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There are few classic chick flicks that appeal as much to my husband as they do to me. For the life of me, I can’t convince him to sit down and watch Dirty Dancing or Beaches with me—but I don’t have to ask twice when I want to watch When Harry Met Sally.
Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) and Sally Albright (Meg Ryan) meet for the first time when they drive from Chicago to New York together after college. They don’t really get along because their personalities are complete opposites—Harry is a laid-back guy who’s dating Sally’s friend but isn’t afraid to flirt a little with Sally; and she’s a bright, bubbly, sort of naïve person who thinks he’s totally out of line for even saying that he thinks she’s attractive. Once they get to New York, they part ways…supposedly never to see each other again.
Ten years later, after they’ve both been through ups and downs in their career and personal lives, they run into each other. Finding a sympathetic ear in one another, they start out talking about their previous failed relationships, and eventually become good friends. It takes two more years before they realize they’re in love.
I remember watching this movie for the first time in a communication class during my first year in college. Our professor showed it to us as a springboard for a discussion on the different ways men and women see the same situation. It was a good pick, because this movie is a real gem when it comes to that sort of thing. For example, take this exchange, when Harry and Sally are discussing what men and women expect after sex:
Harry: Do you know what men think after we have sex? We think, “How long do I have to stay here and hold her before I can get up and leave? Is 30 seconds enough?”
Sally: That’s what you’re thinking?!
Harry: Yes. All men think that. How long do you like to be held after sex? All night, right? See, that’s your problem. Somewhere between 30 seconds and all night is your problem.
Sally: I don’t have a problem.
Harry: Yes, you do.
This movie is just an endless source of entertainment and quotable scenes and one-liners. The supporting cast, including Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby, are wonderful, but the best scenes are the ones with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. They have such wonderful chemistry and you just want their characters to figure it out and get together already.
And of course, this movie is worth a watch (or a re-watch) just for Meg Ryan’s classic scene in the diner…and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you definitely need to get out more (and see this movie while you’re at it). It’s one of the funniest scenes in movie history, complete with the classic line: “I’ll have what she’s having.”
In short, When Harry Met Sally is and always will be a chick-flick classic. And it’s the best kind, too…because chances are, the guy in your life will enjoy watching it just as much as you do.
