Revered by movie fans, most notably those born in the late 70s, Nora Ephrons’ Sleepless in Seattle was one of those classics I had never been fortunate enough to catch until my late 20s. A circumstance I believe only enhanced my experience and response to the films, now considered cliche but, touching message. Circumstance and distance tremble in the face of love and magic especially when the latter are treated as one and the same. It is a timeless heart-warming tale that reinforces the idea of true love, and no matter where you are there is someone out there for you.
Finding a romantic comedy that remains balanced often proves to be trying as too often the genre leans into the unrealistic. When attempting to ground a modern day love story it only breeds cynicism if the characters are made out to be flawless. They may be portrayed as having a “normal” job, family and life but really the archetype they inhabit does not exist or does not allow us as an audience to relate. Seattle’s two leads are authentic, all of us at one point or another have met these two, consoled them or given them the harsh advice they so desperately avoid. Or maybe some of us have been one of these two, swept up in an unlikely fantasy that grants us a different perspective on our lives allowing the occasional moment of escape.
Sam (Tom Hanks) in regards to his life and most notably his son Jonah (Ross Malinger) feels like a young widowed father. Hesitant to date because it has been so long it feels like a disregarded “skill”, joyful with Jonah but never so utterly carefree he, in real life, would be considered a negligent father. Meanwhile newly engaged Annie (Meg Ryan) seemingly has the rest of her life mapped out until one holiday night she hears Sam on the radio. Sam refers to his late wife as magic prompting Annie to second guess her trajectory as now two people who claim to have found true love both refer to it as magic, a description she has never associated with her fiance Walter (Bill Pullman). Annie rides the emotional roller-coaster of indecision and uncertainty we have all faced.
Chemistry is an undeniable trait that select humans together just naturally possess, we can never explain it or quantify it for it just is. Romance becomes amplified between two people when their chemistry is palpable. Typically that huge burst of emotion is teased throughout romantic films via little interactions and ultimately the big moment, if you will, is saved for the climactic ending. This helps make the journey feel worth it, their love feel earned and satisfactory for us as viewers to have witnessed. In this case, I appreciate Ephrons’ decision to not have our leads truly meet until the closing minutes. It is a distinct choice that propels this film into a class of its own, as if any other were to try it would not feel genuine. The separation serves as a testament to the chemistry between Ryan and Hanks, that regardless of their distance and lack of the little flirtatious but exciting interactions, we as viewers still long for their coming together. We yearn for it so much that it allows the Empire State meeting to be quiet, simple and ultimately satisfying.
Aside from Annie experiencing a brief moment of dated cyber-stalking, Sleepless in Seattle showcased all the qualities of a timeless classic. What Annie and Same share is universal, that longing for the so-called “one”. Even apart, their individual situations are real and one way or another we as an audience can empathize. That empathy allows them both to be instantly likeable and their, unbeknownst to them, destined future together all the more desirable for us to see finally come together. It is a film I am happy to have seen later in life as I feel it hit all the right buttons I just did not possess in my adolescence.
Rating: 4/5
themidnightshowingblog 