Sleepless in Seattle (1993) / Comedy-Romance

MPAA Rated: PG for language
Running Time: 105 min.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Bull Pullman, Rosie O'Donnell, Ross Malinger, Rita WIlson, David Hyde Pierce, Rob Reiner
Director: Nora Ephron
Screenplay: Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch
Review published November 25, 1997

A widower's (Hanks, A League of Their Own) love life has been zero since the death of his beloved wife a year and a half ago. His 8-year-old son calls a nationally broadcast advice program and drags his father on the air to talk about his problems. While on the air, "Sleepless in Seattle" (as the widower is referred to) becomes the object of affection by thousands of women across the country, including a soon-to-be-married woman (Ryan, Joe Versus the Volcano) who makes it her mission to find this man and see if he's the one for her.

Sleepless in Seattle is a contrived, but still surprisingly effective romantic comedy that deftly portrays its characters and situations with assured ease, despite the farfetched premise. Writer-director Ephron (Bewitched, You've Got Mail) does a masterful job blending the comedy and tragedy into a satisfying union, and the actors give the ambitious concoction the believability it needs to succeed. It's an old fashioned kind of Hollywood production, so sweet and smart at times that it's almost impossible to not be enchanted on some level.

 Qwipster's rating:

©1997 Vince Leo