probably rarer these days.  Rebel Wilson got to do it with "Isn't it Romantic".  Taraji P. Henson has a couple of them.  Maybe Rachel feels like romcoms don't stretch her acting muscles enough.  She was in some of the biggest movies of the 2000s but maybe it's not so interesting anymore.  In the 2000s there were huge romcoms starring Sandra Bullock, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Garner, Jennifer Lopez, etc. but it's not something that happens so frequently anymore.  

Morning Glory only made a profit of $20 million.  With Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford as co-stars it probably underperformed.  

There's a lot of information here about it being a box office disappointment:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Glory_(2010_film)#Box_office

I just saw Morning Glory with a friend and we both really liked it. Then, I decided to see if there were any interesting movies on Netflix before I cancel again. I found another movie with Rachel McAdams, coincidentally. She isn't the lead, she's the love interest, so it fits with what you said. It's called About Time. I think it's the same director as Love Actually. I really enjoyed this movie as well.

[Ms Blue Jay]

"About Time" is really good, I agree!  Not exactly a comedy, more like a romantic drama?  But yeah, I was impressed.  She's cornered the market on these time travelling romances.

[Irlandesa]

Netflix dropped its latest romcom, Falling Inn Love today.  I hadn't paid attention to its release because there was something about it that made me think it was going to be more Hallmark and less Set It Up.  So the suggestion to watch was a surprise to me. 

I'm glad my expectations were low because I enjoyed it a lot more than I was anticipating.   The premise sounded pure Hallmark but the execution was a strike above. Small town love is 1000 better when the small town comes with accents.  I'd say it's sort of like Leap Year in that it wasn't the best but there was something so charming about it. 

In fact,  I was smiling throughout the first half of the movie. I liked the townsfolk. The lead love interest was hot.  My only complaint is that I wish the leads had a bit more chem.   Oh,  and that the obstacles weren't executed as poorly as Hallmark's.  That's what made the second half not as fun.  

Edited September 1, 2019 by Irlandesa

[twoods]

I also enjoyed it. I was going to stay away because there were so many bad ratings on IMDB but after low expectations from Hallmark movies this was much better. I don’t know if it was because of the accents, or the charming townspeople, or Christina Milian who I always like in these movies (love Snowglobe and Christmas Cupid), but it kept my interest. 

[krankydoodle]

I just saw Long Shot and found it pretty delightful. It's too bad it didn't do better at the box office. Charlize Theron was especially great. I generally don't enjoy scenes with actors pretending to be drunk or high, but Theron nailed it. She and Seth Rogen had nice chemistry together and I bought them as a couple.

I also thought it was eerily prescient that the movie's ex-actor president is shown watching a scene from his old tv show where he played the president and is talking about using nuclear weapons against tsunamis. He was against the idea, though.

[Irlandesa]

On 8/31/2019 at 1:23 AM, twoods said:

I was going to stay away because there were so many bad ratings on IMDB but after low expectations from Hallmark movies this was much better.

Oh the (anti-)romcom bias on IMDb.  Even the most celebrated romcoms rarely get into the 7s on IMDB. 

Edited September 2, 2019 by Irlandesa

[Ms Blue Jay]

Falling Inn Love:

What I thought was, Christina Milian is a very, very, very natural, cute actor.  I really liked her.  I liked her more than the guy.  I know the guy from "Unreal" and he just hasn't knocked me out in either piece.  But, Christina was cute and carried the movie.

Long Shot:

I was really disappointed with that one.  There were so many things I'd like to pick apart, but suffice it to say, bleh.  The major criticism of the movie that I have is:  they used so many memorable songs from OTHER romantic comedies and just did a way worse version of it instead.  For example:

- Por Una Cabeza by The Tango Project from "Scent of a Woman" (one of my favourite movie scenes of all time)
- It Must Have Been Love by Roxette is "Pretty Woman"  (maybe the best romcom of all time?)
- Moon River is "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
- Then He Kissed Me is "Adventures in Babysitting"

It was hyped way too much for what it was worth.

I actually rated both movies the same - 3 out of 5 - but I had no expectations with the first and was pleasantly surprised and I had high expectations of the second and was disappointed.

On 8/31/2019 at 2:23 AM, twoods said:

 or Christina Milian who I always like in these movies (love Snowglobe and Christmas Cupid), but it kept my interest. 

Thanks.  Adding those to my list.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[methodwriter85]

The Take did a video essay on Pretty Woman and what it says about money:

[andromeda331]

3 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

The Take did a video essay on Pretty Woman and what it says about money:

That was a good video. 

[tribeca]

We watched train wreck the other night.  This could have been a better movie.  

I don’t think I have ever really seen the two leads in anything.  Only know bill Hader from norm Macdonald pod cost and Amy Schumer from seeing clips of her stand up.  

Amys never seemed to change how she acted.  It did not seem like she was sorry for missing a big event for her boyfriend.  She would not apologize and just seemed selfish.  Bills doctor was kind of a geek but a decent guy.  It never made senses to me that he would want a relationship with Amy.   

A lot of the comedy seemed forced and not funny 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I forgot about this topic for a while - one of my favourites.

I recently saw "Can You Keep a Secret?" a film adaptation of a Sophie Kinsella novel.

Quote

Can You Keep a Secret? was released in theaters and video on demand on September 13, 2019.[3]

I liked it!  It's not the greatest movie ever, trust me, but it was exactly the type of movie I like to watch and am always in the mood for.

I rewatched "Fools Rush In" - I liked it better than I remembered, or maybe I am just older now.  Chandler (cough Matthew Perry's) character is kind of a dick, but I still think it works.

I also rewatched "The Whole Nine Yards" - quite funny!  Liked it!  The sequel was atrocious though - Don't bother!  I also like "Three to Tango" to complete a trifecta of Matthew Perry comedies.

Edited October 15, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[tribeca]

When we first met.  Netflix 

staring Adam  DeVine

I am a sucker for time travel and romantic comedy so thought this movie was a good choice.  

Although I am not a big fan of DeVine. JMHO he is better supporting character then lead. 

He meets a girl at party.  The spend the night connecting. They mostly talk through the night. Take pictures in a photo booth.  Then he is friend zoned.  He loves her. The photo booth takes him back to the night they meet.  He tries to get it right 

[Harvey]

14 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I forgot about this topic for a while - one of my favourites.

I recently saw "Can You Keep a Secret?" a film adaptation of a Sophie Kinsella novel.

I liked it!  It's not the greatest movie ever, trust me, but it was exactly the type of movie I like to watch and am always in the mood for.

I rewatched "Fools Rush In" - I liked it better than I remembered, or maybe I am just older now.  Chandler (cough Matthew Perry's) character is kind of a dick, but I still think it works.

I also rewatched "The Whole Nine Yards" - quite funny!  Liked it!  The sequel was atrocious though - Don't bother!  I also like "Three to Tango" to complete a trifecta of Matthew Perry comedies.

I saw the movie too. As someone who has read the (great) book, so much of the humor was lost in the film adaptation. The cast was changed up in considerable way too. If you liked the movie I highly recommend reading the book it's an easy read and a lot of fun.

[Ms Blue Jay]

38 minutes ago, Harvey said:

I saw the movie too. As someone who has read the (great) book, so much of the humor was lost in the film adaptation. The cast was changed up in considerable way too. If you liked the movie I highly recommend reading the book it's an easy read and a lot of fun.

I read similar reviews on Letterboxd, that the movie was way worse than the book.  That's too bad.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I just watched "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" (1985) for the first time.  It was sooooo cute!

[methodwriter85]

I always thought "Let It Snow" would make a good teen romcom- hopefully I was right. It looks pretty fun! (Although I'm pretty sure they took liberties with the adaption.)

[amaranta]

This is pretty good Buzzfeed list - 17 Innocent Rom-Com Moments That Are Actually Way Steamier Than Any Sex Scene

https://www.buzzfeed.com/ehisosifo1/innocent-sexy-moments-romantic-comedies

And I'm conflicted.  I don't know whether I feel badly about myself regarding the fact there's only two movies here that I haven't seen, or absurdly proud.

I do think it's perhaps pathetic that my mind immediately flashed on at least two or three scenes to add to the list.  Not in order, but the fence climbing scene in Runaway Bride, numerous moments from Hugh Jackman in Kate and Leopold, also multiples from Notting Hill (still of the opinion Roberts and Grant had insane chemistry) and the Dirty Dancing scene in Crazy, Stupid Love.) 

[twoods]

Also some scenes that people mentioned in the comments when Dermot Mulroney’s character took the wedding ring off Julia Robert’s hand with his mouth- that was so hot, Brendan Frasier  blowing on Alicia Silverstone’s knee in Blast From The Past, and the rain scene in Pride and Prejudice. 

Edited November 10, 2019 by twoods

[Vixenstud]

(Blushes with head down).....I've never seen Funny Girl with Barbra Streisand!

Now, Ma always played the soundtrack when I was younger but it never crossed my mind to watch the actual movie; this past Friday however my neighbor was watching it and I wound up sitting with her and enjoying what I saw.  It was on a channel with commercials so I'm going to have to rent it.  La Streisand was lovely in it, from her clothes to her impeccable nails to of course her beautiful voice.

[Scarlett45]

This was recommended to me in a Facebook movie group. It was very charming. 
 

https://youtu.be/I36I0ho3SME

[methodwriter85]

This is the trailer for Emma, but they really don't seem to be going for the typical Merchant Ivory vibe for it:

Edited November 24, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Ms Blue Jay]

I miss you guys!

I just watched "Because I Said So" (2007) for the first time.  I loved it!

It has a 4 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  But, the audience gave it 65%!

It was great for me because 

1)  I have an overbearing mother also
2)  I thought that Mandy Moore was surprisingly really good as the romcom protagonist (I don't love her on "This is Us")
3)  And I love love love love love love Lauren Graham.

If I had known that Lauren Graham was in it, I would have watched it ages ago!  She is adorable.

I also revisited Rumor Has It (2005?) and liked it just as much as I did the first time.  The premise is so stupid and insane, but I'm just such a big Faniston I enjoyed it anyway.

I also tried Serendipity again (2001).  It's Christmassy.  But man, that movie just isn't for me.  The leads drive me nuts and I think they are bad/stupid people.

Edited December 14, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Harvey]

59 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I miss you guys!

I just watched "Because I Said So" (2007) for the first time.  I loved it!

It has a 4 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  But, the audience gave it 65%!

It was great for me because 

1)  I have an overbearing mother also
2)  I thought that Mandy Moore was surprisingly really good as the romcom protagonist (I don't love her on "This is Us")
3)  And I love love love love love love Lauren Graham.
 

I love that one, the moment when the daughter makes a scene in front of her new  boy toy while they are trying to have a casual singalong....gold.

[Irlandesa]

I watched two romantic comedies as a way to break from all the Christmas movies.

My favorite was probably a movie called Plus One in which Meg Ryan's son, Jack Quaid, follows in his mother's romcom footsteps.  It's free on Hulu and available to rent on other streaming sites. Two friends Quaid and Maya Erskin, decide to be each other's plus one to various weddings they have to attend over wedding season.  It roms (good chem between the leads) and it coms (I genuinely laughed out loud quite a bit).

Another one I saw that it's a little more risque/raunchy but I dug it anyway is one that is streaming for free on Tubi called An Awkward Sexual Adventure (also known as My Awkward Sexual Adventure). It's about a boring guy who is dumped by his girlfriend because she says he bores her sexually.  He goes to visit a friend and ends up getting sex tips from a stripper. I know that sounds wacky but it works better than it sounds.

[twoods]

Thank you for the recommendation for Plus One on Hulu. It was really good! It had great chemistry with the leads and was hilarious.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I rewatched "This is 40" and I enjoyed it yet again.  I hate the crude toilet humour but other than that I liked it and the soundtrack is great.

I also saw Woody Allen's "A Rainy Day In New York".  It stars Timothee Chalamet whom I love, but the movie is not great.

Edited December 22, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

"To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You"

Quote

The film is scheduled to be released on February 12, 2020 exclusively on Netflix

 

[aradia22]

Netflix keeps recommending The Ugly Truth to me. Is there anything redeeming about it? I just find it shocking that the writers of 10 Things I Hate About You and Legally Blonde and the director of Legally Blonde could have made a movie that's as bad as everyone says The Ugly Truth is. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 1/25/2020 at 11:00 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

"To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You"

Well, this ended up being a disappointment.

It's cute and all, but a huge letdown from the first movie.

I think you guys will like John Ambrose.

On a more positive note, Hulu just released a 10 episode series called "High Fidelity" based off the great movie.  It stars Zoe Kravitz in the John Cusack role.  I inhaled the whole thing already.  I'd recommend it.  (The "Four Weddings and a Funeral" series from last year was also fantastic, for those who never tried it.)

Edited February 15, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[twoods]

I caught a super cute movie called Dog Days that is streaming on Hulu. It was hilarious, had adorable dogs, and I liked all of the storylines. Will definitely watch it again.

[methodwriter85]

On 2/15/2020 at 2:21 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Well, this ended up being a disappointment.

It's cute and all, but a huge letdown from the first movie.

I think you guys will like John Ambrose.

On a more positive note, Hulu just released a 10 episode series called "High Fidelity" based off the great movie.  It stars Zoe Kravitz in the John Cusack role.  I inhaled the whole thing already.  I'd recommend it.  (The "Four Weddings and a Funeral" series from last year was also fantastic, for those who never tried it.)

I hope it makes better use of the super-cute Jake Lacy than his Netflix Christmas Romcom The Christmas Inheritance did. He had this unflattering slick backed hair in the movie that did nothing for him.

Edited March 5, 2020 by methodwriter85

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I hope it makes better use of the super-cute Jake Lacey than his Netflix Christmas Romcom did, which somehow made him unattractive.

I think he might be in only 3 or 4 episodes of the 10?  He doesn't have the biggest role.  But I think he did well.

[twoods]

Yes, he was super adorable in High Fidelity. I don’t know why they made him look so unappealing in the Netflix movie.

[methodwriter85]

Plus One was solid. Thanks for the recommendation, guys. I adore indie romantic movies about hopelessly romantic singles living in urban centers. Two Night Stand is my gold standard for that.

[akiss]

Thanks for all the recomendations! I loved High Fidelity (well, I haven't finished all the episodes but up till now, it was delightful) and Two Night Stand. Off to try Dog Days and Plus One now. 😄

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/6/2020 at 9:12 AM, akiss said:

 Off to try Dog Days and Plus One now. 😄

Yes, adding them to my list.

Funnily enough I just rewatched Must Love Dogs.  I'm sure I watch this once a year.

I didn't like Two Night Stand, but I definitely loved "Sleeping with Other People" because of this thread.

I never saw "Kissing Jessica Stein" or "Swingers" before but I watched them both for the first time recently and I really loved them both.

[twoods]

He’s Just Not That Into You is streaming on Netflix now. It’s not one of my favorites but it’s pleasant enough to rewatch it again. 

[methodwriter85]

Emma was solid. I loved Callum Turner as the cad.

[aradia22]

I decided to watch My Best Friend's Wedding for the first time.

The opening is perfect. It communicates so much.

A LOT of men on the creative team. Almost no women.

What is fascinating about this movie is that it knows right from the beginning that Julianne is a jerk. Sure, she's played by Julia Roberts at her most charming but the movie tells the audience that Jules is doing something wrong from the beginning. This is not a noble pursuit of her one true love. It's all there in the set up.

This is such a 90's movie. Aside from the email and the clothes and the giant cell phone, there's so much that feels dated. The big sing along. All the physical comedy... so much falling.

Spoiler

Jules is a food critic. You think the chef in charge of the kitchen has all the power? No, it's the food critic who doesn't even need to be in the middle of the heat and the mess. She gets to sit apart. She gets to be the judge. It's important that she's the one who broke up with Michael 9 years ago but she was confident that he was in love with her all through their friendship. Now suddenly there's been a shift. She's the one in the vulnerable position. She's the one who was up for judgment and not chosen. But even then, it's not like other movies where this is her wake up call to realizing she loves him. I watched very carefully. There's no big contradiction. You could certainly think she's trying to break up the wedding because she loves him but the movie doesn't sell that narrative well, even past the 30 minute mark when she gets teary at times. In truth, her real concern seems to be losing her friend. She hasn't been pining for him for 9 years and she doesn't seem that attracted to him. Dermot plays Michael pretty flat. Jules and Michael don't have a lot of romantic chemistry. I think the closest it gets is this whole issue of Julianne needing to confess her feelings and being unable to but that ends up feeling like more evidence that they aren't right for each other. When she meets Kim, there's the additional layer of Kim seeming perfect and highlighting all of Jules' deficiencies. She's a girly girl, blonde and preppy. But she's also loving, sentimental, willing to compromise, etc. In every way, she seems to be the kind of woman that Jules is not. Julianne is a very 90's idea of what's wrong with a non-feminine working woman without layering on anything about her being particularly feminist or tomboyish. 

George is such a wonderful character. Rupert Everett plays him brilliantly. It's gross what she makes him do. Especially her unconvincing lies about quick "pre-conjugal visits" and him pretending to be gay??? But Rupert makes the most of every second of his screen time. And his voice/accent is just to die for. Watching George have fun tormenting Jules saves the movie at the point when Julianne's evil machinations are starting to weigh the movie down and turns it into a comedy again.

I do think it's a legitimate concern that Kim doesn't want to do her senior year of college. And 20 to 28 is a not inconsiderable age difference when you're young. I'm also worried at how easily she takes the blame for any problems in the relationship and begs Michael to forgive her. And at the end she admitted to Jules that she didn't want to give up her life and her career. No idea how that will get resolved.

It doesn't seem like an accident that Kim is 20. She's around the age that Jules and Michael were when they had their 1 month college fling. She makes Jules feel like she made the wrong choice in breaking up with Michael when, in fact, she made the right choice because they're clearly not right for each other. Jules is just trying to force it to work because so many of the pieces are there but even if Kim was out of the picture, Michael and Jules still wouldn't be compatible as a couple. George knew after less than a day that they had "different temperaments." Jules just didn't want to believe it because of what it would mean for her if she couldn't make it work with Michael. 

I think it's interesting that the movie has Kim call her relatives/bridesmaids "vengeful sluts" very early on but then otherwise makes her a pretty likable character. Yet she doesn't have female friends other than the girl Jules is replacing in the wedding.

The moment Michael took the ring off Julianne's finger with his mouth was hot. But even then, it's not an intimate scene between the two of them. His eyes are flat and distant. He's thinking about his broken engagement. And it's significant that when he made the phone call and after he removes the ring that he doesn't want to be near her. He doesn't turn to her for comfort. He wants to be alone.

The most romantic moment is when Jules finally confesses her "love" and kisses Michael with the music swelling. But I didn't need George to tell me that Michael didn't really return the kiss. 

Kimmy's wedding dress was ATROCIOUS.

It was a little rushed and a little unrealistic but to get to the happy ending, I appreciated how Michael and Kim each reacted to Julianne's apologies. I don't think they'd be that forgiving in real life but it was sweet. The moment I really loved was when Michael and Kimmy are going to leave the reception and he comes back to hug her. I feel like that allayed her real fear the whole time which was that if he got married, she would lose his friendship. It was like... you're not the most important woman in my life but you're still important to me.

It didn't end up being a huge deal aside from Jules' manipulations but it was weird that the movie flirted with a class distinction between Kim and her family and Michael and Jules. M&J went to Brown! It might be a less prestigious Ivy, but it's still an Ivy League school. And they're writers by choice. This is also the late 90's when print media wasn't dying.

All in all, I'm glad I watched it. I can see why people like it. And I miss movies where the people involved know that the protagonist is bad or making bad choices and they let it happen. Protagonists don't have to be likable all the way through the movie as long as the movie recognizes that and has them change by the end.

[Annber03]

Man, it's been so long since I've seen that movie. When my school choir took our trip to New York City during my tenth grade year, we got to watch movies on the bus ride out there and that was one of the films we watched. I mainly just remember the big sing-along scene, but your review makes me want to give it another look sometime if I get the chance. It'd be interesting to see the movie again through adult eyes. 

[aradia22]

Another movie expiring from hulu... I watched When Harry Met Sally for the first time. And... I hated it. Thoughts in spoilers because I know this is an unpopular opinion.

Spoiler

I don't get this movie at all. I appreciated the two sort of fake out openings with the older couple and with Harry kissing a different woman entirely (Amanda). It kind of reset my expectations or unsettled me enough that I think I was more receptive to whatever movie this was going to be. The problem was Harry. Billy Crystal wasn't bad exactly. He performed what he was given well. But I hated this character and there were only slight glimmers of Crystal's charm. Unless I was supposed to find those pseudo-Woody Allen ramblings (without any of the wit or insight) charming.

From the moment he started spitting grape seeds out the window, he was an over the top jerk. To me, this movie is the story of how Amanda set Sally up to be harassed by a monster for the rest of her life. He hit on her even though he had a girlfriend. He was full of terrible opinions. He was constantly putting her down and negging her. And he did not know how to take no for an answer. These things are true throughout the entire movie. She know she doesn't like him. If anything, it seems like a combination of depression after her breakup and the societal pressures of her biological clock finally wear her down into talking to him and accepting his behavior because she needs a friend. 

The Temple of Dendur was the first moment I thought they were genuinely friendly and we finally got to see Billy Crystal be a little bit charming when he was doing the funny voice. It is baffling to me that they wouldn't let him inject some humor into the rest of the movie to soften Harry's rough edges. There has to be something redeeming about him. There are other jerky romantic leads but they tend to be handsome action heroes who save the day and/or guys who are funny and charming in between their bitter and cynical comments. Harry is just a male chauvinist asshole who seems to have terrible intimate relationships with women. Sally called him out on sleeping around post-divorce but I imagine his behavior wasn't very different before he got married based on what we know about the character and his opinions about men and women.

It's filmed so that Sally initiates the kiss that leads to them sleeping together. BUT he kisses her first. Twice. And yes it's in a "comforting," almost chaste way. Except no because what friend kisses a friend on the lips to be comforting? Harry is a jerk. Maybe he didn't rush to her apartment thinking he was going to seduce her but by kissing her, he crossed that line before she did and it was inappropriate when she was that vulnerable.

It bothered me that they slept together without thinking of their significant others. They worried they had made a mistake and this and that but they never seemed concerned that they were bad people for cheating. 

Harry has learned nothing by the end of the movie. He's still just as immature. He still has terrible opinions. He's still harassing her with phone calls to wear her down. How is this a rom-com?

Either this movie has aged poorly or people just remember Harry rushing through the streets and his declaration of love at the New Year's Eve party and forget the entire rest of the movie when he was terrible. 

Random thoughts... were people better at kissing in the 80's/90's? I find a lot of screen kissing unremarkable or even boring but Harry's kiss with Amanda and Sally's kiss with Joe both made me think "they seem like good kissers." It was sensual without being gross. I miss when onscreen kissing looked romantic. 

It makes no sense that Sally isn't Jewish. Meg Ryan doesn't do a terrible job but her performance felt off the entire movie. The writing for this character could not be more Jewish. It would have made more sense for Carrie Fisher to play Sally. Or better yet, Bette Midler. Or, if the movie had been made later, Fran Drescher. Picture one of those two actresses as Sally and tell me the movie doesn't work better. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

When Harry Met Sally had to grow on me.  I didn't get it at first either.  Because yeah, I thought Billy Crystal sucked as a love interest.  But now I like it.  And I really like Meg Ryan in it I think she's so adorable.  I still don't really get why people love "You've Got Mail" though.  

My Best Friend's Wedding is one of my absolute top favourite movies.  I probably watch it once or twice a year.  It doesn't get old for me and it feels great to watch.