You've Got Mail (1998) / Empire Records (1995) Paramount Summer Classic Film Series Double Feature

 

You've Got Mail

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan were the epitome of screen couples in the 1990s. They made three romantic comedies together and all of them are worth a look, but my personal favorite is their last one, the Nora Ephron directed and co-written "You've Got Mail." The film is a remake and update of the 1940 Classic, "The Shop Around the Corner". It is extensively inspired by the then new phenomena of electronic communication. America On-Line (AOL) was the portal that most users of the internet in the mid to late 90s were found on. Instant messaging and e-mail were sparkling new toys that enticed people into communities, chat rooms and ultimately on-line relationships. 

Although the movie holds up pretty well when it comes to story, the technology has developed so much in the last thirty years that several things seem incredibly quaint to older viewers and foreign to younger audiences. The dial up tones for connecting to the internet have vanished and they are only a memory for early users of the internet. The notification in the mailbox that there were new messages, was probably useful in 1998. I recently covered "Eurotrip" on the LAMBcast, and the audio notification on e-mail there is quite different, just six years later. Of course today, if I had an audio notification for every new email, my phone would never shut up. 

The original film featured Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. Hanks has frequently been compared to Stewart for his aw shucks personable style and open faced handsomeness. Of course he has a quick wit and can dash off a line with flare, which is different than Stewart's deliberate and often halting delivery of lines. The two actors have different styles regardless of personality or physical similarities. Meg Ryan is completely different in her character than Sullavan was in the 1940 film. Kathleen is quiet and deferential at the start of the film, it is only after she gets advice from Joe Fox that she is able to actually confront Joe Fox. The realization that her words might be cruel, is a lesson that most people on the internet should learn.

This is a big spoonful of nostalgia for me. Like "Sleepless in Seattle" from a few years earlier, I experienced this movie with my late wife who adored it. The DVD was one of the first DVD purchases after we acquired a player late in 1998.  There was a promotional sale at "Comp USA" an long defunct computer store, which had a location about ten miles from our home and I remember driving over there on a Saturday, with the kids in the minivan, to buy the movie for the low price of $14.99. It has some Christmas sequences, but I have never thought of it as a Christmas movie. This is a romanticized view of New York Movie. It's sort of funny that there is a joke about Rudy Giuliani as mayor because it was largely his policies that allowed the idealized view of New York to flourish in the 1990s. If this film had been made in the seventies, it would have been set in San Francisco rather than NYC.

Empire Records

This was a strange pairing for the double feature. The tone of the two films is very different, and although they came out in the same era, it is very clear that they were seeking very different audiences. "Empire Records" is the antithesis of "You've Got Mail" in a number of ways. Both films feature a ton of needle drop musical moments, but "Mail" is all about established and well worn songs and moods, "Empire" is contemporary and focused on clashing subcultures of music. The former is all about polish and smooth story telling, the later is chaotic and frenetic. 

A dozen characters are featured with storylines in the film. They are not background but main arcs of the movie. The film bounces around all of those stories and barely lets us know the characters, much less develop any affinity for them. The cliched stereotypes are the short hand way in which we are expected to connect with these young people. The store appears to have more employees than customers and all of the employees have quirks that are off putting to some degree, regardless of whether they have other traits that might endear them to us. 

I suppose it is the retail workplace setting that makes this combination of films feel any sort of theme between them. Both the "Shop Around the Corner" and "Empire Records" are businesses on the brink of collapse due to competition from newer business models. It is a little ironic that youth lead internet culture subsequently consumed both industries to a large degree. Books and  Music were first, but movies are in the same buffet, and will soon be swallowed up by on-line users who will be soulless and will crush the individuality of all of us.

This movie was not a success when it was released but it has become something of a cult film as a result of cable exposure over the years. I can see why. Watching this in a theater reveals all of the films flaws, and makes it a chore to get through. This is one of the few films I think works better on a small screen and at home viewing. You can tune in and out of the dialogue without losing anything because most of the dialogue is not very good. The sequences don't really build on one another, so if you miss something while answering the door, going to the bathroom or getting a snack, it won't matter. This is not a film that was mad for my generation, but it tries to take the attitude of a touchstone film from my era like "Caddyshack" or "Animal House" and apply it to the millennial audience.   Unfortunately, from my point of view, that is a fail. 

 

When Harry Met Sally (1989) Paramount Summer Classic Film Series-ReWatch

 

Although listed as part of the Summer Classic Film Series, this screening of "When Harry Met Sally" was a combined event with author Katherine Center and one of the city’s most famous couples, Jared and Genevieve Padalecki. As such it required a separate admission from our Premier Passes.  We spent an interesting hour as the couple interviewed the author about her summer romance novels and her latest product.

 The conversation was filled with warm jokes and shared romantic experiences. It was billed as an evening of romance and I guess you could say that for the fans of the authors work, it was a success. Amanda has the book and when she is done with it I will attempt to read it as well. What really brought me to the event however was the chance to return to one of the perfect Romantic Comedies of the 1980s, and a pairing of actors that was magical.  

When I wrote about the film as part of my TCMFF coverage a few years ago, I mentioned that it was the movie that I took my wife to see for our anniversary that year. When we watched the clips of the old married couples, which were dispersed throughout the film, we laughed and imagined the stories we would be telling when we were that age. We made it to 38 years together, but we didn't get a chance to tell the stories like those couples in the film.  I will do a little of that here. Unlike Harry and Sally, we met in High School, not at the end of college. Our senior year was full of rivalry flirtations since she went to a different school than I did. Although Harry initially hits on Sally, he is not smitten with her and they part ways. Dee and I went differently, although I was hesitant at first, the more time we spent together, the greater the attraction for both of us. I never mocked her food selections at a restaurant, she was not used to eating out and we split a lot of meals.

The kibitzing between Harry and Sally however, was something we shared with the characters. Both of us were smart-alecks and had fun teasing each other or ragging on others under our breath. Harry has twisted philosophical comments through out the film, and Sally has incisive insights into men and women that reflect Harry's behaviors. They are a great match although they resist the pull of romance for most of the film. We never did that part, we dove full in. Billy Crystal has a deflective way of commenting on everything, and that style of humor turns out to be perfect for the tone of the film. Meg Ryan was at the height of her "cute" stage and she played the insecurity of Sally perfectly. Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher practically steal the movie as their best friends who find love in each others arms and wonder what Harry and Sally are doing with all the dance.

Nora Ephron was the queen of the smart romantic comedy and her screenplay here is marvelously witty and not overly sentimental, in spite of the old couples inclusion. Director Rob Reiner was in the middle of one of the greatest runs of fil
ms by a director ever, with "The Princess Bride' right behind him, and "Misery" and "A Few Good Men" coming up next. The synergy of the actors and creatives make you want to order whatever they were all having for lunch.

We all hope that Harry and Sally will be our story, where we fall in love with our best friend and find long term happiness. I don't mean to brag, but that is exactly what I did. What a lucky guy. 

 

TCM Film Festival 10th Anniversary Recap--Day One

This was the sixth TCM Film festival that I have attended, and the third year in a row that we included the Opening Night Red carpet Event in our schedule. I see that a lot of festival attendees begin their experience a day or two earlier with special lectures or tours in the area. Since I am usually squeezing in the Festival around my work schedule, I have to wait util the official beginning of the event. [although I am retiring and next year I will be free to gallivant wherever and whenever I please.]

For the past four festivals I have been accompanied by my youngest daughter Amanda, who is as movie crazed as I am and will gladly sit down for a pre-code classic or a late eighties recent classic. Like her old man, her favorite decade of film is the glorious 1970s, but we have a healthy love for all the prior decades as well. We started off the opening day by checking in and getting the gift bag that came with the pass we had purchased, and then we strolled down the street to have dinner at the venerable Musso and Frank, which is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year. Thursday night is Chicken Pot Pie night, which is what I had last year, so Amanda ordered that. I chose the scallops and was rewarded with a light but very rich meal. Since I skipped the Lyonnaise Potatoes, I did not feel too bad devouring the hard crusted sourdough bread and butter that was set on the table when we ordered.

We turned down desert and walked back to the Chinese Theater to walk the Red Carpet Event. We saw a couple of celebrities, including the Chair of TCM itself, and David Paymer was out front talking with some of the crowd.




We went into our seats in the theater, loaded down with the popcorn and soda that comes with the celebration of opening night. I did a quick little Facetime video while we awaited the start of the proceedings.

The Opening night film this year was "When Harry Met Sally", which is celebrating it's 30th anniversary this year. I was a little sad at times during the evening because my memories of the film are now bittersweet. My wife and I went to see the film when it opened, on our ninth wedding anniversary. "When Harry Met Sally" was also the first Laserdisc I purchased a year later when we treated ourselves to a new Laserdisc player as an anniversary gift for our 10th. I remember how pleased and surprised my wife was at the selection, and we enjoyed the film many more times over the years. This coming August will be the first year I will be alone for our wedding Anniversary, and the cloud of loneliness hovers over the heartwarming memories. 

Before the film presentation, there was a brief video salute to the founder of TCM and it's namesake, Ted Turner. Mr. Turner was there in person, seated about five rows behind where we were. In a nod to social politeness, nothing was mentioned about film colorization and his early advocacy of that. Instead, the focus was on his love of old movies and the desire to create a place for all of us who love them as well. Best to dwell on the positive at an event like this.

The main guests for the film were the two stars and the director. Rob Reiner was brought out first by host Ben Mankiewicz, and then Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan appeared, and they were rolled out on a couch like the one the married couples were interviewed on in the film. That of course was the close of the movie, so it was as if Billy and Meg had been sitting on the couch for 30 years since and are in the same spot for this evening. It was a very cute idea that when over well with the crowd.

What followed was a delightfully entertaining conversation about the origins of the movie, the work of screenwriter Nora Ephron and the contributions made by all of the cast members during the shoot. It seems that the iconic gag line "I'll have what she's having" was suggested by Billy Crystal, and that Meg Ryan was the one who actually volunteered to act it all out in front of the full crowd at the deli. Everyone seemed in good spirits and talked graciously about the late Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby. Nora Ephron was the focus of a tribute that would happen later in the festival, and another of her films was also being shown during the weekend.

A truly cool moment emerged when Rob Reiner, while talking about the music of the film, mentioned the work of composer Marc Shaiman, who was there in the audience and then came forward and briefly joined in the conversation. He was an enthusiastic spark plug in the middle of the discussion and made the moment feel even more special by his contribution.

When the movie actually runs, you are reminded how it really reinvigorated the idea of romantic comedies. The approach was fresh and instead of a series of contrived events, you got moments of personal revelation and witty dialogue to boot. All of the stars were excellent in their roles and the promise of the young Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby is weighed down a bit by their absence in the  opening discussion. The scenes where all four characters are talking simultaneously on the phone will  remind you of Doris Day and Rock Hudson, and the clever echoed dialogue shows how we all want the same sort of thing, to be loved.