Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle is written and directed by Nora Ephron. It's based on a story by Jeff Arch and it stars Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as Annie Reed. The film takes its inspiration from An Affair to Remember and uses both its theme song and clips from the film in critical scenes. Plot sees Sam recently widowed and tricked by his young son Jonah to chat on the phone about his grief on a late night radio show. His honesty and sadness touches the hearts of America's listening females, particularly Annie, a young journalist who lives the other side of the country in Baltimore.

Major smash hit at the box office, where it coined in a $200 million profit before it even made it out for rental, Sleepless In Seattle is the sort of romantic comedy that's almost impossible not to like. OK, there's those who probably have aversions to some of the stars in the piece (tho both Ryan & Hanks are adorable here), but as a story it's warm, sweet and very touching. Ephron's script throws up a number of funny treats along the way, including moments to make the boys smile, while the fact that the potential cross country lovers are kept apart for almost the entirety of the film is smart move that pays off dividends. Admirable support to Hanks & Ryan comes from Rosie O'Donnell & Rob Reiner as the best friends of both, while Ross Malinger as Jonah gives one of the more pleasing child performances from the 90s.

It doesn't push the boundaries of light entertainment, but really you would have to be devoid of heart to not feel just a bit better for having sat thru this movie. 7/10

The movies are full of alternate universes and maybes that make them a great escape. Sleepless In Seattle is a great romantic comedy. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in a movie where they are hardly onscreen together and yet we feel both of their characters infatuation. It's an amazing job that director Nora Ephron does in making us care about the relationship between these two characters when their not hardly together onscreen. The movie also has great performances, from the leads and from supporting players Rosie O'Donnell and Rob Reiner, as well as a very goofy but sweet turn from Bill Pullman. This movie will make you feel good.

After his wife's funeral, Sam (Tom Hanks), an architect, moves from Chicago to Seattle with his son, Johna (Ross Malinger) so he can stay away from all those things that remind him of his beloved wife, which he just can't bear any longer.

In Baltimore, Annie (Meg Ryan), a newspaper journalist, is engaged to Walter (Bill Pullman) and is looking forward to getting married. But when Annie's mother talks about the 'magic' that she instantly feels when Annie's father holds her hand, Annie cannot comprehend the meaning. One evening, Annie hears Johna on a national radio show, saying his dad is lonely and sad, still cannot forget his late wife and Johna thinks his dad needs a new wife to make him happy. Thousands of women across the country write to Sam, among them is Annie. Her letter in the rubbish bin is sent out by her good friend Becky (Rosie O'Donnell).

So Annie travels all the way to Seattle in hope to meet Sam, but it doesn't work out fine. However, when Johna reads the letter from Annie, he knows she's the right one and he replies on his father's behalf for meeting each other on the roof of the Empire State Building...

This is a refreshing, quite light-hearted story. It's slow but I'm sure many people would like it. It's funny that, when Sam first sees Annie, he somehow feels that he has met her before...rather funny, isn't it? Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are great on the screen together and the flick is perfect for relaxing. With a delightful soundtrack.

Sleepless In Seattle is truly a film for the Nineties. It's a film that is in part based on the high tech culture that the Nineties spawned with computers and nationwide talk radio. How could have you done a film like this in another time?

Well romance is certainly eternal and if the way humans connect is different now, the point is they still connect. And this film takes up the proposition that some folks are fated to be mated.

If I had ever done this thing for either of my parents back in the day or something similar I shudder to think of the consequences. But when young Ross Malinger calls a radio psychologist played in voice only by Caroline Aaron about his father it sets off an entire chain of events that make you believe in fate.

Tom Hanks is the recently widowed father of Malinger they've just finished burying his wife Carey Lowell and he thinks a change of scenery is in order to assuage his grief. Hanks and Malinger move to Seattle and its from their new home in Seattle that young Master Malinger makes his fateful call. Hanks gets on the phone as well and his story touches female hearts across America and he's known by the moniker of Sleepless In Seattle.

One of those touched hearts is Meg Ryan's who is ready to marry Bill Pullman who is playing what used to be called the Ralph Bellamy role. Good old reliable steady Bill, but Meg is hearing a different calling and taking her cues from that Leo McCarey classic, An Affair To Remember she goes in a nationwide hunt for Hanks.

More cynical folks than myself would say that Ryan was stalking Hanks and there are laws against it. But if one is fated to be mated than those laws just don't apply.

Hanks and Ryan strike just the right note as the fated couple and Hanks has some great scenes with young Malenger. Rosie O'Donnell has a nice bit in this as well as Ryan's equally romantic minded friend who kind of quarterbacks Ryan's moves.

Sleepless In Seattle got two Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Song. Nora Ephron directed her own screenplay and the result is a magic romantic film like they used to do even in the high tech Nineties.

I will not lie to you, I will admit right from the off that I am biased. I love this movie.

Plot In A Paragraph: Eighteen months after losing his wife, Sam (Tom Hanks) is still grieving and can't sleep. His eight year old son Jonah (Ross Malinger) misses his mother, but he wants his father to get a new wife despite Sam having not even contemplated dating again. On Christmas Eve, Jonah calls a national radio talk show and ask for a "new wife" for his Dad. Sam ends up pouring his heart out about his magical and perfect marriage to his late wife, and how much he still misses her. Among the many women who hear Sam's story and fall in love with him solely because of it is Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) a Baltimore-based newspaper writer. Who is drawn to Jim based on his story, despite already being engaged to Walter (Bill Pullman)

1993 was a massive year for Tom Hanks with both this movie and "Philadelphia" being huge hits. Both are very different, but are equally brilliant. As is Hanks. He is heartbreakingly excellent as the widower. Amazingly the role of Annie was originally offered to Julia Roberts, who turned it down. Kim Basinger also turned it down because she thought the premise was ridiculous (Good move Kim!!) After Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Jodie Foster all declined as well, Meg Ryan landed the role. I surprised this role was not wrote with Ryan in mind as this type of role was her bread and butter back then. She was perfect for this type of role.

Rosie O Donnell is solid support to Ryan as is Bill Pullman, and Ross Malinger manages to avoid all the cliché's of most chicks actors!

Well directed, with a sharp and witty script. I will add I also liked the fact that they didn't feel the need to make the Bill Pullman character a jerk (as is usual the case with his type of role in romantic comedies)

One of my favourite Tom Hanks movies, one of my favourite Meg Ryan movies and one of my favourite romantic comedies. I don't own many romantic comedies. But this one is in my collection.