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When Harry Met Sally

The Classic Romantic Comedy

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When Harry Met Sally

The year 1989 brought us more than the Internet and the birth of T-Swizzle—audiences were graced with the classic romantic comedy with an 88 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes: "When Harry Met Sally."

Likely the pinnacle of romantic comedy in the late-'80s and early-'90s, Rob Reiner’s "When Harry Met Sally" is quite possible the quintessential feel-good rom-com with just the right amount of truth that everyone should—if they haven’t already—see.

Whether you’re 20-somethings like the two main protagonists or already married with kids, "When Harry Met Sally" answers life’s, and love’s, number one question: can a man and a woman ever be more than friends?

Of course, through the first hour of the movie, we see the antagonistic relationship between Harry and Sally, who seemingly hate each other. Once both of them have devastatingly hard breakups, they find each other at just the right time.

Among other topics WHMS tackles, the film explores the need to marry and the fear of our pool of eligible mates drying, strong female comedic performances in a genre where men conquered, the strange phenomenon in which mortal enemies become lovers, and the age-old question of whether your female partner is … faking it.


What better conundrum does the film tackle than how Billy Crystal would ever land Meg Ryan—Ah, that’s the cinematic genius which is true love. Perhaps I would be overstepping if I were to say WHMS is a cult classic, but it surely has its die-hard fans.

As if you needed a movie to tell you this, don’t we all love the idea of the person who loves us to both acknowledge and admire all of our flaws? Perhaps some people out there would love the ending scene wherein Harry puts himself out on the line for Sally.

WHMS might very well be one of the first films where a woman, yes an actual beautiful woman, was an originator of comedic relief—and not just building off the central male character.

Sally shows us, more than anything throughout the movie, that it is perfectly okay for us to be picky. We live in a time when people can get married at 30, 40 or 50 and still live long lives with kids.

We can also reflect on the innocence of courtship in 1989—“U up?,” or “sup” at 2 a.m., or Tinder swipes, were not even a thought in the late-'80s. No, 1989 was still the time in which calling and leaving somewhat desperate voicemails were a reality.


WHMS confronts the fear of ending up alone head on—and though we might all have irrational, but sometimes all too real, thoughts of being alone, we can all relate.

If WHMS teaches us anything, it's that meeting, dating and marrying/ending up with someone isn’t as clean cut as most movies portray it. Sometimes these things take time—sometimes years …


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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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