When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Director:

Rob Reiner

Writer (WGA):

Nora Ephron (written by)

Release Date:

21 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?

Plot:

Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Plot Keywords:

Sex | Friendship | University Of Chicago | New York | Love

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Billy Crystal	...	Harry Burns
Meg Ryan	...	Sally Albright
Carrie Fisher	...	Marie
Bruno Kirby	...	Jess
Steven Ford	...	Joe
Lisa Jane Persky	...	Alice
Michelle Nicastro	...	Amanda
Gretchen Palmer	...	Stewardess
Robert Alan Beuth	...	Man on Aisle
David Burdick	...	9 Year Old Boy
Joe Viviani	...	Judge
Harley Jane Kozak	...	Helen (as Harley Kozak)
Joseph Hunt	...	Waiter at Wedding
Kevin Rooney	...	Ira
Franc Luz	...	Julian

Also Known As:

Harry, This Is Sally (USA) (working title)
When Harry Met Sally (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

96 min | Turkey:89 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Iceland:L | Norway:11 (TV rating) | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Italy:T | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:18 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

Albert Brooks turned down the role of Harry Burns.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Harry and Sally are in the diner and discussing whether women can fake orgasms, Sally's sandwich changes shape between shots.

Quotes:

Sally Albright: Well, if you must know, it was because he was very jealous, and I had these days of the week underpants.
Harry Burns: Ehhhh. I'm sorry. I need the judges ruling on this. "Days of the weeks underpants"?
Sally Albright: Yes. They had the days of the week on them, and I thought they were sort of funny. And then one day Sheldon says to me, "You never wear Sunday." It was all suspicious. Where was Sunday? Where had I left Sunday? And I told him, and he didn't believe me.
Harry Burns: What?
Sally Albright: They don't make Sunday.
Harry Burns: Why not?
Sally Albright: Because of God.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bezmiar sprawiedliwosci (2006)

Soundtrack:

Our Love Is Here To Stay

the perfect modern take on a classic idea

Aside from freer language and more explicitly sexual humour, When Harry met Sally is a very traditional romantic comedy, very much in the mould established in 1934 by It Happened One Night. Two very different but evenly-matched people are thrown together by circumstance. They are initially hostile to one another, but over the course of the film, this hostility turns to love as their personalities are softened by exposure to their opposites. Indeed, the central traits of Harry and Sally correspond very directly to those of Peter and Ellen in IHON - he worldly-wise and cynical, she spoiled and certain of what's what. Neither of them, it turns out, is as right or as self-confidant as they believe. What's very modern about WHMS is its attitude to long-term relationships. It's no longer enough for the couple simply to fall in love and live happily ever after. They must have a full and real understanding of exactly what, or who, they're letting themselves in for. They must also be sexually compatible (hence the importance of their having slept with one another before they finally get together). Within this framework of traditional romance in an unromantic world, WHMS is almost perfect. Structurally, there are no gaps or implausibilities. Even the central coincidence of these people running into each other under these circumstances is answered. The short but affecting intermissions of successful old couples describing their relationships are not only crucial to the pacing of the film, they also make the point that Harry and Sally are just another couple with an unusual and interesting story. There's an element of luck and coincidence in every successful relationship. The effectiveness of the film's structure is perhaps best highlighted by the soundtrack. There's a perfectly selected Louis Armstrong track for every phase of their relationship - the soundtrack not only complements the mood of the film, it comments on the action. The acting is superb, with the two main protagonists as well as their two foils (Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher) all giving career-best comic performances. Without such fantastic performances, it's very possible that the film could have failed: these are essentially self-indulgent people, that we sympathise with them and recognise them is in great measure down to the stars. Finally, the script is fantastic. Of course nobody really speaks like that, but like all great scripts it distills emotions and points of view into a few lines. And it's funny. The one-liners are still sharp and amusing on the twentieth viewing, and the set-pieces are beautifully realised (the orgasm scene is only the most famous - check out Harry's olympic sex-dream speech - "Must have been the dismount" - or the "I'm through making a schmuck out of myself" phone call). All this, and a dinner party talking point about male and female relationships. Can we ever be just friends? Not even with an ugly girl? "Nah, you pretty much want to nail them too."