Sleepless In Seattle

Copyright Âc 2008 Ed Bagley

If you were celebrating Valentines Day with a candlelight dinner for two at home and settled in to watch a movie, "Sleepless in Seattle" would be an excellent choice because it provides an enjoyable experience and has already become a classic romantic comedy.

Your parents or grandparents experienced a similar story line now in the classic "An Affair to Remember" which was published in 1957 and tied Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Their characters fall in love and decide to meet six months at the Empire State Building in New York.

Sleepless in Seattle, released 36 years later in 1993, pairs Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as Annie reed. Sam is the recently widowed father of 8-year, Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger), who called a radio show nationally broadcast talk in an attempt to find his single father a partner.

In interviews somewhat reluctant to welcome Sam Marcia Fieldstone and thousands of single women across America are suddenly drawn in to Sam's sense of love for his ex-wife, each wishing she could be so expensive that Sam person next stage. Namely:

Dr. Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?

Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million little things that when you added them all, they meant we were supposed to be together. . . And I knew. I knew the first time I touched her. It was like coming home. . . only at home but I have never known. . . I just took her hand to help him out of a car and I knew. It was like. . . magic.

If this dialog does not melt the heart of every woman, she would need to go directly to "The Wizard of Oz" and receive a new transplant. Soon Sam is thousands of letters from wannabe partners, which are read by his son Jonah, who decides that "Annie" is the best choice.

Annie is engaged to Walter (Bill Pullman). Should she do, she would make the mistake first major part of his life. Walter is a decent enough guy, but Annie is missing any sparks in their relationship because Walter has the personality of an ashtray.

Annie goes to great lengths to meet Sam, flying from New York to Seattle to discover Sam with another woman, she takes for a love story. She never mails a letter she wrote to Sam, but his friend did. It proposes to meet Sam at the top of the Empire State Building.

Sam is not interested in going, but his son Jonah is, so with the help of his new friend whose parents own a travel agency, it is possible to book a flight to the Big Apple and ends the observation deck of the Empire State Building looking for Annie. Sam in the panic, to find her son, she follows him to New York. The rest you'll have to see.

Hanks is very convincing as a forlorn widower and Ryan was at its peak of being cute and innocent. The chemistry between the two, who share approximately 2 minutes of screen time as well, is great.

The role of Annie has been offered to Julia Roberts but she turned the city. Kim Basinger, who has also been offered the part, he refused because she thought the idea was ridiculous. Most recently in the news, a youngster in the peer group of Jonah did exactly what Jonah did, managed to book a flight on a major airline and fly undetected. Life is indeed stranger than fiction.

The screenplay for Sleepless in Seattle was partly written by Nora Ephron, who also wrote "When Harry Met Sally" (another great romantic comedy with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal). Ephron directed the film.

Ephron, David S. Ward and Jeff Arch (who did write the story) were nominated for an Oscar for best screenplay and the film received another Nomin.