Plot
A recently-widowed man's son calls a radio talk show in an attempt to find his father a partner.

Release Year: 1993

Rating: 6.7/10 (59,972 voted)

Critic's Score: 71/100

Director: Nora Ephron

Stars: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger

Storyline
After his wife Maggie passes away, Sam Baldwin and his adolescent son Jonah relocate from Chicago to Seattle to escape the grief associated with Maggie's death. Eighteen months later, Sam is still grieving and can't sleep. Although Jonah misses his mother, he wants his father to get a new wife despite Sam having not even contemplated dating again. On Christmas Eve, Sam, on Jonah's initiative, ends up pouring his heart out on a national radio talk show about his magical and perfect marriage to Maggie, and how much he still misses her. Among the many women who hears Sam's story and falls in love with him solely because of it is Annie Reed, a Baltimore based newspaper writer. Annie's infatuation with Sam's story and by association Sam himself is despite being already engaged. But Annie's relationship with her straight-laced fiancé Walter is unlike her dream love life in the movie

Writers: Jeff Arch, Nora Ephron

Cast:
Tom Hanks - Sam Baldwin
Ross Malinger - Jonah Baldwin
Rita Wilson - Suzy
Victor Garber - Greg
Tom Riis Farrell - Rob
Carey Lowell - Maggie Baldwin
Meg Ryan - Annie Reed
Bill Pullman - Walter
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

Taglines: What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?

Release Date: 25 June 1993

Filming Locations: 1904 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $17,200,000 (USA)

Gross: $227,900,000 (Worldwide)

Runtime: 105 min  | Turkey: 93 min (TV version)

Trivia:
Jason Schwartzman auditioned for the role of Jonah Baldwin

Goofs:
Continuity: Annie's hand that picks up the popcorn while watching the video.

Quotes:
Dennis Reed: It rains nine months a year in Seattle.
Annie Reed: I know!

It succeeds at what it sets out to do

Rating: 10/10

I won't lie to you-this movie is a CHICK FLICK! Though I never saw it with a guy, it is definitely a chick flick. That said, it's a high-end chick flick, which probably a few guys might enjoy, unless they happen to be the exploding helicopter type^^; This movie feels more like a modern day adaptation of the classic romance "An Affair To Remember," and it keeps referencing it too (In fact, the Cary Grant classic is very integral to the plot). Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have great chemistry together, and they both do what they're good at-Tom Hanks portraying the Everyman, and Meg Ryan being cute and innocent. I have to disagree with an earlier comment that this film is unfair to guys-the way the characters are portrayed, I'd have to say that in the reverse situation, I'd still feel the same way. Meg Ryan does not have the "evil woman" syndrome that popped up in later 90's chick flicks (The most notorious of which was "My Best Friend's Wedding"). She is very believable and actually does care about the feelings of her fiance. What I particularly liked is that the fiance was not portrayed as someone who Meg would do well to leave. Most movies fall into this trap-Someone is about to marry someone who is horrible and find that someone else is better, the viewer supposedly not feeling bad because the fiance was a jerk anyway. Tom Hanks really shines here as someone who has lost the most important person in his life and is trying to rebuild again. He always has a knack for easily slipping into the roles he's given and making them really convincing. He does not fail here-you feel for him especially during the sequences where he starts remembering his late wife. The movie's plot starts to stretch plausibility at the end, but not to the point where it destroys the entire film. The ending scene in particular is handled very carefully. You could have had a big, romantic, tear-jerking moment. Instead, the movie takes a more simplistic approach, and it succeeds-it feels much more natural than the alternative. Overall, if you're in for a feel good romance, you should see this. If you happen to be female, this is DEFINITELY worth watching.

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