Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
If you were celebrating Valentines Day with a candlelight
dinner for two at home and settled in to watch a movie,
"Sleepless in Seattle" would be a great choice because it
provides a pleasant experience and is already becoming a
romantic comedy classic.
Your parents or grandparents experienced a similar story
line in the now classic "An Affair to Remember" that was
released in 1957 and paired Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr.
Their characters fall in love and agree to meet in 6 months
at the Empire State Building in New York.
Sleepless in Seattle, released 36 years later in 1993,
pairs Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as Annie Reed.
Sam is the recently-widowed father of 8-year-old Jonah
Baldwin (Ross Malinger), who calls a nationally-broadcast
radio talk show in an attempt to find his lonely father a
partner.
A somewhat reluctant Sam talks to host Marcia Fieldstone
and thousands of single women across America are suddenly
drawn in to Sam's sense of love for his former wife, each
wishing she could be as cherished as Sam's next special
person. To wit:
Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about
your wife?
Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a
million tiny little things that, when you added them all
up, they meant we were supposed to be together . . .and I
knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It
was like coming home . . . only to no home I'd ever known .
. .I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and
I knew. It was like . . . magic.
If that dialog does not melt every woman's heart she would
need to go straight to "The Wizard of Oz" and receive a new
transplant. Soon Sam is getting thousands of letters from
wannabe partners, all of which are read by his son Jonah,
who decides that "Annie" is the best choice.
Annie is engaged to marry Walter (Bill Pullman). Should she
do so she would be making the first great mistake of her
life. Walter is a decent enough chap, but Annie is missing
any sparks in their relationship because Walter has the
personality of an ashtray.
Annie goes to great lengths to meet Sam, flying from New
York to Seattle only to discover Sam with another woman,
whom she mistakes for a love interest. She never mails a
letter she has written to Sam, but her friend does. In it
she proposes to meet Sam on top of the Empire State
Building.
Sam is not interested in going, but his son Jonah is, so,
with the help of his new friend whose parents own a travel
agency, he is able to book a flight to the Big Apple and
ends up on the observation deck of the Empire State
Building looking for Annie. Sam, in a panic, to find his
son, follows him to New York. The rest you will have to see.
Hanks is very convincing as a forlorn widower and Ryan was
at her peak of being cute and innocent. The chemistry
between the two, who only share approximately 2 minutes of
screen time together, is great.
The role of Annie was originally offered to Julia Roberts
but she turned it town. Kim Basinger, who was also offered
the part, turned it down because she thought the premise
was ridiculous. Just recently in the news, a youngster in
Jonah's peer group did exactly what Jonah did, managed to
book flight on a major airline and fly undetected. Life is
indeed stranger than fiction.
The screenplay for Sleepless in Seattle was written in part
by Nora Ephron, who also wrote "When Harry Met Sally"
(another great romantic comedy with Meg Ryan and Billy
Crystal). Ephron directed the film.
Ephron, David S. Ward and Jeff Arch (who did write the
story) were nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and
the film received another nomination for Best Original Song
("A Wink and a Smile"). Sleepless in Seattle also got
Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom
Hanks) and Best Actress (Meg Ryan).
Sleepless in Seattle cost $21 million to film and grossed
$227 million worldwide at the box office, adding another
$65+ million in rentals.
Tom Hanks is the gold standard in acting. He has been
nominated for 5 Best Actor Oscars (Big, Philadelphia,
Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away) and won
twice for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". Hanks also has
won 4 Best Actor Golden Globes for Big, Philadelphia,
Forrest Gump and Cast Away.
His films have grossed more than $3.3 billion. He remains
only 1 of 3 actors to have 7 consecutive $100 million
domestic blockbusters; the other two are Tom Cruise and
Will Smith.
Sleepless in Seattle is viewed by many guys as a "chick
flick" but not by me. I consider it an outstanding
relationship film with a great story line that proves to be
a pleasant viewing experience every time I see it again. If
a guy has ever been in love and felt the magic, he will
appreciate this film a lot more.
----------------------------------------------------
Read my articles on "Want a Six-Figure Income Without
Getting a College Degree of Any Kind? Here Is How", "The
Biggest Mistake Potential Hires Make While Interviewing for
a Job" and "Before You Interview, Learn and Practice Ed's
"Zip a Lip" Theory".
Find my Blog at:
http://www.edbagleyblog.com
http://www.edbagleyblog.com/JobsandCareers.html
