Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – Encore Review

“A movie! That’s your problem! You don’t want to be in love. You want to be in love in a movie. ” – Becky

Number of Times Seen – Too many to count (Theater in 1993, video, DVD, 8 Sep 2013 and 26 Sep 2017)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – After his wife’s death, a widower and his son leave Chicago to start a new life in Seattle.

My Take on it – This is a film that captivated my heart nearly 25 years ago and still does so every time I sit down to watch it.

This film is able to give us all hope after tragedy and it builds up the story in a gradual way.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have amazing chemistry together and despite their characters having parallel storylines that rarely intersect in this film, they were both the perfect choices for these roles.

Hanks is able to embody a character who has to be able to mix his emotions throughout the film and he does it so well.

Sometimes, he needs to emote humor, tragedy, sadness, hope and of course being the best kind of father he can be all at the same time.

Ryan, on the other hand, brings he quirkiness to it all and still keeps her character as endearing as possible.

The soundtrack of this film is superb and has some amazing songs on the list.

Check out the list here

I found myself singing or humming along so much to the songs that are mostly in the background.

I really love the way that this film is able to tell two different yet parallel stories all at once and find ways to connect them both up close and from afar.

The premise was quite innovative at the time and since then, there have been numerous films that rehash the main idea, but this is still the best of its kind even after nearly 25 years.

Bottom Line – Amazing movie because it gives us so much hope after tragedy. Hanks is perfect in the lead role and he is able to mix the emotions of humor, tragedy, hope and of course love for his son all into one.  Ryan does her perfectly quirky routine here which also endears her character to us along the way. The soundtrack is superb and I found myself singing along with lots of the background music. Loved the way that they tell two very different and distinct stories at once.  This is a unique premise for a rom-com that has been rehashed numerous times in the nearly 25 years since it was made, but it still remains one of the best of its kind. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The scene between Tom Hanks and Victor Garber crying over the movie The Dirty Dozen (1967) was completely improvised during the take. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (no change from original review)

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