- Film Review
- Reviewed By Adrian Turner
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4 out of 5
Nora Ephron, the writer of When Harry Met Sally..., comes up trumps again as co-writer and director of this gloriously old-fashioned and unashamedly manipulative romantic comedy. Tom Hanks, recently widowed, moves to a new home in Seattle where he just grieves and grieves. His young son, concerned over his dad's state of mind, calls a radio phone-in and when Hanks himself goes on air, he pours his heart out. That's storyline one. Storyline two features Meg Ryan, a Baltimore journalist who hears the broadcast, recognises a kindred lonely heart and starts tracking Hanks down. Hanks's son, played by Ross Malinger, becomes their matchmaker, while the Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr weepie of 1957, An Affair to Remember, is always on TV and serves as a touchstone, providing the inspiration for the movie's climax at the top of the Empire State Building. For nearly two hours, Ephron keeps her marvellous stars apart, a potentially dangerous tactic that works superbly. In the summer of Jurassic Park, Sleepless in Seattle proved to be a box-office smash; the team subsequently reunited for You've Got Mail in 1998.
Plot Summary
Romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. When Sam Baldwin's wife dies, he is left to bring up his eight-year-old son Jonah alone, and decides to move to Seattle to make a new start. On Christmas Eve, Jonah rings a radio phone-in with his Christmas wish to find a new wife for his dad. Meanwhile in Baltimore, journalist Annie Reed, who is having doubts about her own relationship, is listening in.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Sam Baldwin
- Tom Hanks
- Annie Reed
- Meg Ryan
- Jonah Baldwin
- Ross Malinger
- Becky
- Rosie O'Donnell
- Jay
- Rob Reiner
- Walter
- Bill Pullman
- Suzy
- Rita Wilson
- Greg
- Victor Garber
- Rob
- Tom Riis Farrell
- Maggie Baldwin
- Carey Lowell
- Barbara Reed
- Le Clanche Du Rand
- Cliff Reed
- Kevin O'Morrison
- Dennis Reed
- David Hyde Pierce
Crew
- Director
- Nora Ephron
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