Few film genres have been as maligned, as mocked, as thoroughly dismissed, as the romantic comedy. Perhaps it’s the facile nature of the stories, or that they are seen as appealing exclusively to women. No matter the reason, to mention romantic comedy is to be met with an instant, and intense eye roll. It is somewhat understandable, as any film that has a built in audience can fall victim to laziness and complacency. But the same could be said for every other genre, as well. And like those, there are the romantic comedies that both epitomize and elevate the genre, spurring on genuine cinematic discussion. Films like It Happened One Night, Annie Hall, and When Harry Met Sally. Similarly, Nora Ephron’s You’ve Got Mail may tell a familiar story, but it is told with such an effortless flair and acted so beautifully that it feels just as fresh as any other great film made within one of the more “respectable” genres.
The story – which easily qualifies as “simple but not simplistic” – revolves around Joe (Tom Hanks) and Kathleen (Meg Ryan), two lonely people who, despite both being in relationships, are becoming increasingly enamored with each other, albeit through the anonymity of the internet. In the real world, however, they are bitter rivals, with Joe’s successful chain of bookstores threatening to put Kathleen’s boutique children’s bookstore out of business. Of course, formula dictates that they will eventually discover each other’s identity. And as satisfying as that will inevitably be, it is the characters’ personal journeys that keep us interested. In a fun twist, the antagonism of their real world relationship causes them to be more and more cruel to each other, while their impersonal internet relationship brings out their humanity. This sense of duality is, at times, funny and at other times, tragic. Lesser actors would be unable to find consistency between these two elements, but Hanks and Ryan create fully-developed characters and have such natural chemistry, that everything flows along organically. It is this dynamic that redeems even the most obvious of cliches, to such a degree that even a line as earnest as “Oh, how I wish you would” is rendered not only acceptable, but actually quite touching.
Our two likable leads are given solid support by an impressive cast of heavy hitters, such as Greg Kinnear, Steve Zhan, Dave Chappelle, Jean Stapleton, and the always-reliable Parker Posey. These actors manage to take very familiar characters – from the clueless boyfriend, to the eccentric coworker- and breathe new life into them, in keeping with one of the film’s larger goals, which is to tell a very human and relatable story. All of this against the backdrop of New York City during the holidays, shot with such depth and texture that we feel as though we could step right into the frame.
One of the unintended pleasures of revisiting the film is as a fascinating snapshot of the era in which it was made. The film, now twenty-five years old, was made at a time when the internet was still relatively new. Characters regularly dismiss it as a fun novelty with very little practical use. It also begins to hint at the addictive nature of being online, as our main characters can’t wait to be left alone so that they can indulge their email habit. Given how vital the internet has become in our lives – and the various studies decrying this – the film serves as a cautionary tale that it never meant to be. Add to that the role of bookstores, which would soon become extinct at the hands of the internet, as well as the characters’ disdain for a still-new-but-growing company called Starbucks, and the film takes on a quality that many would view as dated, but I call quaint.
In the end, You’ve Got Mail contains all sorts of little treasures for those that are open to it. From engaging characters, to complex relationships, this film is everything a good romantic comedy should be. And more than that – though some would be reluctant to admit it – it’s everything a good movie should be.