The rom-com couple of meg ryan and tom hanks are the stuff of fluffy dreams – we dare you to name another couple that’s even remotely close to usurping their dominance about the genre, at least within a modern context, and it’s one that has spawned three charming features. The duo have starred together, quite memorably, in a fizzing trifecta of romance: 1990’s Joe Versus The Volcano, 1993’s Sleepless In Seattle, and 1998’s You’ve Got Mail, and while it’s the second title that often gets all fuss and caring, we have a soft spot for the relentless sweetness and weird humor of nora ephron‘s other ryan/hanks feature.
you got mail is celebrating its 15th anniversary this week (yes, 15, too, you’re old, I’m old, we’re all old, but nothing is as old as that dial-up buzz you we hear about 20 times within the film itself). It is stylized as a modern version of Miklos Laszlo’s Pafumerie work, which was also the inspiration for the 1940 film The Corner Store. it’s “modern” because it involves the internet or, more specifically, aol’s chat rooms, early emails, and the then-crazy possibility that someone could fall in love with a stranger online. ephron, ryan, and hanks had previously explored a similar idea with sleepless: that two strangers might be so destined to be together that they might fall in love through various types of correspondence, but have mail delivered directly to the burgeoning world of the web while retaining the sweetness. from the store, that they were handwritten letters. Like all good romantic comedies, You’ve Got Mail has a big, messy secret at its core: Ryan’s Kathleen Kelly and Hanks’ Joe Fox, a couple who love each other online without knowing each other’s identity, are actually rivals. commercials in real life. What happens when Joe finds out the truth? adorable.
To celebrate the anniversary, we’ve selected a few favorite scenes to share. check them out after the jump.
stop! decaffeinated! cappuccino!
Despite being “dated” simply because you have an email, it portrays a time period when the internet was still becoming a thing, there are many things within the film that are still applicable to real life. Like Starbucks Even in 1998, Starbucks was crazy, and Joe Fox knew it. As Kathleen and Joe meet through insightful and courageous emails, the duo clash over even the smallest issues: the minutiae of life that combine into one person’s likes, dislikes and personalities. joe thinks starbucks is crazy, but it goes anyway. And the next time Kathleen comes over, she’ll think of Joe.
“there, misfortune, happiness”
While Joe isn’t a fan of Starbucks, Kathleen is a fan of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and just as Joe shares his thoughts on coffee shops with his lady love, she feels the need to talk to him about her literary choices. . It makes sense, actually, since the couple are in the book-selling business, but Joe’s tastes don’t really run toward Regency-era romance. he still tries to read the book, just to share something with kathleen.
“where are my tick-tocks? Ughh!”
You’ve Got The Mail may live and die by the charms of Hanks and Ryan, but it also has a great supporting cast, including Greg Kinnear and Dabney Coleman. Of course, there’s also the divine Parker Posey, who is utterly heinous as Joe’s hideous girlfriend, Patricia. When the pair get stuck in the elevator of their building with a screaming neighbor, her dog, and her doorman, it becomes clear that Patricia isn’t right for Joe (in fact, she might not be right for anyone), and much else begins. to show the confused joe. Sure, it’s a cliché, but it’s a cliché because it works.
cash only line
as joe and kathleen’s business rivalry intensifies, joe is also torn by the knowledge that his lady love is also the biggest thorn in his professional side. you’re still not sure how to proceed. be nice to her? tell her? forget it? – joe reacts in increasingly strange ways when they inevitably meet in new york city. When he comes to her aid in a crowded grocery store on Thanksgiving, it’s a turning tide for them both: he loves it; she needs help, and they both see each other in a different light. additional bonus? chutzpah of the new york city of passers-by and raised the tab to spare. happy thanksgiving back. classic.
“152 people who think it looks like a clark bar”
After joe’s family bookstore chain closes kathleen’s small bookstore (damn you, big deal!), the pair slowly embark on something approaching a true friendship. Joe’s charm wins over Kathleen, and the duo’s chemistry turns from tough to playful. Joe may not know exactly what he’s doing here, but we do: he’s trying to win Kathleen over as himself, so when he exposes her true identity, she’s already convinced. part of that includes making fun of his online personality of him, leading to the weirdest and most hilarious comedic line in the entire movie.
that final scene
Perhaps the best thing about You’ve Got Mail is that it offers one of the best, most charming and moving final scenes in the history of romantic comedies. this is fucking satisfying, okay? good luck not crying when joe walks down the park lane with his mop-eared pup brinkley or when kathleen realizes it’s him or even, god forbid, when she tells him, “i wanted it to be you. I so wanted it to be you. I’m crying as I write this, it’s so good. plus, “somewhere over the rainbow” plays throughout the entire scene, in case you need one more push to get the salties flowing.