Critic Reviews
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, TIME Magazine
Can a man and a woman be friends without worrying about having sex? Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan spend a beguiling dozen years trying to figure it out.
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Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Fans of Billy Crystal's amphibian qualities may be amused, but the rest of us have to contend with a slavish Woody Allen imitation.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Rob Reiner directs with deftness and sincerity, making the material seem more engaging than it is, at least until the plot machanics begin to unwind and the film starts to seem shapeless.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Reiner clearly likes his characters, and elicits sturdy performances from a proficient cast (Kirby and Fisher are especially fine as friends and confidants to the pair).
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Caryn James, New York Times
What Harry and Sally do -- the true focus of this often funny but amazingly hollow film -- is saunter through the romanticized lives of intelligent, successful, neurotic New Yorkers.
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Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
A ravishing, romantic lark brimming over with style, intelligence and flashing wit.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a better-than-average romantic comedy that remains just as relevant now as it did in 1989...
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Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Sally is special lightning-in-a-bottle stuff that every member of the production has spent precious years of their lives trying to recreate, but always failing miserably.
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, Film4
This is Ephron at her best.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Director Rob Reiner has a killer instinct for setting up jokes and punchlines, and is vastly aided by the performances and chemistry of Crystal and Ryan, as well as crisp supporting work from Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby.
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James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Reiner's film breaks the romantic-comedy mold because it's not so much about Harry and Sally as it is about men and women.
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Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
What keeps the momentum going, despite the story's predictability, is the dialogue and the chemistry, which makes for a high-wire act.
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Thomas Delapa, Boulder Weekly
Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are terrific together in one of the best romantic comedies of the 1980s.
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John Venable, Supercala.com
A classic romantic comedy.
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Jon Niccum, Lawrence Journal-World
Overrated nonsense about two people who would never date in real life.
Read all 15 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Its like the late 80's version of 500 days of summer or vice versa. Its fun and cute. It can be placed on as some of the best romantic films of our time.
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WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... is anomalous to the romance genre. Rarely do we see such a film that covers as much as an entire decade of a relationship. We rarely see a romance that spans more than a year. Unlike in many romances, we really get to know and understand Harry and Sally. The… More
WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... is anomalous to the romance genre. Rarely do we see such a film that covers as much as an entire decade of a relationship. We rarely see a romance that spans more than a year. Unlike in many romances, we really get to know and understand Harry and Sally. The story begins rather quickly, but that's so that they may be introduced as quickly as possible. By the end we feel as if we actually know them personally, even though neither one of them are the most likeable characters. (There isn't one character in this movie I'd want to meet, to tell you the truth.) In short, this isn't just a funny movie-I'm sorry, a very funny movie-but also an honest movie.
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My favorite sequence is the voiceover of Harry's late-night call to Sally, the two explicating Casablanca, while scenes of their individual lonelinesses play out.
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"I'll have what she's having."
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Somehow I never got around to watching this one before - weird since I've seen just about every other 80's and chick flick going.
The first thing that struck me was how attractive Meg Ryan looks here compared to her recent plastic surgery look. She plays the strong willed… More
Somehow I never got around to watching this one before - weird since I've seen just about every other 80's and chick flick going.
The first thing that struck me was how attractive Meg Ryan looks here compared to her recent plastic surgery look. She plays the strong willed and neurotic Sally well in this movie which starts in the 70's when she meets Harry while car pooling, up to current day (late 80's).
The two initially irritate each other, but after a chance meeting years later, they become friends, sharing their disappointments over the years. It doesn't take a genius to see where this movie is going.
Not trying to be awful, but I couldn't really see what Sally saw in Harry. It's a nice story of friendship and I was glad for the happy ending, but it didn't feel all that convincing.
This is a very popular movie, though, so I am willing to conclude that that could just be my opinion. Glad I saw it finally, though. Enjoyable.
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When Harry Met Sally, they didn't really like each other, but as the years went by, they kept bumping into each other. Soon enough, they start hanging out together and then something starts to happen. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have great chemistry, and give great but hilarious… More
When Harry Met Sally, they didn't really like each other, but as the years went by, they kept bumping into each other. Soon enough, they start hanging out together and then something starts to happen. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have great chemistry, and give great but hilarious performances. When Harry Met Sally is a touching, funny, and well acted romance film.
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It's cinematic coitus interruptus for the length of the film as we wait for the leads to know what we do (they talk about sex in every scene, doh!) and then to get to it. The best parts of the film are little added segments about real longtime married couples talking about how… More
It's cinematic coitus interruptus for the length of the film as we wait for the leads to know what we do (they talk about sex in every scene, doh!) and then to get to it. The best parts of the film are little added segments about real longtime married couples talking about how they came together (forgive me) ... all of them quicker than the film's couple.
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The funniest movie about why men and women can't be friends. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal have great chemistry in this super sweet and touching romantic comedy. Meg Ryan is adorable and Billy Crystal is just hilariously funny!!! Love this movie! :) One of the sweetest romantic… More
The funniest movie about why men and women can't be friends. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal have great chemistry in this super sweet and touching romantic comedy. Meg Ryan is adorable and Billy Crystal is just hilariously funny!!! Love this movie! :) One of the sweetest romantic movies thats just so funny! :) Love this soooo much! :) One of my most favorite 80s movie!!! :) I just love these two! :) Just an awesome movie :) :) :)
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Meg Ryan is like the cutest thing ever. She and Billy Crystal make a strange but perfectly wonderful pair.
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This is a classic film. Although it's not one of my favorites, it was fun to watch and I love how the filmmakers took us through the various time periods of their lives. Billy Crystal is witty as usual. The film dragged in a few places but it wasn't unwarranted. It was a… More
This is a classic film. Although it's not one of my favorites, it was fun to watch and I love how the filmmakers took us through the various time periods of their lives. Billy Crystal is witty as usual. The film dragged in a few places but it wasn't unwarranted. It was a very cohesive film and although probably not for everyone, it's one that I recommend.
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If you don't like movies that are solely about relationships and dating, don't watch this movie. The story really annoys me, it just goes on and on. I didn't like this movie.
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Good natured, crowd-pleasing chronicle of the obvious elephant in the room concerning sex in a relationship, and how two polar-opposite souls keep stumbling into each other through the years, and flirt with the option of taking their friendship to the next level. There are some… More
Good natured, crowd-pleasing chronicle of the obvious elephant in the room concerning sex in a relationship, and how two polar-opposite souls keep stumbling into each other through the years, and flirt with the option of taking their friendship to the next level. There are some annoying cut-aways to old couples who have nothing to do with the story talking about how they met their spouse, but this is a mostly well-done, fresh look at relationships and the joys and disappointments that ensue. It is not the masterpiece comedy like many claim, it is pretty obvious what route it will take overall and too often this comes across as a less clever form of Woody Allen, but for the most part this is a sharp comedy that has some original takes on love. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are both terrific, which is a definite plus, seeing caring about these two characters is a huge reason as to why this film ultimately succeeds in the end.
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<i>"You see? That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you."</i>
Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.… More
<i>"You see? That is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible for me to hate you."</i>
Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.
<center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center>
Romantic comedies never get much respect. I actually think it is very difficult to establish the right tone in a film of this vintage. One false move and the movie will either get too silly, too mushy or too uninteresting. If anything, director Rob Reiner never loses grip of the half-serious, half-comic atmosphere needed to make this kind of movie work. Reiner (who has impressed me in more than one occasion), invades Woody Allen's territory (literally and figuratively), but he replaces Allen's neurotic view of life with genuine sentiment, social commentary and lots of humor. Nora Ephron's script is simple, but spot on; it has none of that pretentious and quirky double talk that has tainted indie films in the last decade or so. The dialogue feels real without ever smelling like meandering improvisations. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have undeniably chemistry, and Carrie Fisher (as Ryan's best pal) almost steals the movie with a deliciously comic performance. In fact, Ryan is so good here that the poor girl has been typecast as a quirky romantic leading lady. Strong NY atmosphere helps a lot too. It's a delightfully unassuming movie.
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You're reading the initial credits and you see names like "Rob Reiner", "Nora Ephron" and "Barry Sonenfeld". With that kind of talent, you know you have a good movie before you. Even though it's about 95 minutes long, for some reason it feels… More
You're reading the initial credits and you see names like "Rob Reiner", "Nora Ephron" and "Barry Sonenfeld". With that kind of talent, you know you have a good movie before you. Even though it's about 95 minutes long, for some reason it feels much longer, but it's superbly written and features some great banter between Billy Crystal (he's perfect) and Meg Ryan. Romantic comedy classic.
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The ultimate romantic comedy! When Harry Met Sally is a witty, endearing and well-acted film that will be enjoyed for years to come. The film is excellently scripted to give to a sentimental view upon love and friendship. Although I'm not too fond of Meg Ryan she is mesmerizing… More
The ultimate romantic comedy! When Harry Met Sally is a witty, endearing and well-acted film that will be enjoyed for years to come. The film is excellently scripted to give to a sentimental view upon love and friendship. Although I'm not too fond of Meg Ryan she is mesmerizing as Sally Albright and Billy Crystal is just as wonderous as the fast-talking Harry Burns.
When Harry Met Sally is a humourous and delightful movie that soars above almost all of the rom-coms of the 21st century.
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Like most people, I consider this to be a really good and original romantic comedy. While I mainly like it for Meg Ryan and her really lovable character, Billy Crystal does do a good job at playing the cynical leading man. I like the passing of time element and the weight of the story… More
Like most people, I consider this to be a really good and original romantic comedy. While I mainly like it for Meg Ryan and her really lovable character, Billy Crystal does do a good job at playing the cynical leading man. I like the passing of time element and the weight of the story and the believability of the relationship.
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A true romantic comedy classic, containing so many truths about men and women, sex and love. The film is full of witty, real and funny dialogues and hilarious scenes. Carried by Crystal's brilliant performance and Ryan just being adorable, there is a great chemistry between them… More
A true romantic comedy classic, containing so many truths about men and women, sex and love. The film is full of witty, real and funny dialogues and hilarious scenes. Carried by Crystal's brilliant performance and Ryan just being adorable, there is a great chemistry between them throughout the entire plot. Romantic, realistic, funny. A real gem of the genre and a must see anyway.
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Billy Crystal is absolutely spectacular in this classic romantic comedy. The relationship between he and Meg Ryan made the film spark in a manner seen in very few other romantic films.
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If you ever have to name your favorite romantic comedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally will be in your top ten.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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