Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

In Seattle, a young boy conspires to find happiness for his widower father, Sam (Tom Hanks) by calling into a radio show. On the other side of the radio (and country) is Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) who falls in love with Sam and his son Jonah. A letter from Annie convinces Jonah that she’s the one for his dad. But convincing his Sam is harder than he expects.

Nora Ephron’s romantic comedy is a sweet tale of fate, but it contains little substance and what a shame that is. Still Sleepless in Seattle gets something right. The chemistry between Hanks and Ryan is genuine but we never see much of it. Both of them have delightful comedic timing; they are a joy to watch—as is the entire supporting cast with such names as Victor Garbor, Bill Pullman, David Hyde Pierce, Rosie O’Donnell, and Rita Wilson. It’s a nice balance.

The integration of An Affair to Remember is smartly done, but under Ephron’s direction Sleepless in Seattle is uniquely its own. The biggest caveat for me is our unlucky couple don’t have nearly enough ‘almost meetings’. The focus seems to be on Jonah’s hope for his dad. It’s perfectly precious without the cloying nonsense.

As I see it, Sleepless in Seattle is an adorable movie that relishes in happy endings for all. Less is more and this film proves it.