For some reason, I have gained the impression that Sleepless in Seattle is a notorious chick flick, shunned my all members of the male persuasion. Whether or not this impression is true, Sleepless in Seattle is certainly not a film that should be shunned by all males. Of course, if the only films you like tend to be Jet Li/Steven Segal/Arnold Schwarzenegger-ian action flicks, then you should definitely cross Sleepless in Seattle off your list. However, if there is a record in your past for enjoying light comedies, then you ought to consider seeing this. Of course, I'd imagine that people who would see this flick probably has all ready, being that it was a popular date-flick in its day, but just in case you haven't, then I recommend it to you!
There is no denying, however, that this is a chick flick. It's about a man (Tom Hanks) who is still emotionally recovering, after two years, from the death of his wife. Hank's son, Jonah (Ross Malinger) dials a popular radio psychologist and explains to the world of his father's problems (i.e. not being able to sleep, hence the title). So, the radio psychologist puts dad on the phone and they have a rather deep discussion. This discussion becomes so popular that it turns into a recurring series. Eventually, Hanks turns into a radio-celebrity and receives tons and tons of mail from adoring and relationship-seeking women. Meg Ryan, who has been in on this radio program from the beginning, would like to meet this emotionally-distraught man despite its impracticality.
This is a funny film. The script is chock-full of humorous scenes and upon some notable occasions, outright hilarious. One notable quality that I enjoyed about this film is that there are some scenes that actually satirizing women's taste in pop culture. (It's a rather bold thing to do considering that women are the number one fans of this genre.) In an unforgettable scene, Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell describe television commercials and, in doing so, are brought to tears. Best of all, however, the film's charm-factor is cranked up to a ten.
Meg Ryan gives her trademark bubbly performance (which is good or bad depending on your taste). However, Tom Hanks shines (as always) and turns in an excellent performance.
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Starring:
Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, Rosie O'Donnell, Gaby Hoffman, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, Barbara Garrick, Carey Lowell, David Hyde Pierce Dana Ivey, Rob Reiner, Tom Riis Farrell
Directed by:
Nora Ephron
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1993 romance/comedy
Rated PG
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Don Ignacio's score: B+