The Personal Canon is a recurring column highlighting my favorite films of all time. While they may not necessarily be "A" rated, they are the movies that, for some reason or another, hold a special place in my filmgoing experience.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger, Bill Pullman, Rosie O'Donnell, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, David Hyde Pierce, and Rob Reiner
Directed by Nora Ephron
Call me a wuss all you want, but I'm secure enough in my manhood to say that I love Sleepless in Seattle. It's one of those movies that I will keep on every single time I come across it on TBS or TNT despite the fact that I own it. It's a movie that I love enough that I wrote a paper on it in a college film class (that earned me a near perfect A-). It's one of those movies that makes me feel good...and goshdarnit there's nothing wrong with that. Sure, it may not be "epic" or ingeniously directed, but it holds a place in my Personal Canon and ranks quite high up there on my list of All-Time Favorite Movies (which, I guess is kind of redundant since the Personal Canon will really only contain my "All-Time Favorite Movies").
Based a bit upon the classic film An Affair to Remember (which I watched as part of a double feature following Sleepless one year and found it treacly and cloying), director and co-screenwriter Nora Ephron's flick keeps our two leading actors -- Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in perhaps my favorite roles of each of theirs -- apart for nearly the entire movie. We know that fate will bring Hanks's widowed father-of-one Sam Baldwin and Ryan's recently-engaged-although-probably-just-settling-in-love Annie Reed together, but the process of getting the two to meet is what makes this movie work.
And a huge part of that successful process of uniting the two adults is child actor Ross Malinger as Sam's son Jonah. This is a character that could've easily been one of those "too smart for his own good" types, but is probably the best part of the movie. The father-son bond created by Hanks and Malinger is what sells me on this film. The relationship moves seamlessly from the gut-wrenching moments of sadness following the death of Sam's wife to the rather humorous scenes several months later depicting Jonah's dislike of Sam's new girlfriend. Despite the wide-range of emotions, there's never a false moment between these two and that's just as much of a credit to little Ross Malinger as it is Oscar-winning Tom Hanks. [Of note: Malinger is the voice of T.J. on the animated show Recess...I knew I liked that show for a reason.]
As good as Hanks and Malinger are, Meg Ryan shines as well even if her role is a little less developed than her male counterparts. This is film that made her America's Sweetheart in the early 90s and her Annie is just about as cute as could be. She exudes charm, wit, and kindness -- three characteristics that will get a lady far in my book. She may not be the sexiest woman on the block, but she's the one that would catch my eye nonetheless. (Of course, nowadays, Ms. Ryan's plasticky face would make me run the other way).
Sleepless in Seattle actually falls a little more on the romance side of the "romantic comedy" descriptor, but the humor is provided by the supporting characters, none of whom overstay their welcome. Whether it be Rob Reiner as Sam's buddy or Rosie O'Donnell as Annie's boss, they give the gentle funny nudging that the two leads need in order to get to that inevitable climactic meeting. Add Rita Wilson, Victor Garber, and Bill Pullman to the mix and there's not a bad actor onscreen. Honestly, there's not a funny moment that falls flat. Every joke hits the mark.
All this being said, one of my favorite aspects of Sleepless in Seattle (and what I wrote that aforementioned paper on) is the film's spot-on use of music. Using original recordings of classic songs like Nat King Cole's "Stardust," Gene Autry's "Back in the Saddle Again" and covers of standards like "Makin' Whoopee" and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning," music supervisor Marc Shaiman worked rather ingeniously with Nora Ephron to utilize music to both provide humor and further the plot by cluing us in to the characters' inner thoughts. I'm not sure I've ever heard music so expertly placed in a film as in this flick and it's honestly one of the biggest reasons why I love this film.
Say what you will, but Sleepless in Seattle is one of the absolute best romantic comedies of my generation. It never finds itself needing to be lewd or crude, but instead is sweet without ever being too sugary. It's a movie that you can watch with your twelve year-old nephew or your ninety year-old grandmom and both will enjoy it. It's simple, but lovely, full of terrific little moments that just make you go "awww" -- one concerning the peeling of an apple gets me every single time. If you've never seen it, leave your cynicism at the door and check it out. And Happy Valentine's Day to all...
The RyMickey Rating: A
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