Review of Sleepless in Seattle (1993) by Kenneth L — 04 Dec 2010

Pure and utter schmaltz, but skillful schmaltz. This movie self-consciously promotes an unrealistic fantasy ideal of romance, but it does it so well that you like it anyway. Tom Hanks does what pre-Forrest-Gump Tom Hanks does best - plays a likable, identifiable everyman nice guy.

Meg Ryan also successfully makes her character likable, even though she really shouldn't be - her behavior, would it done by a man, would be considered creepy and stalker-ish. Ross Malinger is cute as Hanks's sun.

I didn't really like Rosie O'Donnell as Ryan's friend, but then I never like Rosie much. The movie just has a nice, friendly feel to it. I do think Bill Pullman's character gets screwed, and the way they resolve his part of the plot isn't very satisfactory.

But there are some really funny moments, especially when Tom Hanks and Victor Garber discuss The Dirty Dozen as if they were women describing An Affair to Remember. It's a sweet little movie, and I can see why it's so popular.