Review of When Harry Met Sally... (1989) by Spangle — 16 Jan 2017

When legends of comedy are discussed, Rob Reiner's name does not often make an appearance. Yet, the man has so many hits, it is disgusting. This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and The American President are comical riots. I often watch comedies and, in the spirit of hating fun, do not find them very funny. There are very few comedies that actually hit the right notes for me and leave me gasping for air. When Harry Met Sally joins those other Reiner films (aside from The Princess Bride, which was pretty good, but not nearly as funny) in making me laugh consistently from beginning to end. With charismatic turns from Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan, the film is oozing with chemistry, joy, and commentary on relationships. Even better, it casts aside Hollywood romance cliches in favor of a realistic approach to love and inter-sex non-sexual relationships.

Pairing together Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan), the film actually takes a while to put them together. Yet, while the romance begins to take root, the pair's comedic chemistry is natural and easy to watch. With a manic, depressive, and neurotic style of comedy, Billy Crystal drops top-notch lines like they were nothing. Comedy just rolls off his tongue like butter on a pan. Alongside him is the far more stoic and proper Ryan who plays Crystal's comedic foil. Yet, make no mistake, she can be funny as well and really goes toe-to-toe with Crystal from the very beginning. Yet, what really helps to make the film funnier is the writing from Nora Ephron. With quotable lines coming from every direction, the comedic writing here is stellar with a tremendous understanding of the skills of the leads and playing to those strengths. The material Crystal and Ryan are given is within the realm of their comedic talent and charisma, allowing for free flowing joy and comedy.

The film's other major strength in the writing is its relationship. Resisting the temptation to throw its originally mismatched leads together, it builds up authentically. Putting them together as friends who avoid sex to ruin the friendship and then finally give in to temptation, but resist is brilliant and real. Though a classic Hollywood romantic comedy film, it does not deliver a cliche and over dramatic pay-off. Instead, it feels real. Harry and Sally could be real people who have finally pulled their heads out of their asses and saw the sky for the first time. They resist the love they feel to not lose a friend and, when they finally give in, it is clear they are a match for one another. Yet, through fear and trepidation towards losing this great friend, they still remain skeptical. For many, this is a fact of life and to see it so brilliantly portrayed on screen shows the real triumph of this film.

One of the main reasons why I loved When Harry Met Sally though is simply the pure, unbridled joy of watching this film. It is an easy watch, but yet a great exploration of romance and friendship. It pairs two incredibly likable leads together, puts together realistically, and does not rush anything between them. Sprinkling in real life stories of love and marriage only adds to the magic of the film. Rob Reiner knows comedy and it is really shown in this film, even though he rarely gets the credit he deserves as being a top-notch director when working with great material (mainly because his output since the late 1990s has been garbage). Here, he crafts an eminently likable film that blends romantic comedy cliches (two lovers who hate each other first being a common trope) and then adds layers of realism to the equation that largely subvert the cliches to the point that Billy Crystal running through New York to find Meg Ryan feels authentic and real. Rather than absurd, it is a bombastic, romantic, and magical gesture that encapsulates the power of love and the crazy things it can make people do. Classics always have a lot to live up to, but When Harry Met Sally exceeds all expectations with impeccable comedy, comedic frequency, writing, and romance.