Sleepless in Seattle
★★★★
I don't drink coffee, but I liken the experience of Sleepless in Seattle to waking up on a cool morning and watching the sun come up cozied up in a favorite blanket while drinking a hot cup of joe. Nora Ephron's tale of love and fate lies in its simplicity. We always want to feel like there is something bigger than ourselves to connect us with others. Ephron is very aware of how meta she is being by noting how much movies make us fall in love with love itself. By constantly evoking An Affair to Remember and lacing the soundtrack with classic, love songs, she dares us to shed our cynical inclinations. She is constantly winking at us, but is also brilliant at creating a love story between two people who hardly speak to each other in the movie.
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are perfectly cast because they have to be strong enough performers to carry out their character arcs individually. Sleepless in Seattle really is two stories wrapped into one and the fact that these two strangers end up with one another is believable because us as an audience are rooting for them the whole way. You can't discount the wonderful supporting performances who champion these characters toward love. Bill Pullman, Rosie O'Donnell, Rita Wilson, Victor Garber and Rob Reiner are all great in their supporting roles, but it's the child actors that steal the show. Ross Malinger and Gaby Hoffmann are the cuteness that elevate this connection, especially the chemistry between Malinger and Hanks. Though the dad/son relationship seems a little too adultish at times, I think it's real authentic to the transparency that the two characters would have to form to be that real with one another.
Although there are some nit picks to be had about the believability of the trajectory of these characters, the pleasantry and lightness of this movie will ultimately win you over. It's not a bad thing to believe that love can conquer all and it's been a while since I've seen a movie that's so pure with its romantic intentions.
