The Quarantine Stream: ‘When Harry Met Sally’ Is The Perfect Romantic Comedy All Others Aspire To Be
By Ethan Anderton/June 13, 2020 10:00 am EST
The conversations between Harry and Sally that kick off the movie set the stage for what’s to come throughout the rest of the story. As the two run into each other by happenstance several times over the next decade, their relationship evolves from being mere acquaintances to best friends, seemingly disproving Harry’s theory on men and women being friends. But as the movie continues, the interaction between them inches closer to what we all know is coming. It seems silly to describe all this because it seems so formulaic by today’s standards, but When Harry Met Sally is the original formula. The tight, clever script full of witty dialogue and memorable moments, including the famous deli orgasm, makes Harry and Sally such rich characters where every single scene adds to the evolution of both their individual characters and their dynamic, in both obvious and subtle ways.
Even the supporting characters played by Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher also serve to enhance the story in the conversations they have with Harry and Sally, defining the different perspectives men and women have about relationships and the opposite sex. The side-romance between Harry and Sally’s friends is a well-crafted element of the story that would also inform romantic comedies in the years to come.
Beyond the story at the center of When Harry Met Sally, this movie serves as an informative and practical guide to relationships in general. So many concepts discussed by Harry and Sally in this movie have become reference points for real life romance, even if some of them are generalizations that have become a little outdated. Nora Ephron’s script takes a grounded, authentic approach to relationships in a way that changed the romance genre forever. While today’s audiences might see the predictable ending as overly sentimental and cheesy, everything preceding makes it feel rightfully earned. This is the definitive romantic comedy, and it never fails to lift my spirits.
