Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

Director: Nora Ephron
Story: Nora Ephron, Jeff Arch, David S. Ward
Cast: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan  
Music: Marc Shaiman
Time: 105 minutes
Bottom-line: A beautiful film; a must-watch for whoever is in love

Another memorable film released in 1993, Sleepless in Seattle stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the lead roles. Tom Hanks’ excellent acting and Meg Ryan’s beauty create a very emotional relationship between the two, and this is what makes this rom-com one of the best in that category. The film also stars Ross Malinger and Bill Pullman in the supporting roles.

Sam Baldwin (Hanks) and his son Jonah (Malinger) live in Chicago. Sam has just lost his wife due to cancer. He plans to go to Seattle to begin a fresh life. On Christmas Eve in 1992, Jonah calls into a radio show, telling how his father is depressed, having lost his wife; he says how Sam is sleepless in Seattle. Sam is also persuaded into pouring out his feelings to the public. What he says is heard by women all over the country, including Annie Reed (Ryan) in Baltimore. Sam receives hundreds of letters from various women, after his talk on the radio. Inspired by the film An Affair to Remember, Annie writes to Sam, asking him to meet her on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day. Jonah, without the consent of Sam, accepts the meeting. Sam, meanwhile meets Annie at the airport and immediately falls for her, but doesn’t know that she is the one who wrote to him. He is in a relationship with another woman Victoria. The rest of the film tells whether or not Jonah is able to get Sam to fall in love with Annie, and whether or not Sam continues his relationship with Victoria.

Malinger as Jonah (left) and Hanks as Sam, when
he calls the radio show

This is similar to another later Tamil film you may be familiar with: Kaadhal Kotai (1996), starring Ajith and Devayani. It is familiar in the sense that both the hero and heroine know that the other exists, but hasn’t seen the other. Here, there is a slight difference: Jonah knows Annie’s name, but doesn’t know how she looks; Sam has seen her, but doesn’t know that she is Annie. All this adds to the tension, if I can call it that. There is no thrill, but by the end, the romance and the story are built so well that you will be glued to your chair, hoping that Sam and Annie will meet.

Meg Ryan as Annie Reed

The story is good. In many ways the film is similar to the 1957 film An Affair to Remember, and it also draws ideas from the 1957 film at certain points in the film, like when Annie writes her first letter to Sam, and towards the end, at the Empire State Building. But otherwise it is a very realistic story. I like the way the romance has been portrayed between Sam and Annie. The film has a boring start, until Jonah calls the radio show, which, by co-incidence, Annie also hears at the same time. Annie gets a surprise when she and Sam say the same word at the same time. Then, as the story progresses, we see that Jonah loves Annie (and wants Sam to marry her), and not Sam! Jonah replies to her message, he prepares himself to go to New York etc, while Sam continues to be with Victoria, but the mere sight of Annie changes his mind. Now, whether or not the previous sentence seems believable or not is up to you. In the film, Sam says, “Everybody’s an adjustment; no one’s perfect. There’s no such thing as a perfect…” and he stops as soon as he sees Annie. At this point, the story is set, and the tensions build. On one side, Jonah plans to go to New York to meet someone he has never seen before. On another side, Sam stays in Seattle, hoping to see that woman again. At the same time, Annie also goes to New York, hoping to see someone she has seen before.

One quote from the film, when
Sam pours out his feelings in the radio show.

Tom Hanks’ acting is superb. He plays a loving father, as well as a sad widower. His voice modulation and expression when he talks in the radio show are indeed emotional. His expression when he meets Annie for the first time, and his acting towards the end, when he searches anxiously for his son in New York are also pretty good. Meg Ryan may have overacted in the beginning of the film, but as the fill goes on, she has acted well too. Somehow I felt that her beauty is what created the chemistry between Hanks and her. From the moment Sam sees Annie at the airport, till the last scene, he is stunned by her looks. Another thing which also helps in building up the romance is the several long shots of Hanks’ and Ryan’s faces on screen, which show them, apparently lost in thought. There are no dialogues during these scenes, only the background score. Perhaps these scenes are to emphasize on the fact that both are miles apart, they both love someone else than each other, but still are meant to be together. But more than Ryan’s acting, Ross Malinger’s acting is brilliant. He creates the comedy throughout the film, and it is he who sets the foundation for the whole story. His character is important: he does all sorts of things beyond his age, so much so that Annie believes him to be the man she wants to meet.

The Empire State Building on Valentine's Day.
This still is shown several times towards the end
of the film.

To sum up, Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle is a memorable romantic comedy. The twists and turns that take place during the romance between Sam and Annie, the superb acting by all the three lead actors, and the dialogues make this film a delight. Any fan of Hanks should watch the film, but more importantly, anyone who thinks he/she has a far-fetched love interest should watch this film, so that he/she may know that there is always hope.

My Rating: 4/5
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 71%