After the death of his mother, a young boy calls a radio station in an attempt to set his father up on a date. Talking about his father’s loneliness soon leads to a meeting with a young female journalist, who has flown to Seattle to write a story about the boy and his father.
Meg Ryan
Annie Reed
Tom Hanks
Sam Baldwin
Ross Malinger
Jonah Baldwin
Bill Pullman
Walter
Rosie O'Donnell
Becky
Barbara Garrick
Victoria
Rob Reiner
Jay
Gaby Hoffmann
Jessica
Rita Wilson
Suzy
Victor Garber
Greg
Tom Riis Farrell
Rob
Carey Lowell
Maggie Baldwin
Le Clanché du Rand
Barbara Reed
Kevin O'Morrison
Cliff Reed
David Hyde Pierce
Dennis Reed
Valerie Wright
Betsy Reed
Frances Conroy
Irene Reed
Tom Tammi
Harold Reed
Calvin Trillin
Uncle Milton
Caroline Aaron
Dr. Marcia Fieldstone
Linda Wallem
Loretta
LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Harriet
Tom McGowan
Keith
Steve Mellor
Wyatt
Marguerite Schertle
Baltimore Waitress
Dana Ivey
Claire
Brian McConnachie
Bob
Matt Smith
Mailman
Amanda Maher
Clarise
Victor Morris
Seattle Maitre D'
Philip Mihalski
Seattle Waiter
Donald J. Lee Jr.
Seattle Detective
Mary A. Kelly
Nervous Woman on Airplane
Diane Sokolow
Tiffany Saleswoman
Hannah Cox
Jessica's Mother
Rich Hawkins
Jessica's Father
Tamara Plank
Stewardess
Michael Badalucco
New York Taxi Dispatcher
Jeff Mazzola
New York Taxi Dispatcher
Philip Levy
Taxi Driver
Julie Janney
Cynthia
Tony Zazula
Maitre D'
John Boylan
Elevator Man
Robert Livingston
Elevator Man
Butch Stevenson
Valet
Sidney Armus
Information Booth Man
Philip Anagnos
Car Driver (uncredited)
Jason Bortz
Baltimore Mail Clerk (uncredited)
Scott Duthie
Tourist (uncredited)
William Rossman
Driver (uncredited)
Nick Taylor
Bartender (uncredited)
Director, Screenplay
Nora Ephron
Lyricist
Ramsay McLean
Screenplay
David S. Ward
Screenplay, Story
Jeff Arch
December 10, 2022
5
**Effective, functional and elegant, it has a script that I didn't like very much, and it has aged a little badly, but it remains an endearing film.**
This is surely one of the most famous romantic comedies that came out during the 90's, and one of the films that helped to popularize Tom Hanks, showing the world that he could be a serious actor and do more interesting things besides comedy. The film begins with a man and his young son moving to Seattle to deal with a mourning process. There, the child begins to pressure his father to find a girlfriend, to the point of calling a radio program where the father tells his story, touching a young journalist from Baltimore who is about to marry a man she doesn't love.
The script relies heavily on Platonism: the two main characters do not know each other, and only the radio broadcast and the exchange of letters truly connects them. Neither has any real reason to look for the other (Hanks' character sees physical distance as an obstacle, and Ryan's character is already committed). In the end, it is the tenacity and stubbornness of a child that leads them to find each other. Based purely on instinct, which is an illogical and irrational argument for an adult to make his decisions. For that reason, and despite recognizing the film's qualities, I didn't particularly appreciate it. I see and understand the attempt to create a contemporary romantic fable here, but fables don't really seem to work these days. For me, this one didn't work.
The film's great strength is in the excellent performances of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The two are still quite young, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to achieve higher flights in more profitable and attractive projects for their careers. Hanks had mostly done comedy up until this point, and was determined to showcase his abilities in other projects. There is no doubt that he knew how to do it and show a deeper, more sensitive and emotional side that was not evident in his work so far. Ryan was also very competent in her role. Ross Malinger was also pretty good.
The film is not a great visual spectacle. It's a 90's movie that hasn't aged well and doesn't put much effort into the visuals. Proof of this are the graphics on that US map, which look like an arcade game. The cinematography is dull, and the colors washed out, but that was commonplace and routine in films of this era, and I take that reasonably well. The film tries to compensate us with excellent scenery and cityscapes of Seattle and New York, which is always effective, and with an excellent ending on top of the Empire State Building. The soundtrack makes a smart bet on songs by Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, Celine Dion, Carly Simon, Roy Rogers and others. Most of the songs are well known and popular.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$21,000,000.00
Revenue:
$227,799,884.00