“You’ve Got Mail”

Meg Ryan in “You’ve Got Mail” (Warner Bros., 1998)

“You’ve Got Mail” (Warner Bros., 1998) is a favorite modern romantic comedy. Kathleen Kelly (played by Meg Ryan), a second generation children’s book shop owner in Manhattan, has to fight off a big box book store owned by rival Joe Fox (played by Tom Hanks) that is opening up around the corner from her store and posing a huge threat to her beloved business. While Kathleen and Joe strongly dislike each other based on their real life encounters and their business goals, their respective online personas “Shopgirl” and “NY152” have met each other in an anonymous online chat room and have become blossoming pen pals. Idyllic cinematography of New York’s Upper West Side, charming performances by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and an incredibly sweet resolution to the conflict make this a great movie that I love. Based on the play “Parfumerie” by Miklós László. (“The Shop Around the Corner” and “In the Good Old Summertime” are other film adaptations of the play.) Written by Nora Ephron and her sister Delia Ephron. Directed by Nora Ephron. “It’s a lovely store, and in a week it will be something really depressing, like a Baby Gap.”

“Joe Versus the Volcano”

This week’s entry is the quirky romantic fable “Joe Versus the Volcano” (Warner Bros, 1990). Tom Hanks stars as Joe, a regular, well, joe who is stuck in a very depressing job and a lonely life (if you think your job is bad, check out the world the filmmakers created for poor Joe). Joe believes he is sick and he finds out from his doctor that he has a “brain cloud,” a fatal disease which is going to kill him in a few months time. Step in wealthy businessman Samuel Graynamore (played by Lloyd Bridges) who is looking for someone who might be willing to take a big jump–literally. I won’t give it away in case you haven’t seen it, but the film’s title is significant. The film also stars Meg Ryan playing three different roles. While it’s not perfect, it’s a fun movie with a great theme about the importance of fighting your fears. Written and directed by John Patrick Shanley. “I have no response to that.”