When Harry Met Sally...



When Harry Met Sally... is a 1989 American romantic comedy film written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. It stars Billy Crystal as Harry and Meg Ryan as Sally. The story follows the title characters from the time they meet just before sharing a cross-country drive, through twelve years of chance encounters in New York City.

Plot
In 1977, college graduates Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) share a contentious car ride from Chicago to New York, during which they argue about whether men and women can ever truly be strictly platonic friends. Ten years later, Harry and Sally meet again at a bookstore, and in the company of their respective best friends, Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), attempt to stay friends without sex becoming an issue between them.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) It brought Meg Ryan into stardom, with the film being her breakthrough role and bringing her widespread attention and her first Golden Globe nomination.
 * 2) The film is able to raise the question of whether a man and a woman can just be friends.
 * 3) It also advances many relationship ideas that became household concepts, such as "high-maintenance".
 * 4) This movie's one of pure joy that's able to make the viewer laugh and cry throughout.
 * 5) A really beautiful screenplay by Nora Ephron, which was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars.
 * 6) Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal give off incredible performances throughout the whole film.
 * 7) Harry and Sally have great chemistry with each other.
 * 8) What makes this movie so good is that it's not your stereotypical romantic comedy. Harry and Sally acted like they hated each other, and became friends, though they still denied that they had feelings towards each other.
 * 9) As Harry and Sally keep meeting each other again and again every few years, they start to fall in love with each other.
 * 10) The classic scene where Sally fakes an orgasm at Katz's Delicatessen in order to prove her point that men can't recognize when a woman is faking one.
 * 11) * In fact, Meg Ryan does a good job at faking one.
 * 12) * Also, the restaurant the orgasm scene was filmed in was even proud of that scene. So proud that they hung a sign on top of the seat Sally was sitting on that says "Where Harry met Sally... Hope you have what she's had!". It's still hung on that very spot to this day.
 * 13) All of the dialogue is used at the right time, making the movie even funnier. The characters always talk about sex and it's not forced at all in any way.
 * 14) Harry is a really funny character and constantly steals the spotlight whenever he can with his humor and style. Billy Crystal's performance also helps the character too.
 * 15) At certain parts of the film, it shows some elderly couples talking about how they met each other, which is relating to the plot and doesn't exist to serve as filler.
 * 16) The most famous line from the movie "I'll have what she's having".

Reception
When Harry Met Sally... received a 90% approval rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on 70 reviews, with an average rating of 8.03/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Rob Reiner's touching, funny film set a new standard for romantic comedies, and he was ably abetted by the sharp interplay between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Trivia

 * Tom Hanks, Richard Dreyfuss and Albert Brooks were among the actors considered for the role of Harry before it ultimately went to Billy Crystal.
 * The characters of Harry and Sally were individually based on director Rob Reiner and screenwriter Nora Ephron.
 * The film's iconic line, “I’ll have what she’s having” was delivered by Rob Reiner’s mother. It was written by Billy Crystal between rehearsals.
 * The location of the “I’ll have what she’s having” scene is not the only production to shoot at the over 100-year-old delicatessen in New York City. Donnie Brasco, Enchanted, Across the Universe and Law and Order also filmed there.
 * The scene with the four-way call was filmed on three connected sets simultaneously. The actors were linked by real phone lines allowing them to hear each other – all in service of the scene’s comedic timing. The scene was four pages of dialogue and took over 60 takes to get it right.
 * Nora Ephron was nominated for an Academy Award for the screenplay of this film.