When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Albert Brooks would have made a more believable Harry sleeping around with New York girls after his divorce. I never bought Billy Crystal would be that much of a stud.

Half of the couple's testimonials should have been deleted. Most of them are repetitive.

As much as I dislike Meg Ryan, she was the perfect Sally.

Susan Dey would have been cringeworthy in the role.

Meg Ryan BOLTED from Steel Magnolias to do this film - which opened the door for Julia Roberts to take it.

Shitty film. So much of it was derivative of Annie Hall it was ridiculous. Don't like either of them (the actors) at all.

"Meg Ryan looks the best she's ever looked!" - Movie Goers in1989

"Hold my beer!" 🍺 - Meg Ryan

i like carrie in it

Molly would be a bit young for the role.

The funny thing is that they drove north to go from south side Chicago to NY. That is the wrong direction.

The porn version was called When Harry ate Sally.

You really feel the time that has passed watching this movie now since Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher both died.

I loved Bruno Kirby Jr.

Billy Crystal took offense at something Bruno did or said and had him blackballed.

If Molly Ringwald was in it, she would have kooky style and a complete inability to sell a sandwich

Since Billy Crystal is the weakest link in this movie, I can imagine a version with Albert Brooks and Susan Dey, though it would have been more dramatic.

This would have been the perfect role for Molly Ringwald to transition into adult romantic comedies.

R11 he was also great in The Freshman - an underrated comedy.

Great movie. It should have been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

I always enjoyed it, as chick-flick-y as it might be.

[quote]Billy Crystal took offense at something Bruno did or said and had him blackballed.

Really? Did Billy Crystal have that much pull?

He wasn't blackballed. He worked up til the end. Though I heard a rumor that he and Crystal had a falling out

Meg did herself a favor bolting from Steel Magnolias to land this picture. I don't like Steel Magnolias particularly but I really can't imagine Meg in that role. Roberts did pretty good looking back. When Harry Met Sally gave her that cutesy, rom-com career on a platter. Julia didn't have a career until Pretty Woman. They both landed the roles that made them. Oddly, Molly Ringwald turned down both. Crazy!

I laughed at the idea of those two being University of Chicago grads.

Agree R22. Possibly Sally, but not a Harry.

Rob Reiner wanted SUSAN DEY for the role of Sally? That seems damned hard to believe. It's a joke, right?

"Director Rob Reiner originally wanted Susan Dey to play Sally Albright. When Dey turned down the part, he approached Elizabeth Perkins, Elizabeth McGovern and Molly Ringwald"

Jesus Christ. Talk about lucking out with casting.

Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby were the best thing about that movie. I feel that scenario so hard — being set up on a double date where you connect with the “wrong” person.

Meg Ryan with her Joker face must have an Audrey Too vaginal death grip that clamped onto Dennis Quaid, Russell Crowe, John Cusack, Anthony Edwards and John Mellencamp post-Christie Brinkley.

I rewatched this movie over the holidays and thought it held up pretty well. I watched with my teen nieces and they liked it too. The biggest laugh out loud moment was Carrie bolting into the cab. The movie was very verbal so that little bit of physical comedy stood out.

That scene with Bruno and Carrie jumping into the cab must have also taken about 50 takes. The joke of the scene is based on the timing of their banter, getting into the cab and the cab peeling out.

I was Rob's unspoken first choice before Susan Dey.

The only time I have liked Meg Ryan

The big jokes come at just the right intervals. I really like this movie.

The diner/orgasm scene was Billy’s idea. He even wrote the “I’ll have what she’s having” line.

I wonder how many jokes are from Billy and how many are from Nora.

The final scene with Harry and Sally talking about their wedding cake was improvised.

I haven’t seen Sleepless in Seattle or You’ve Got Mail in a long time but I remember preferring Sleepless although it wasn’t as funny. I remember nothing about Mail except the beautiful photography of the Upper West Side. When Harry Met Sally is my second favorite romcom of the 80s, number one is Working Girl. I really wish they’d make these type of movies again.

Meg looked best with the long curls.

Love this movie...

But I can imagine Albert Brooks playing Harry, too.

Very much enjoy Billy Crystal's version, however.

Even though Julia Roberts is from Georgia her Southern accent in Steel Magnolias is the worst and most annoying aspect of the movie.

Maybe Meg Ryan could have believably sold that her favorite colors are blush and bashful.

His did this movie do internationally? It’s so talky I’m not sure it would sell well.

The Brits don’t really do Woody Allen. My sister in law is British and she had never even heard of Annie Hall. Aaron Sorkin shows don’t do well there either. She says “too much talk”. Her daughter loves Gilmore Girls and she always says “how do they hold from all the talking”.

Albert Brooks is a better actor but I think the movie would have had to have taken a darker comedic tone for that casting to work. The way it is, I think Billy Crystal is cast perfectly (he has more of a likeable, non threatening quality - I’m not at all surprised he was a finalist for Jack Tripper), and he’s actually quite good in the movie. Meg Ryan was perfectly cast too and likewise it’s basically the only thing I’ve ever really liked her in.

Re U of Chicago - I would say just the opposite; it’s not a typical “midwestern” school - it’s very nerdy and very Jewish. You don’t really see people looking like sunny Sally Albright going there.

Well, the film turned out great so all the right people got the right roles in my view (Carrie Fisher steals the film though).

A movie that marked a generation, I still have orgasms when I dine out...

R41 Dina Lohan?

R40 it’s definitely her best role. It should have marked the beginning of a great run as comedic supporting actress, but oh well. I guess she was never clean or mentally well for a long enough period of time.

She was good in Hannah and her Sisters too.

Anyway yes the movie is very Woody Allen derivative but it holds up remarkably well - I can see why very young people view it as a true classic.

Its 30th anniversary is this year. FUCK, do I feel old.

Two of the best scenes in the movie are the ones with Carrie Fisher in restaurants.

With Meg Ryan in Central Park, "She doesn't have a problem with chins."

And with Bruno Kirby, "I've never quoted anybody in my life, and you wrote it? That's amazing! Don't you think that's amazing?"

Gorgeous movie, I still remember watching through my neighbours blinds.

Shout Factory just reissued this on Blu-ray for its 30th anniversary.

Not sure how it compares to the previous Blu-ray (which I just bought a few weeks ago).

The delivery of the chins line is hysterical. And relevant for me because my longest relationship was with a tall, slim, handsome man who had a saggy neckline and no chin. Very unfortunate but I don’t have a problem with chins either.

The actress who played Sally’s other friend (Alice?) played Dorothy Z’s daughter on one of the first Golden Girls episodes (where she gets married). But then a season later they brought in another actress for the divorce.

I appreciated that they got Meg Ryan’s hair right for the 1977 scenes.

Also (re the trivia)...Joe was Gerald Ford’s son???!?

[quote]I laughed at the idea of those two being University of Chicago grads.

How come?

Elizabeth McGovern turned him down?

That seems odd. They were dating at this point. That is how Reiner discovered Kathy Bates for Misery (which came out the next year)

Bates and McGovern were starring in the LA cast of the play Aunt Dan and Lemon. So Reiner was around the play a lot because of McGovern. That is where he got the idea to cast Bates after bigger stars like Bette Midler and Jessica Lange turned him down.

R20, Bruno no longer appeared in mainstream movies. He had smaller rolls in smaller films.

R19, Bruno was in City Slickers with Billy and that came out after Harry/Sally.

Yeah he and Crystal had a falling out. It is why Kirby isn't in the City Slickers sequel.

Bruno Kirby was worth Billy Crystals.

Just watched it for the first time. I fin Meg Ryan's face annoying but I did like that they made it obvious that her character starts being very cold and ends up being a bit more fun. Billy Crystal is sometimes handosme and other times he looks like a fire victim, his delivery is funny but not in a laugh out loud way. The movie gets so tiring towards the end. It's a nice film but I still prefer Woody's film, this one seems very inspired by his late eighties output, despite him being a pervert or whatever.

This movie has not aged that well. 30 years on it looks a bit creaky.

I never bought into the idea that anyone would want to sleep with Billy Crystal. But he was funny.

R57 - Billy Crystal NEVER, but Bruno Kirby I would have fucked the Hell out of back in the day. He'd make a very sexy little bottom.

While playing Pictionary, Bruno Kirby and Meg Ryan do a great job of portraying friends of friends who passive-aggressively will never get along.

“Oh, but “baby fishmouth” is sweeping the nation!”

I don’t think that the jokes have gone stale.

I don't think I've ever watched the entire film, maybe caught some scenes on TV, but I have been to Katz's Deli.

R1 Albert Brooks? Flopsweat? No. I think he would have had an interesting more cynical take on the character though. With Crystal, you feel like Harry is a good sensitive guy underneath his snarks. With Brooks, Harry wouldn't have been so easy to like.

Besides, Harry isn't a stud. Women aren't depicted as throwing themselves at him.

Bryant Park in NYC included this film in this past summer's Monday night movies series. Huge crowd and great reactions. I brought a friend who had never seen it and she loved it. I think it holds up well.

Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner are scheduled to appear together at the TCM Classic Film Festival in April.

30 yrs later, I've never seen it. I don't think I've even had it on for a few minutes. Olden days romantic comedies could be good, but I really don't like any modern ones. And I detest Billy Chrystal, so I know watching it would make me want to claw my eyes out.

I love when Billy shows off his ass in the car scene.

The whole scene at the stadium was hilarious when Crystal was going on about his wife having an affair with the you don't fuck with Mr Zero guy. By the time they did the last wave I was dying. "Well that symptom is fucking my wife!"

I loved the Harry Connick Jr. soundtrack.

"I laughed at the idea of those two being University of Chicago grads."

When they leave campus to head back to NYC, they drive past downtown/Loop. That would be unnecessary if they were leaving from Hyde Park. Maybe the had to go somewhere before leaving the city.

R62 you understand that Albert Brooks played the role of a character with flopsweat, right?

Albert Brooks had a lot girlfriends in Hollywood in the 70s and 80s. He dated Linda Ronstadt, Carrie Fisher, Julie Hagerty, Kathryn Harrold.

R71 I know...I’m a big fan of his comedy but that always kind of baffled me. It’s not like he was that successful then, not to mention he seems a bit of a depressive type.

I thought Crystal was very appealing back then, in a Jewish sort of way. I totally would have dated him (yes I’m a female).

Albert Brooks typifies a hairy Jewish bear type. He talked about having threesomes on Howard Stern, and how someone always ends up feeling left out.

I never understood Holly Hunter in "Broadcast News"going after William Hurt when Albert Brooks was ready and available.

There are Hollywood/societal standards of beauty for males too, R73. A young William Hurt is more in line with the ideal.

Well, isn't that the whole point/story of Broadcast News, r73?

I found Billy quite sexy in this but even back in '89, the age difference, although not jarring, was still noticeable.

She turned into a half melted WENCH and he became a GARGOYLE.

[quote]it’s definitely her best role. It should have marked the beginning of a great run as comedic supporting actress, but oh well. I guess she was never clean or mentally well for a long enough period of time.

That was the reason. If Carrie had been in better shape, she would've had a great career as a comedic actress but unfortunately her problems go in the way.

R77 - all true, but somehow I loved her in every role that she ever played - even Drop Dead Fred.

[quote] Re U of Chicago - I would say just the opposite; it’s not a typical “midwestern” school - it’s very nerdy and very Jewish. You don’t really see people looking like sunny Sally Albright going there.

The family's pre-immigration name was Albrecht and Sally was supposed to be a brunette.

When Billy Screwed Bruno...

Wonder what happened between them. Homosexual quarrel?

City Slickers II was a flop anyway. Nobody wanted a sequel.

Billy sounds like a diva.

"Emily is Aunt Emi!y?"

“But Harry doesn’t even like sweets!”

I AM? I AM THE DOG?!

It is one of those movies that motivates people to move to New York.

"Empirically, you are attractive."

Speaking of Bruno Kirby and The Freshman it’s on TCM now. It’s never on. It’s such a delightful movie.

Is one of us supposed to BE A DOG in this scenario?!

Right Time of the Night playing in the diner

WEHT Jennifer Warnes? She was a frau favorite back in the day.

I'm stunned that Reiner wanted Molly Ringwald, of all people, to be Sally. Her stilted acting and total inability to do comedy were bad enough, but she was also 20 when the movie was being made. (Billy Crystal was 40.) What was he thinking??

Billy Crystal was too old for the part, although he was pretty good.

R70, really? Are you sure?

Albert Brooks is hilarious and super smart/witty. Also while not conventionally handsome, he isn't bad looking. So I can see why women would be attracted to him, especially women who are creative/artistic themselves. And for really beautiful women, he's the kind of partner who signals they have some depth. It's the Monroe-Miller syndrome.

"Director Rob Reiner originally wanted Susan Dey to play Sally Albright. "

Susan Dey? Source? Why would Susan Dey turn it down? That makes no sense.

Albert Brooks was really robbed of the Oscar for Broadcast News. He steals every scene he’s in.

R97 totally agree. That was actually the first year (I was 10?) that I was into the Oscars and rooting for anyone - and Broadcast News has I think 10 noms and lost all of them. He never had a chance against Connery though, sadly.

Yeah the shutout for Broadcast News at the Oscars was ridiculous. It should’ve won for screenplay at the very least instead of Moonstruck. James L Brooks had won three in 1984 so they probably thought too much too soon.

[quote]Billy Crystal is sometimes handosme and other times he looks like a fire victim

Probably the most truest statement on DL.

Love the film. The only downside is the cringe inducing part when Crystal starts his today we are gonna talk like this with that stupid voice.

The goofy voice scene let’s the audience know that Harry isn’t always so morose and self-serious. It also lets us know that his spontaneous silliness is appealing to Sally.

“I would be pleased to partake of your pecan pie”

Wow, Billy Crystal sounds really terrible for ruining Bruno Kirby's career. Kirby appeared semi-regularly on The Larry Sanders Show in the 90s, so he and Shandling were probably friends.

R100 well I think it’s more of a chronological thing, like he WAS kind of handsome/appealing and then has he aged fucked with his face he got more looking like a fire victim. It’s not like he Literally alternated between the two.

Like other posters, this is the only movie Meg Ryan ever did that I could watch.

Reading this thread has made me realize... I actually want to watch Broadcast News instead.

R105 - this and You've Got Mail, where I can fantasize about having inherited an independent bookstore and living in Manhattan in a lovely old building, then being courted as a book editor after that gets overrun by a mega-bookstore, which only happened because they discount. Oh, but who cares, because the rich guy and I fall in love. (side note: Kathleen and Sally have similar taste in bedding, too.)

r107 that bedroom is Frau Central.

R97, he should have won it for the scene in R62 alone. I cringe-laugh every time no matter how many times I watch it.

R107 I always used to mock that movie but on TV that movie has grown on me. It’s bettwr than Sleepless in Seattle which I can’t watch at all. And Tom Hanks is better in this than he needs to be - I actually really like him here, surprisingly.

I grew up with the film and loved it. I can’t think of another romantic comedy I could even get through since 1989.

I agree that pecan pie scene was just the worst. IIRC it was improvised by Crystal and it really through Ryan off - she did not want to do that weird as shit voice. You can see her look away from him and toward the director, like ‘What the fuck am I supposed to do with this and can you please make it stop?’

I’ve never found Billy Crystal remotely attractive. NASA uses his forehead to bounce satellite beams into space.

Wow, Carrie Fisher👏

The best three romantic comedies

1. Annie Hall 2. When Harry Met Sally 3. Irreconcilable Differences

Whoops

*threw* Ryan off

Meg Ryan looks to Rob Reiner and laughs when Billy starts to improv the pecan pie voice because she thinks he's going to cut.

R114 - I forgot that Meg looked away during that interchange.

Pecan Pie clip -- beware for those that will be triggered.

Not long after this movie, Meg Ryan was like Goldie Hawn in the First Wives Club at the doctor's office, "I WANT JAGGER!"

I don't understand why everyone thinks Meg Ryan is featured in this film when that actress looks NOTHING like Meg Ryan.

R112, 45 year old hausfrau.

Fun fact: the brownstone where Jess and Marie live is on the same street/block as Kathleen Kelly's apartment in You've Got Mail.

[quote]Albert Brooks is hilarious and super smart/witty.

And hairy!

[quote] Meg Ryan looks to Rob Reiner and laughs when Billy starts to improv the pecan pie voice because she thinks he's going to cut.

Did Reiner say that? Because this may have been an improv that started in the medium shot, but they must have then decided to keep it in the film and repeat it in the close-ups (at which point it is no longer an improv).

Sleepless In Seattle was so wrong on so many levels. Just made no damn sense.

A lot of the dialogue came from conversations Nora Ephron had with Rob Reiner. Albert Brooks is closer in stature to Rob Reiner than Billy Crystal.

R106, it's such a great film but the last time I watched it I felt like Jane's horror at Tom staging the date rape interview is just too quaint and that just took the punch out.

Katz's deli has the best pastrami in the 🌎

Susan Dey was a big TV star 30 years ago with LA Law. Maybe she couldn't shoot around that schedule. She seemed to want nothing to do with the lime light which is why you never hear from her any more.

She wanted to do comedy but Diane English dumped her after one season of Love&War.

Sleepless in Seattle is creepy af. I was very young when it came out and always thought it was cute (and a superior movie to You've Got Mail). However, watching it through adult eyes is a revelation. She straight-up stalked his ass. She treated her perfectly nice fiancee like shit. She ran around the country after this guy like a total lunatic. I think Sam dumped her crazy ass after the movie ended and only took her hand in the elevator because he realized she was a psychopath and didn't want her to hurt his son.

Nora corrected most of the problematic elements of SiS in You've Got Mail.

Susan Dey giving some early 80s rom-com drama in "Malibu" miniseries

I've always hated that ham Billy Crystal.

[quote]sister • 12 years ago. I have worked with Billy onscreen and yes he has more hair now than he did then. Those are little sprouts of hair he glues in all over his head. I've seen them sitting in hair and make up. No one is allowed in the trailer when he is having his magic hair attached. But Billy is mean. Really mean. His MO is that everyone think he is this "great guy" but he is terribly small inside and easily threatened by talent. He has a cruel streak. Very cruel. Deborah Winger quit acting after working with him in Forget Paris. He wants actors to make him look good (because he's not a great actor) but if you outshine him he will edit you to his favor professionally cut you off at the knees. I really appreciate the truth of him being aired.

Datalounge GoFundMe account for the "When Harry Met Sally... " reboot starring Albert Brooks and Susan Dey starts NOW!

I have an unopened, poppin fresh Little Debbie Zebra Cake that I can donate to crafty

R130 where is that from?

[Quote] I’ve never found Billy Crystal remotely attractive. NASA uses his forehead to bounce satellite beams into space.

LMAO

It's not as dated as other 80s movies.

R128, I cosign your post. She had a perfectly nice fiance and threw him away to be a stalker.

The only movie Rosie was tolerable in though.

R121 Meg Ryan said that. She did not want to imitate his weird ass pecan pie voice.

R67, Mr. Zero is one of Helen's movers, not her lover. Hope I never have to see a movie with a bubble head like you!

The ultimate "Straight, Jewish singles of the UWS masterpiece".

It got on my nerves.