Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally is one of those nearly flawless romantic comedies that will never be forgotten. It is so ingrained in our culture that it invades our subconscious views on dating and relationships and we cannot imagine a world where those now-obvious opinions were never before voiced. The writing is brilliant. The words Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan speak are provocative and poignant, and worst of all true. Their acting is so fluid and genuine, it is difficult to imagine anyone else playing those characters. The diner scene is simply unrivaled in the genre of romantic comedy; nothing comes close. Even Rob Reiner's directing impressed me. Much like Annie Hall, although not nearly at that same level, this film contains a number of creative cinematic touches that give it a uniqueness and individuality that help make it memorable (the double phone call, the couples' stories). As an aside, I didn't find much to enjoy in the music, cinematography, or editing, but who really cares?
For me, I was a bit conflicted. It reminded me way too much of Seinfeld and it was nearly impossible to separate the two. If you are a big Seinfeld fan, you will find yourself comparing the two nonstop, and it is a bit maddening. The same problem arises if you're an Annie Hall fan. Meg Ryan dresses in a bizarre, hideous, almost repulsive manner throughout the entire movie, perhaps in an effort to highlight her singularity, but all it does is mar the memory of Diane Keaton's style in Annie Hall. I didn't realize how much I hated it until I wrote this review, but it really is that awful. Anyway, great movie, with a few caveats. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend you watch it now. And if you have seen it before, why not watch it again?IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098635/