YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998)
Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 4.0) ******************************** Key to rating system: 2.0 stars - Debatable 2.5 stars - Some people may like it 3.0 stars - I liked it 3.5 stars - I am biased in favor of the movie 4.0 stars - I felt the movie's impact personally or it stood out ********************************* A Movie Review by David Sunga
Directed by: Nora Ephron
Written by: Nora and Delia Ephron
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan
Synopsis: Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) email each other under assumed names despite each being attached to a different, significant other. Online Kathleen and Joe get along fabulously. Little do they know that in real life they are hated rivals, since Kathleen owns a small bookstore which is being run out of business by a large book chain owned by Joe. When Joe finds out Kathleen's real life identity, he tries to slowly woo her. Will they fall in love?
Opinion: The film begins and ends with likable screen idols Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. In a good comedic touch, each deceives their lover in order to sneak over to the computer and chat with each other. They are adorable characters, and we immediately sympathize and want them to get together.
But something's not right; their partners seem cardboard and lacking in human dimensions. After the movie progresses through countless facial close-up shots and a false ending or two, we realize what is missing: the joyous comedic element which YOU'VE GOT MAIL began with. In its place is a plot similar to a 90s therapy session: Tom finds out Meg's identity, and tries to slowly get her accustomed to the idea of him as a romantic partner.
Bottom line? While friends might say, "been there, seen that," YOU'VE GOT MAIL would still be a good selection for the "date" crowd or Tom Hanks fans.
Reviewed by David Sunga January 16, 1999
Copyright © 1999 by David Sunga This review and others like it can be found at THE CRITIC ZOO: http://www.criticzoo.com email: zookeeper@criticzoo.com
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