Home :: DVD :: Romantic Comedies  

Classics
Contemporary
General
When Harry Met Sally...

When Harry Met Sally...

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $11.21
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 .. 20 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: For All Harry & Sally Fanatics
Review: For years and years "When Harry Met Sally", was among one of my favorite romantic films.I have a tradition of annually viewing this film with my wife, just before New Years Eve.It tries to humourously answer the question, "Can men and women be friends?" After all this time, they have finally come out with a special DVD edition, which uses all the positive qualities of the format to full advantage.The wide screen picture is crisp with details and color (check out the autumn scenes in Central Park). The sound is remastered featuring popular standards, wonderfully sung by crooner, Harry Connick Jr. The best part is that this DVD is jam packed with extras that will satiate the most ardent fan of this movie. It includes, a trailer and music video along with some of the most humourus outtakes, I have ever seen. Also included is a well produced documentry and an audio track commentary featuring, director, Rob Reiner. My only quibble with this is, Reiner should have been joined with writer, Nora Ephron on the commentary audio track.It is obvious from the included documentry,that sparks would fly if these two were in the same room together.This DVD is a must buy if you are a "When Harry Met Sally", fan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "When Harry Met Sally..." on DVD
Review: "When Harry Met Sally..." is the all-time best romantic comedy. It's a story about two people falling in love, and how men and women view eachother. What makes the film so great is the comedic collaboration of star, Billy Crystal; director, Rob Reiner; and writer, Nora Epron, who all bring a great deal to this film. This movie is a modern classic; great for any Crystal/Ryan fan.

The DVD of "When Harry Met Sally..." is quite good. The deleted scenes are great to see, but i understand why they left some of them out. The "Making of" documentry is very good. It runs about 30 minutes and is extremely comprehensive. There's a Harry Connick Jr. music video, which is nice if you're a fan of his, and the theatrical trailers are amusing for nostalgic purposes. There is one major weak-point of this DVD: Rob Reiner's commentary. What he has to say is sporadic, and notihng is said by him that wasn't said in the documentary. I was quite dissapointed with it.

If you're a Crystal, Ryan, Reiner, or Ephron fan, or if you just like good movies, this DVD is just right for your collection.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Reiner, Crystal & Ryan serve up a Classic!!!
Review: It can be hard to find a movie in which both men and women can find something to enjoy. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY is one of those rare romantic-comedies that has romance to spare, but also has just enough of an edge to keep it from being overly sappy. It also has the courage of it's convictions in exploring the differences between men & women and how they view relationships with the opposite sex. The chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal is spot-on, while Rob Reiner directs with a sure hand. The hilarious deli scene alone is worth seeing this movie. The DVD is solid with a great documentary with recent interviews of Reiner and Crystal, as well as deleted scenes. The screen commentary with Reiner is less effective as he covered many points better in the documentary. Overall though, this is a GREAT movie for Valentine's Day, or ANY romantic occasion. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great pairing of Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan.
Review: I love this movie. I ordered the DVD as soon as I found out it was going to be released. I also own the full screen laserdisc version of this movie. I noticed that in the DVD version black bars are placed on the top and bottom of the picture thus blocking some of the information that I am able to see on my laserdisc copy. I see the older couple's hands on my laserdisc, who are sitting on the couch, but not on the DVD. This is just an observation I wanted to bring forth for those who were expecting to see more picture information in this "anamorphic widescreen" DVD version who also own the full screen laserdisc version. Otherwise, this DVD version is a great transfer of this film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great movie but...
Review: As a die-hard Woody Allen fan, particularly one who admires the work this controversial filmmaker produced from 1975 to 1986, there is no question that Rob Reiner's "Allenesque" riff in 1988 about romance in New York -- at first rubbed me the wrong way -- since so much of its atmosphere and dialogue reminded me of Annie Hall (1977), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), both nominees for Best Picture, with the former winning the big prize in 1978. But the film really felt most like Allen's 1979 masterpiece, "Manhattan." The stories are different, but the dialogue, music and wit are essentially the same.

Having gotten that out of the way, what I really admire about "When Harry Met Sally" is its successful effort at taking a Woody Allen "riff" and making it mainstream enough to keep it from being cast as a snobby "art house" picture -- injecting a commercially pleasing structure without dumbing down the materal and -- perhaps the best improvement of all -- the inclusion of the snippets of dialogue from long-married real life couples (or so I think). This takes "When Harry Met Sally" momentarily out of the realm of romantic fantasy and into the realm of reality, juxtaposing interviews between a story of two people covering several years and watching them draw closer to each other -- inescapably falling in love -- which, while predictable (you can see it coming a mile away), is what the audience WANTS, without being overly manipulated. The "journey" is what counts, even if we know where the story is going, unlike Woody Allen's films, where you are guessing until the credits how everything is going to end.

My biggest gripe continues to be the same I've brought up over and over with friends.

The scene that gets the biggest laugh in theaters -- falls flat on its face without an audience. It is also the most completely unrealistic scene in the movie, a commercially inserted laugh-getter that plays well on a great theater on a New York stage with an audience but is the least believable scene in real life. It's probably the biggest flaw in an otherwise great script.

As much as I laughed uproariously in the theater at that scene and the zinger that comes from Rob Reiner's real life mom afterwards, as years went by I felt increasingly uncomfortable watching this scene in subsequent viewings. It's not the subject matter that bothers me. I think the point Meg Ryan's character is trying to make is a good one. But the WAY she does it gives us a scene absent of realistic context compared to the rest of the picture. (Who among us, assuming we're sober, would parade like that in a public restaurant?) So I confess that today, I purposely fast forward through that scene like a memory I want to forget and enjoy the other 9/10ths of the movie that are great.

Meanwhile, about the ending. Without giving it away, this is what makes "When Harry Met Sally" film fabulous, one of the finest comedies of the 1980s.

Woody Allen consistently riddles his New York films with humor, irony and angst on an intellectually nourishing plate. But Rob Reiner caps his New York story with a knock-out ending that is consistent in tone with the "realistic interviews" seen throughout the picture. No brain surgery involved, no psycho-analytic explorations of human behavior. The result is a conclusion that has you smiling from ear to ear. It's truly a perfect, flawless way to end a picture like this.

Take the restaurant scene out and the movie is a masterpiece, or if not that, at least an underrated classic that deserved award-winning attention. A lot of films have great followings yet won no major awards. "When Harry Met Sally" is one of them. And I feel more confident saying this now that more than 12 incredible years have flown by since this film was first released.

Who won the Best Picture award for 1988? Does anyone even remember? It was "Rain Man." Good picture, good acting, but not the crowd pleaser that has achieved cult classic status as "When Harry Met Sally." There are many good reasons why this is the case, but there's no need to explain why to those who've seen both pictures.

I happily rest my case.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not just another "chick flick"
Review: This is the standard to which all modern "romantic-comedies" should be held. This is a truly funny and romantic movie, without being too sentimental or sappy. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have wonderful chemistry, the writing and acting is sharp, and most of all--this movie is laugh-out-loud FUNNY. Too often, movies of this genre are way to weepy and cute to interest most men (and a lot of women). This movie keeps the tone light and realistic, and the humor is sarcastic and clever, so that everyone should enjoy this wonderful story. And yes, the diner scene is a classic...I laugh at the woman's line at the end of the scene every time.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: See it for Billy
Review: When Harry Met Sally is an odd occurence in the romantic comedy realm. While comedy is the main focus of a romantic comedy, too many of the movies in this genre are more like comedic romances. The good thing about When Harry Met Sally is that Billy Crystal doesn't allow it to veer off in that direction.

It is the comedic timing and acting of Crystal that makes this otherwise mediocre film good. I typically enjoyed the scenes with him and did not like the scenes without him.

Meg Ryan is about as saccharin as she gets in this movie and is almost unbearable. The "scene" that everyone knows about from this movie was one of the few non-annoying ones involving Ryan as she was actually being funny instead of smirky.

In other words, see this movie for Crystal. He is not a comedic genius but he knows his strengths. The romantic comedy genre seems particularly well suited to his abilities.

If you like this movie, I would recommend seeing Forget Paris. It's not as good as When Harry Met Sally, but it is enjoyable.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Rob Reiner, You Meathead you!.
Review: This review reflects the lack of a re-mastered soundtrack on the dvd. Not the film itself.

How in this day and age could anyone release a dvd WITHOUT re-mastering the soundtrack to Dolby 5.1? The audio track on this dvd is twin speaker stereo. Great flick, absolutely FLAT soundtrack. Criminal, positivly CRIMINAL. Reiner, you MEATHEAD; YOU!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally - a romantic comedy that's believable!
Review: So many romantic comedies out there are fun to watch but are "other-worldly". They involve princes, or people on islands, or gorgeous women that nobody seems to notice. It's amazingly refreshing to watch a movie like this one, where real, down-to-earth people go through all the back and forth uncertainty that's involved in a *real* romance.

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are simply perfect in their roles as long time friends that don't seem well matched, but are drawn to each other. I'm sure just about every person alive has gone through that questioning about someone that's been a friend for a while - would it work? Would it not work? Is it worth risking the friendship? The situations are all ones that are immediately easy to relate to.

You get to see the characters change over time, you get to see them adjust their feelings, and wonder and hope and dream. This is definitely a movie that you can watch over and over again, because it's *real*. I highly recommend it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: More When Harry Met Sally
Review: Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 12 years, you have seen (or at least know about) "When Harry Met Sally." So, I don't feel I need to comment on the plot of the movie. Suffice it to say: This is the most astute and funny commentary on male/female relationships, friendship and life in general. An extremely funny film with a great (and believable) romance.

The DVD offers some great extras (in addition to the fantastic movie) for When Harry Met Sally fans. The documentary is interesting and funny: Rob Reiner talks about how he acted out the "orgasm scene" (to get Meg Ryan going in the right direction) in front of his mother. And the filmmakers reveal just how much Harry was based on Rob and Sally was based on Nora Ephron. Seven minutes of deleted scenes aren't much compared with other DVDs, but its enough. They're short, funny, and just what you'd expect from When Harry Met Sally.

For me, the best thing about DVDs is the chapter selection -- you can go to a favorite scene without massive amounts of fast-forwarding and rewinding. Having a bad day? Skip to a favorite scene ("baby fish mouth!" does it for me) for a quick laugh. After all, you've seen this movie more times than you can count...


<< 1 .. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 .. 20 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates