I like how the film just allows Billy Crystal to be funny. The humor isn't based on constant, weird misunderstandings or over-the-top reactions to things. It's just people being people and having their own sense of humor and their own peculiarities. It feels so natural.
The writing in this movie is underrated: in typical rom-coms, the couple would be prevented from getting together by external events and brought together in the end by some deus ex machina; here, the obstacle is their own insecurities.
Yep, he seems to just be improvising bits through most of the movie. There's that scene where he's talking in the funny voice and asking her to do it too, and she looks off to the side. That was apparently her looking at the director like "What the hell?" and the director's like, "Just go with it!" 😆
Great movie. Great dialogue. Harrys line: "And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." is just amazing. Was in Katz's Deli a few years ago...surely had to get their table. And to think that Carrie Fisher is gone...and the great Bruno Kirby as well. He was gone way too soon...
@@reesebn38 _"Second. "I came across time for you Sarah." The best."_ - Because his performance was so intense, Michael Biehn's delivery of that line always sounded like a threat to me.
Let's pay tribute to the late, great writer Nora Ephron, who passed away from cancer in 2012. She penned classics like "When Harry Met Sally," "You've Got Mail," and "Sleepless in Seattle," among her numerous film credits. In addition to being an award-winning screenwriter, she was also a celebrated print journalist. Here's to raising a glass in honor of the brilliant Nora Ephron.
@@nieksalomonsUpon her college graduation, she applied for a position at Newsweek but was told she lacked writing skills, so she accepted a job in the mailroom. Later, she left to become a feature writer at the venerable pre - News Corp - New York Post. Her career progressed as she wrote for Esquire, Newsweek, and other publications, as well as screenplays and books.
OMG! I didn't know that. Maybe because my late wife passed away the same year. I loved all of her movies. A Christmas favorite of me and my late wife was "Mixed Nuts". Starring Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Madeline Kahn, Juliette Lewis, Adam Sandler...it was a stacked cast. In honor of Nora, give it a watch.
Simone made a great point on how modern rom coms are missing what this one had; it's the fact that they could or could not be together that makes it real and relatable.
I was an usher at a movie theatre when this movie came out. When the movie ended, the audience applauded. It's the only movie I ever ushered that the audience applauded. That has to mean something.
My When Harry Met Sally Couple story: We both worked at the AMC theatre. I asked her out on July 3rd, 1993 at 5pm (start of my shift). On July 5th, 1993, I took her to Disneyland at night followed by a dozen roses I had in my trunk. A few months later, I asked her to marry me. We have two adult children, and one grandson. We've been together 31 years. It all started at a movie theatre. I now own my motion picture Visual Effects company where my son is now partner. The first movie we saw was a special screening of -- When Harry Met Sally. I told her when we saw the first old couple tell their story- "Babe, that's going to be us someday." You two took me back in time tonight.
"Someone is staring at you in Personal Growth." Being British, when this came out in '89 I had no idea there could be a bookshop section of this designation. I thought Marie had come up with a unique way to note and disparage Harry's attempt at a beard.
Sally's "unique" way of ordering came about when the late writer Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner were out to dinner and that's pretty much exactly how Nora ordered. Rob said, this has to go in the movie.
Harry & Sally are basically Nora & Rob (except non-platonic). Rob was going through a divorce, in a dark place, and originally there wasn't a happy ending, Harry & Sally didn't work out. Luckily, he got over it.
The four way phone call scene was shot on one large set so all the actors were there and all of their phones were connected. Because it was one long shot with no cuts and 4 pages of dialogue, they had to do 61 takes to get it right. They did get it right early in the shooting day, but then the sound technician informed them that the sound of birds in the rafters of the set could be heard.
I knew hundreds of Harry and Sallys through the 70s. It was like a battlefield. They all had expectations for themselves that were directly opposed to making a life together, so lots of divorces. I didn't have bad breakups. I believed in laugh with all the girls and cry with none of them. When I met the girl I would be married to for 37 years I wasn't looking for a wife. She convinced me that I really needed one. Good reaction.
Loooooove this film and I'm not embarrassed to admit it as a 52 year old heterosexual man. The casting, the script, is impeccable. Great performance by Carrie Fisher too, as well as Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal with a great chemistry. The excerpts of what appear to be real couples, is a great ingredient that I think adds so much to the overall feeling of the film.
Ditto. I can remember watching this when it first came out and I don't think a single person left the cinema without a smile on their face. Just a really well written, well acted, and well directed movie. An absolute classic of the romcom genre. I am definitely NOT a romcom guy generally, but when they are done as well this.........
So, to your "What is it like to be a background person in a famous movie/scene" question. My boyfriends Dad is riding a bicycle in a long extended dialogue scene on the Georgetown University campus in the film "The Exorcist". He's on camera, clearly, for about a minute. He was a normal guy who was a defense contractor and enjoyed riding bikes around the Georgetown campus area his whole life (he had moved to DC when he was a teen, and lived there nearly his entire life). He was riding his bike on a normal day, like he did often, and saw they were shooting a film. He went over and they saw his bike and thought he had a good look so they asked him if he would ride his bike through the scene when they said 'roll camera'. He did and he actors did the scene in one take. He went back home and was never in another movie and continued his life as a defense contractor. He died about three years ago and his son (my boyfriend) happens to love horror films. We both watch "The Exorcist" every Halloween and he always takes my hand and squeezes it when that scene comes on while resting his head on my shoulder. Its so special to him. He might not be able to hug is Dad again, but its really special to watch "The Exorcist" now. His family is part of history and it means to much to his family.
George & Simone: When Cinebinge was young and you first Reacted to "The Princess Bride" -- Simone commented that the director's mom was "in a movie" yet, of course, had no frame of reference. THIS was the movie Simone had heard about! Yes, it is Rob Reiner's mom who is in the diner who bluntly tells the waiter, "I'll have what she's having." .... And Simone has known of this for three years now before seeing it!
I was actually working at a CBS affiliated local station when Meg joined the cast of that soap opera. Immediately smitten. Hey..we all have 'crushes', right? DIdn't become a Rom-Com fan until a GF back then wanted to go to the movies and said, "..Meg Ryan's in it..." 🤣 And George's "Harry's a Redditor.." comment had me laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair! BTW..currently in a relationship with my old college sweetheart (40yrs ago). We're in our 60s now. We both love this film like few things on Earth. It's never too late, y'all.
The first "running to them" movie that I remember is "The Graduate", but I'm sure there are earlier ones. (But do see "Love Actually" if you haven't yet - you'll get a kick out of that scene).
Check out the reunion scene between Fredric March and Myrna Loy in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Leslie Howard and Olivia DeHavilland in Gone With The Wind (1939). And I’m thinking there are even older movies but that’s what springs to mind. Dammit! Now I’ll be doing a mental Rolodex in my mind all day.
'The first "running to them" movie that I remember is "The Graduate", but I'm sure there are earlier ones.’ The earliest one I’ve seen is Harold Lloyd’s “Girl Shy” from 1924. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Shy
The couples' stories in the movie were based on real interviews Nora Ephron did when she had writer's block. She collected these true stories about how couples met, but then rewrote and polished them for the film.
I met my wife at a student party and my first words to her were "I'm getting over a painful break-up" (I was a bit drunk, what can I say). Anyway we married 18 months later and that was 40 years ago.
@George, re: Christmas trees in NYC: no, there isn't like a Christmas tree cart. Every Christmas I buy a tree and then carry it to my apartment. That being said, the movie is inaccurate in that normally, they bundle the tree up in chicken wire which makes it a lot easier to carry and maneuver around.
22:33 “The Graduate” famously has Dustin Hoffman’s character run to stop his love interest from getting married. So… slightly earlier than Friends. Or Love Actually. Even the Wayne’s World parody precedes it. But I’m sure you can find much, much older examples. What’s nice about this version is that Sally isn’t about to fly away or get married, she’s just at a party, and it’s Harry’s realization that makes it urgent and makes him run. Not some external timetable.
What has been missing in romcoms for a while now is simply being good movies. This is an excellent movie, with fantastic dialogues. I see a lot of romcoms lately give plenty of emphasis to the "90s romcom formula" thinking they will somehow be able to recapture the magic that way, but it seems that while trying to follow a magical recipe, they forget how to make an actual good movie.
Great point. I think a lot of entertainment being made by Hollywood right now suffers from those problems as well, not just romcoms. Great stuff is still being made for TV, but Hollywood is most certainly in a bit of a funk at the moment.
I think the reason WHMS is so great is that Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner collaborated a lot on dialogue and character. This provided much more realistic portrayals of men and women rather than one woman writing a man poorly or one man writing a woman poorly.
"Viewers, what's your most fucked up breakup?" The love of my life telling me I wasted the best years of his life, that he'd never get his twenties back, because we had been staying in, saving for our future, and only splurging occasionally. He said he had wanted to party, do drugs and drink, and that's what he was going to do from now on. I had to break up with him after 7 years of dedication. He ended up addicted to meth for ten years; he's been clean for 5. Good on him for that, at least. The words he doesn't even remember saying still break my heart.
Nora Ephron (Wellesley '62) was a brilliant writer. Billy Crystal, a brilliant comedian, was the one who came up with the line "I'll have what she's having." There was an article about this ("Chasing Nora, Wellesley Magazine winter 2017 edition, by Broti Gupta '16), and in the article, Gupta wrote these words -- so true for you in this reaction -- “I’ll have what she’s having” became a cultural catchphrase you know before you even hear about the movie When Harry Met Sally, so when you hear it from its original source, it’s like seeing a celebrity."
And let's not forget the chauffeur who thinks rock-n-roll is a fad in "This is Spinal Tap". I also like him in the overlooked "The Freshman" (1990). RIP, Bruno.
@@LacoSinfonia And was in the excellent (well, they all are - would love to see some reactions) Columbo episode ""By Dawn's Early Light". His father Bruce acted in several episodes.
I watched this after seeing You've Got Mail and boy this one is so much better. Instant connection with both characters and almost feeling how they pull each other. Yeah, the thing it is not clear how it will end, is very important. Also, Carrie Fisher was so brilliant and funny :)
About the elderly couples, from a search I got... "The segments of married couples telling the stories of how they met are real stories that director Rob Reiner collected for the film. Then they hired actors to relay the stories". Personally they should've let the people who these stories come from tell them.
@@Ahzpayne Yeah, anyone that gets interviewed and isn't a professional actor just look awkward. Especially when it's a difficult question like "how did you guys meet?" 🙄 Just look at Soft White Underbelly's channel on UA-cam, all of his interviews are sooo "awkward" because the interviewed aren't paid actors.
Real people don't relay stories, even personal stories, as well as professional actors. I work in a museum. It's hard to record real stories from the actual people. There's always a jump cut where I add an image layover or something. LOL. Because their mind will wander or pacing isn't correct.
@@joelwillems4081 The question is how did you guys meet and started dating, it's one of the easiest questions you could answer, unless you suffer from Alzheimer.
I think another big reason is that they would have gotten in trouble with the Screen Actors Guild. Or they would've had to get the people with the stories to all get SAG cards. Anyone with a line of dialogue has to be in the union.
Thanks for the reaction! This is one my favorite movies of all time. So many quotable lines. It is the second movie that I enjoyed so much, I needed to watch it again right away. Yes, "Friends" did the running to the airport trope, but I don't know if they were the first.
About the couples interspersed throughout the movie: They tried filming with regular people, but of course they were to self-conscious. So they brought in actors, but they apparantly kept the stories they got from the "real people". In other words: It's real, only re-enacted by actors. This movie was the biggest surprise for me. I was in the military service, bored out of my mind when I went into the small cinema at the military base. Seeing the movie poster I almost turned and left - it looked so boring. Like, really? A man and a woman meet, and that's a movie? Imagine my surprise. I left the cinema in a completely different state of mind.
Worst breakup: fiancé called me on Christmas Eve from the apartment we were moving to in a week and told me she didn't want me to come any more. Thanks for bringing it up GEORGE!!
George, that actor you couldn't place looked familiar to me also. He was Bruno Kirby (birn April 28, 1949 - August 14, 2006) He was best known for his roles in City Slickers; When Harry Met Sally...; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Godfather Part II; and Donnie Brasco. He voiced Reginald Stout in Stuart Little.
This is the first time I've heard anybody say that Billy Crystal and Christopher Walken seemed similar. My favorite background person in a film is the woman who's sitting behind Robert De Niro during the famous diner scene in "Heat". She's not visible all the time, but when I re-watch the scene I find myself looking at her engaged in a conversation while I'm still listening to Pacino and De Niro. Running-To-The-Airport example: "She's Out Of My League". And pretty much the entire cast shows up as well.
Great romcom. You guys should definitely do more Billy Crystal movies. My personal favorites: City Slickers 1 and 2- Great comedy westerns Running Scared (1986)- Great buddy cop movie with the perfect balance of comedy, action, and seriousness.
Seconding the "running scared" recommendation. It's one of those 80s movies that blends comedy and real story, with great performances - including a young Joe Pantoliano! (Cypher from Matrix). All with a perfect buddy cop vibe.
Legend has it that an office prankster once got ahold of a coworker’s computer to “add a few Megs to it. He added a wav of the “climax” of the deli scene, linked it to every function, and got into bios and turned the volume to max. Hilarity ensued.
The woman who says, "I'll have what she's having" is Estelle Reiner, the mother of the director, Rob Reiner. It's one of the best punchlines ever written.
Katz's Deli is not only known for its delicious food, but it's also a popular filming location for many TV shows and movies. The sandwiches are so large that I often take half home for dinner. It's a common spot for celebrities to drop in and enjoy a sandwich, along with some coleslaw and matzo ball soup.
I kind of love this movie. It has that easy comedy timing where the dialogue just flows easily between them and the chemistry is really good between Ryan and Crystal. And while Hanks/Ryan is still my favorite rom-com pairing, especially Joe vs. the Volcano, I always wished that these two had done another film together.
One of the last romcoms that can genuinely be considered a classic and one of the best of the genre. Thank you so much for doing a film most reactors seem to overlook for some reason.
I feel like when it’s a movie Simone has seen before, and especially a movie she loves, she should take care of the trivia moments at the end. I don’t mind George handling it, he does a great job, but maybe spice it up a bit lol
I was an extra during the filming of Clueless and was in the background of the wedding reception. It’s not all it sounds like. A lot of standing around not knowing what’s going on and things get exciting once in a while. You mostly spend time conversing with other extras. I got lucky and was talking to Alicia Silverstone’s mom.
Fun fact: The woman who ordered what Sally's having was Rob Reiner's mom. (Also, mallomars are graham crackers topped with marshmallows and dipped in chocolate.)
The pecan pie part was improvised by Billy Crystal, if you look closely, Meg Ryan looks to the side, she looked at the director who just said keep going.
Such a classic film. Obviously the famous restaurant scene, but so much other good stuff. Every tine I hear "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" from Oklahoma I sing along off-key like Meg Ryan. And Carrie Fisher--Love her so much
I saw this in the theatre in the summer 0f 89. What a great summer. This the best Rom-Com of all time. Why because it is created by 2 Men & 2 Women. You get the perfect point of view from a Man & a Women. Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron sat down and talked about everything they want in the movie. Nora went off and wrote the script. Then Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan added a lot to their characters. Billy is a master at improv. So much of his dialog is just him. Billy added a lot to the script. He wrote the best line in the movie. "I'll have what she's having." What makes this the best too is they are normal looking people not super beautiful like every other Rom-Com. Another great classic Rom-Com to watch is "The Goodbye Girl"(1977). The first Rom-Com to break 100 million at the box-office. Also created one of the best theme song ever put in a movie. Richard Dreyfuss won an Oscar for a Lead in a Rom-Com. Not to many actors win for a Rom-Com.
Well, everyone else is normal-looking people, Meg Ryan looks like a goddess here 😂. But the quirky clothing helped tone that breathtaking beauty down a bit. A bit.
16:19 I LOVE that Meg Ryan line reference from You've Got Mail. "Don't they know you're supposed to have a last name? It's like they're an entire generation of cocktail waitresses!"
The October 1989 issue of PREMIERE magazine explains why this is one of my favorite deja vu films: At least 18 story elements in this film had already occurred in Woody Allen's ANNIE HALL or MANHATTAN.
Iirc Carrie Fisher was brought in to fix some bits of the script. Easy to forget how good a writer she was when you get obsessed with how huge Star Wars is
The “pecan pie” scene was an ad lib. When Billy Crystal starts talking in the funny voice you can see Meg Ryan look to her right laughing. She is looking at director Rob Reiner. He tells her to go with it.
Running after the one you love? Earliest I can think of was a classic in itself..."The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman 1967, especially after everything he was put through with Anne Bancroft before he decided to chase down his REAL love. Definitely worth a first time watching video of it's own.
Great movie. We went to new York for the first time in 2013 (we live in London) and had to visit Katz deli. We saw the plaque but didn’t manage to get the table.
2009. From Australia. Same result. Yonah Schimmel's, Economy Candy, The Pickle Guys, Russ & Daughters, etc. A bit cliché perhaps, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Bruno Kirby is not only the Lt. in “Good Morning Vietnam” but is also young Clemenza in The Godfather part ll. Katz’s Deli in pretty awesome, but pretty expensive can get very busy. Last time I was in NY I was going to go again, but the line was around the block.
Harry runs to Sally at the ending and they meet eyes on the lyrics "With all of your faults I love you still." And that's the movie. The coolest thing about this movie is the sort of musings on the argument without drawing hard and fast conclusions.
I grew up in Manhattan. My mom used to hail a checker cab (bigger than standard sedan cabs) and make the cabbie drive all over the Upper East Side to find the perfectly shaped tree. Then we'd get it home in the taxi.
The Running is Cathy and Heathcliff in "Wuthering heights". The book was written by Emily Brontë, many times filmed. Dave Allen made fun of it with Heathcliff and Cathy running towards eachother on the moor.
If you're going to make romcoms a staple, you should check out Return To Me with Minnie Driver and David Duchovny. Co-starring Bonnie Hunt, who directed 🙂
i remember my mom basically holding me down and forcing me to watch this movie when i was a cynical dork ass teenager and i made it like 10 minutes in before getting totally hooked and now i've seen it like thirty times lol
Fun facts: Sally's boyfriend in the airport kissing scene is Steven Ford, son of US President Gerald Ford. The actress who says "I'll have what she's having." is Director Rob Reiner's mother and the actress playing Harry's young girlfriend in the Pictionary scene is Rob Reiner's daughter.
22:34 I’m not sure which movie began the lovers running towards each other trope. In fact, it probably predates film and was part of theater. That being said, the earliest I know of is from Gone with the Wind (1939) although I’m sure there are earlier. The trope is called “meadow run”
When I was a kid, we had a wagon wheel table just like that one. I would love to have one just like it. It is completely without purpose and fits nowhere.
This is one of my wife and I's favorite movies. It's one that we can put on at any time and enjoy it all over again. We also like You've Got Mail, Simone! haha They're just well-made movies. The stories are good, the characters are well-developed, and the acting is on-point.
I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. - Harry Burns
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I like how the film just allows Billy Crystal to be funny. The humor isn't based on constant, weird misunderstandings or over-the-top reactions to things. It's just people being people and having their own sense of humor and their own peculiarities. It feels so natural.
The writing in this movie is underrated: in typical rom-coms, the couple would be prevented from getting together by external events and brought together in the end by some deus ex machina; here, the obstacle is their own insecurities.
Yep, he seems to just be improvising bits through most of the movie. There's that scene where he's talking in the funny voice and asking her to do it too, and she looks off to the side. That was apparently her looking at the director like "What the hell?" and the director's like, "Just go with it!" 😆
Old couples are actors, but stories they tell are true.
And the stories came from the crew members.
I always thought they were production members parents.
The lady having what she's having was director Rob Reiners mother Estelle Reiner. This also turned out to be her last acting role before retirement.
The BIGGEST piece of trivia from this film and Geo missed it. :-)
Billy wrote that line.
One of the funniest lines ever!
@@Uatu-the-Watcher He already knew it from memes and such. See intro.
@@dnish6673 He didn’t mention Reiner’s mother.
Great movie. Great dialogue. Harrys line: "And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." is just amazing. Was in Katz's Deli a few years ago...surely had to get their table. And to think that Carrie Fisher is gone...and the great Bruno Kirby as well. He was gone way too soon...
Bruno Kirby died? OMG, I must've totally missed that. He was so good!
Most romantic line in a movie EVER!
@@Matt_Mosley1983 Second. "I came across time for you Sarah." The best.
I used that line to propose to my wife.
@@reesebn38 _"Second. "I came across time for you Sarah." The best."_ - Because his performance was so intense, Michael Biehn's delivery of that line always sounded like a threat to me.
Let's pay tribute to the late, great writer Nora Ephron, who passed away from cancer in 2012. She penned classics like "When Harry Met Sally," "You've Got Mail," and "Sleepless in Seattle," among her numerous film credits. In addition to being an award-winning screenwriter, she was also a celebrated print journalist. Here's to raising a glass in honor of the brilliant Nora Ephron.
She was part of a brilliant household. Her husband wrote the script for the movie "Goodfellas".
Truly a Great Lady.🥃
@@nieksalomonsUpon her college graduation, she applied for a position at Newsweek but was told she lacked writing skills, so she accepted a job in the mailroom. Later, she left to become a feature writer at the venerable pre - News Corp - New York Post. Her career progressed as she wrote for Esquire, Newsweek, and other publications, as well as screenplays and books.
Julie & Julia Nora's last film is excellent as well.
OMG! I didn't know that. Maybe because my late wife passed away the same year. I loved all of her movies. A Christmas favorite of me and my late wife was "Mixed Nuts". Starring Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Madeline Kahn, Juliette Lewis, Adam Sandler...it was a stacked cast. In honor of Nora, give it a watch.
Simone made a great point on how modern rom coms are missing what this one had; it's the fact that they could or could not be together that makes it real and relatable.
I love these movies where Simone is guiding George through movies she's seen. 😁
I was an usher at a movie theatre when this movie came out. When the movie ended, the audience applauded. It's the only movie I ever ushered that the audience applauded. That has to mean something.
'coz baby fish mouth is sweeping the nation' is one of my fave lines in movie history, it just gets me every time.
My When Harry Met Sally Couple story: We both worked at the AMC theatre. I asked her out on July 3rd, 1993 at 5pm (start of my shift). On July 5th, 1993, I took her to Disneyland at night followed by a dozen roses I had in my trunk. A few months later, I asked her to marry me. We have two adult children, and one grandson. We've been together 31 years. It all started at a movie theatre. I now own my motion picture Visual Effects company where my son is now partner. The first movie we saw was a special screening of -- When Harry Met Sally. I told her when we saw the first old couple tell their story- "Babe, that's going to be us someday." You two took me back in time tonight.
The "pecan pie" funny voice was Billy's idea and he adlibbed it. You can see Meg looking across his shoulder to the director because he confused her.
"Someone is staring at you in Personal Growth." Being British, when this came out in '89 I had no idea there could be a bookshop section of this designation. I thought Marie had come up with a unique way to note and disparage Harry's attempt at a beard.
🤣 That would be quite the sick burn!
My favorite moment:
"And I'm gonna be forty!"
"...when?
"Someday. But it's there."
Funny how young people think forty is "getting old."
Sally's "unique" way of ordering came about when the late writer Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner were out to dinner and that's pretty much exactly how Nora ordered. Rob said, this has to go in the movie.
Harry & Sally are basically Nora & Rob (except non-platonic). Rob was going through a divorce, in a dark place, and originally there wasn't a happy ending, Harry & Sally didn't work out. Luckily, he got over it.
The four way phone call scene was shot on one large set so all the actors were there and all of their phones were connected. Because it was one long shot with no cuts and 4 pages of dialogue, they had to do 61 takes to get it right. They did get it right early in the shooting day, but then the sound technician informed them that the sound of birds in the rafters of the set could be heard.
I knew hundreds of Harry and Sallys through the 70s. It was like a battlefield. They all had expectations for themselves that were directly opposed to making a life together, so lots of divorces. I didn't have bad breakups. I believed in laugh with all the girls and cry with none of them. When I met the girl I would be married to for 37 years I wasn't looking for a wife. She convinced me that I really needed one. Good reaction.
My favorite part is when Bruno Kirby says "You made a woman meow?"
Best line.
I can’t think of him as anyone except the gross coach in Basketball Diaries cause it’s the first thing I ever saw him in
@@KrystalAnn0688 To me he'll always be young Clemenza from Godfather Part II
Imo Bruno Kirby best role was in city slickers. His speech about his best day and worst day is profound.
Finally, someone else who is horrified that Harry throws away a perfectly good ice cream cone😂
Loooooove this film and I'm not embarrassed to admit it as a 52 year old heterosexual man.
The casting, the script, is impeccable. Great performance by Carrie Fisher too, as well as Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal with a great chemistry.
The excerpts of what appear to be real couples, is a great ingredient that I think adds so much to the overall feeling of the film.
I'm 46 and saw this movie in the cinema as a kid and just thought it was funny. Watching it today as an adult it's a very different movie.
I'm 65, and totally love this film. It's perfection.
Ditto. I can remember watching this when it first came out and I don't think a single person left the cinema without a smile on their face. Just a really well written, well acted, and well directed movie. An absolute classic of the romcom genre. I am definitely NOT a romcom guy generally, but when they are done as well this.........
@@paulcollinsyoga in terms of rom coms of this era, The Princess Bride, and Say Anything.
Yup! 52 here and saw this in the theater when I was a kid. One of my all time favorites next to Serendipity. 🍻
So, to your "What is it like to be a background person in a famous movie/scene" question. My boyfriends Dad is riding a bicycle in a long extended dialogue scene on the Georgetown University campus in the film "The Exorcist". He's on camera, clearly, for about a minute. He was a normal guy who was a defense contractor and enjoyed riding bikes around the Georgetown campus area his whole life (he had moved to DC when he was a teen, and lived there nearly his entire life). He was riding his bike on a normal day, like he did often, and saw they were shooting a film. He went over and they saw his bike and thought he had a good look so they asked him if he would ride his bike through the scene when they said 'roll camera'. He did and he actors did the scene in one take. He went back home and was never in another movie and continued his life as a defense contractor. He died about three years ago and his son (my boyfriend) happens to love horror films. We both watch "The Exorcist" every Halloween and he always takes my hand and squeezes it when that scene comes on while resting his head on my shoulder. Its so special to him. He might not be able to hug is Dad again, but its really special to watch "The Exorcist" now. His family is part of history and it means to much to his family.
Dynamite story 😊
George & Simone: When Cinebinge was young and you first Reacted to "The Princess Bride" -- Simone commented that the director's mom was "in a movie" yet, of course, had no frame of reference. THIS was the movie Simone had heard about! Yes, it is Rob Reiner's mom who is in the diner who bluntly tells the waiter, "I'll have what she's having." .... And Simone has known of this for three years now before seeing it!
The lady who said “I’ll have what she’s having” is Rob Reiner’s mom. Robs the director.
I was actually working at a CBS affiliated local station when Meg joined the cast of that soap opera. Immediately smitten. Hey..we all have 'crushes', right? DIdn't become a Rom-Com fan until a GF back then wanted to go to the movies and said, "..Meg Ryan's in it..." 🤣 And George's "Harry's a Redditor.." comment had me laughing so hard I almost fell out of my chair! BTW..currently in a relationship with my old college sweetheart (40yrs ago). We're in our 60s now. We both love this film like few things on Earth. It's never too late, y'all.
The first "running to them" movie that I remember is "The Graduate", but I'm sure there are earlier ones. (But do see "Love Actually" if you haven't yet - you'll get a kick out of that scene).
The Graduate is the earliest I can think of as well.
Check out the reunion scene between Fredric March and Myrna Loy in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) and Leslie Howard and Olivia DeHavilland in Gone With The Wind (1939). And I’m thinking there are even older movies but that’s what springs to mind. Dammit! Now I’ll be doing a mental Rolodex in my mind all day.
'The first "running to them" movie that I remember is "The Graduate", but I'm sure there are earlier ones.’
The earliest one I’ve seen is Harold Lloyd’s “Girl Shy” from 1924.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Shy
The running scene here is an homage to Billy Wilder's 1960 film "The Apartment", both running scenes take place on New Year's Eve.
The couples' stories in the movie were based on real interviews Nora Ephron did when she had writer's block. She collected these true stories about how couples met, but then rewrote and polished them for the film.
I met my wife at a student party and my first words to her were "I'm getting over a painful break-up" (I was a bit drunk, what can I say). Anyway we married 18 months later and that was 40 years ago.
Such a great movie. The tall fella Meg Ryan was lip-locking with in the airport is Steven Ford, son of former President Gerald Ford.
Brilliant film. Perfect and definitive rom com.
@George, re: Christmas trees in NYC: no, there isn't like a Christmas tree cart. Every Christmas I buy a tree and then carry it to my apartment. That being said, the movie is inaccurate in that normally, they bundle the tree up in chicken wire which makes it a lot easier to carry and maneuver around.
22:33 “The Graduate” famously has Dustin Hoffman’s character run to stop his love interest from getting married. So… slightly earlier than Friends. Or Love Actually. Even the Wayne’s World parody precedes it. But I’m sure you can find much, much older examples. What’s nice about this version is that Sally isn’t about to fly away or get married, she’s just at a party, and it’s Harry’s realization that makes it urgent and makes him run. Not some external timetable.
There was You Got Mail in the 90's and now this film in the 80's, cool reaction as always Simone & George, you both take care and have a nice day
What has been missing in romcoms for a while now is simply being good movies. This is an excellent movie, with fantastic dialogues. I see a lot of romcoms lately give plenty of emphasis to the "90s romcom formula" thinking they will somehow be able to recapture the magic that way, but it seems that while trying to follow a magical recipe, they forget how to make an actual good movie.
Another great romcom with fantastic dialogue is The Goodbye Girl. Richard Dreyfuss at his best.
@@reesebn38Yes! I haven't watched it in ages, thank you for reminding me of that movie, definitely deserves a rewatch!
Great point. I think a lot of entertainment being made by Hollywood right now suffers from those problems as well, not just romcoms. Great stuff is still being made for TV, but Hollywood is most certainly in a bit of a funk at the moment.
I think the reason WHMS is so great is that Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner collaborated a lot on dialogue and character. This provided much more realistic portrayals of men and women rather than one woman writing a man poorly or one man writing a woman poorly.
Recently watched the Hating Game. Basic romance plot but good dialogue and leads with chemistry.
Simone knowing about the Dirt Man & George unintentionally adding the "What" made my day.😂😂
Simone, your singing voice is lovely!
"Viewers, what's your most fucked up breakup?"
The love of my life telling me I wasted the best years of his life, that he'd never get his twenties back, because we had been staying in, saving for our future, and only splurging occasionally. He said he had wanted to party, do drugs and drink, and that's what he was going to do from now on. I had to break up with him after 7 years of dedication.
He ended up addicted to meth for ten years; he's been clean for 5. Good on him for that, at least. The words he doesn't even remember saying still break my heart.
That's a man with his priorities waaaaay out of whack.
Nora Ephron (Wellesley '62) was a brilliant writer. Billy Crystal, a brilliant comedian, was the one who came up with the line "I'll have what she's having." There was an article about this ("Chasing Nora, Wellesley Magazine winter 2017 edition, by Broti Gupta '16), and in the article, Gupta wrote these words -- so true for you in this reaction --
“I’ll have what she’s having” became a cultural catchphrase you know before you even hear about the movie When Harry Met Sally, so when you hear it from its original source, it’s like seeing a celebrity."
Bruno Kirby, aka the Good Morning Vietnam LT, is also young Clemenza in Godfather Pt. II
And let's not forget the chauffeur who thinks rock-n-roll is a fad in "This is Spinal Tap". I also like him in the overlooked "The Freshman" (1990). RIP, Bruno.
And he reunited with Billy Crystal for City Slickers, one of my favorite comedies.
@@LacoSinfonia And was in the excellent (well, they all are - would love to see some reactions) Columbo episode ""By Dawn's Early Light". His father Bruce acted in several episodes.
Cancer took him too soon
He also had some great scenes in Tin Men with Danny DeVito.
I watched this after seeing You've Got Mail and boy this one is so much better. Instant connection with both characters and almost feeling how they pull each other. Yeah, the thing it is not clear how it will end, is very important. Also, Carrie Fisher was so brilliant and funny :)
About the elderly couples, from a search I got... "The segments of married couples telling the stories of how they met are real stories that director Rob Reiner collected for the film. Then they hired actors to relay the stories". Personally they should've let the people who these stories come from tell them.
Ever see how awkward the untrained look on film? Would have ruined the movie just as much as casting a high school drama class for all the roles.
@@Ahzpayne Yeah, anyone that gets interviewed and isn't a professional actor just look awkward. Especially when it's a difficult question like "how did you guys meet?" 🙄
Just look at Soft White Underbelly's channel on UA-cam, all of his interviews are sooo "awkward" because the interviewed aren't paid actors.
Real people don't relay stories, even personal stories, as well as professional actors. I work in a museum. It's hard to record real stories from the actual people. There's always a jump cut where I add an image layover or something. LOL. Because their mind will wander or pacing isn't correct.
@@joelwillems4081 The question is how did you guys meet and started dating, it's one of the easiest questions you could answer, unless you suffer from Alzheimer.
I think another big reason is that they would have gotten in trouble with the Screen Actors Guild. Or they would've had to get the people with the stories to all get SAG cards. Anyone with a line of dialogue has to be in the union.
According to Wiki the original ending was that they remain friends so the 'will they/wont they' uncertainty makes a lot of sense.
Thanks for the reaction! This is one my favorite movies of all time. So many quotable lines. It is the second movie that I enjoyed so much, I needed to watch it again right away. Yes, "Friends" did the running to the airport trope, but I don't know if they were the first.
thanks so much!
About the couples interspersed throughout the movie: They tried filming with regular people, but of course they were to self-conscious. So they brought in actors, but they apparantly kept the stories they got from the "real people". In other words: It's real, only re-enacted by actors.
This movie was the biggest surprise for me. I was in the military service, bored out of my mind when I went into the small cinema at the military base. Seeing the movie poster I almost turned and left - it looked so boring. Like, really? A man and a woman meet, and that's a movie? Imagine my surprise. I left the cinema in a completely different state of mind.
That was a real plant/tree store, 209 West 96th Street and Broadway, it is now around the corner and called Plantshed.
Worst breakup: fiancé called me on Christmas Eve from the apartment we were moving to in a week and told me she didn't want me to come any more. Thanks for bringing it up GEORGE!!
Simone's seen this movie so many times, I more-than-half expected HER to tell HIM all the trivia -- and recite it from memory, at that!
It happened One Night is one of the first romcoms in 1930s and might have been one of the first to have last minute declarations.
George, that actor you couldn't place looked familiar to me also. He was Bruno Kirby (birn April 28, 1949 - August 14, 2006) He was best known for his roles in City Slickers; When Harry Met Sally...; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Godfather Part II; and Donnie Brasco. He voiced Reginald Stout in Stuart Little.
This is the first time I've heard anybody say that Billy Crystal and Christopher Walken seemed similar.
My favorite background person in a film is the woman who's sitting behind Robert De Niro during the famous diner scene in "Heat". She's not visible all the time, but when I re-watch the scene I find myself looking at her engaged in a conversation while I'm still listening to Pacino and De Niro.
Running-To-The-Airport example: "She's Out Of My League". And pretty much the entire cast shows up as well.
I first watched this movie a few years ago when I was in my 30's. I thought it would be very cliche, but it has stood the test of time.
Great romcom. You guys should definitely do more Billy Crystal movies. My personal favorites:
City Slickers 1 and 2- Great comedy westerns
Running Scared (1986)- Great buddy cop movie with the perfect balance of comedy, action, and seriousness.
I’m down with both of those. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a Running Scared (the Billy Crystal/Gregory Hines version) reaction.
'Forget Paris' is underrated too.
Seconding the "running scared" recommendation. It's one of those 80s movies that blends comedy and real story, with great performances - including a young Joe Pantoliano! (Cypher from Matrix). All with a perfect buddy cop vibe.
"It's not the voltage that get you, it's the amps!"
@@Cheepchipsable Ray: We lost the suspect! Our keys, or car, OUR PANTS!
Danny: It could've been worse. We could've been shot.
Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts were the dueling rom-com queens of the 90s.
Legend has it that an office prankster once got ahold of a coworker’s computer to “add a few Megs to it.
He added a wav of the “climax” of the deli scene, linked it to every function, and got into bios and turned the volume to max.
Hilarity ensued.
The woman who says, "I'll have what she's having" is Estelle Reiner, the mother of the director, Rob Reiner.
It's one of the best punchlines ever written.
Between the intro to this video and the Shrek video, I wanna hear more of Simone singing!
She has such a good voice, for real
Katz's Deli is not only known for its delicious food, but it's also a popular filming location for many TV shows and movies. The sandwiches are so large that I often take half home for dinner. It's a common spot for celebrities to drop in and enjoy a sandwich, along with some coleslaw and matzo ball soup.
My fav rom com. Heart, great dialogue, great performances and I appreciate the look at perspective of love throughout two people’s lifetimes
I kind of love this movie. It has that easy comedy timing where the dialogue just flows easily between them and the chemistry is really good between Ryan and Crystal. And while Hanks/Ryan is still my favorite rom-com pairing, especially Joe vs. the Volcano, I always wished that these two had done another film together.
One of the last romcoms that can genuinely be considered a classic and one of the best of the genre. Thank you so much for doing a film most reactors seem to overlook for some reason.
Hope you get more of the references in that Ted Lasso episode now, George. 😀
I feel like when it’s a movie Simone has seen before, and especially a movie she loves, she should take care of the trivia moments at the end.
I don’t mind George handling it, he does a great job, but maybe spice it up a bit lol
I was an extra during the filming of Clueless and was in the background of the wedding reception. It’s not all it sounds like. A lot of standing around not knowing what’s going on and things get exciting once in a while. You mostly spend time conversing with other extras. I got lucky and was talking to Alicia Silverstone’s mom.
"Props that eat"
Don't F with Mr. Zero
.always registered with me as my dad's stage name in his 80s band was Steve Zero.......😂😂😂
I saw this movie more than 30 years ago and I still call my dancing "the white mans overbite"
George’s stories about his adult industry days are oddly wholesome
Fun fact: The woman who ordered what Sally's having was Rob Reiner's mom. (Also, mallomars are graham crackers topped with marshmallows and dipped in chocolate.)
Nice! Just wanted to add that I believe that Mallomars are an "East Coast" thing and only available in the cooler months.
The running trope at the end was made famous by The Apartment, one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made - and which you both would love.
The pecan pie part was improvised by Billy Crystal, if you look closely, Meg Ryan looks to the side, she looked at the director who just said keep going.
Such a classic film. Obviously the famous restaurant scene, but so much other good stuff. Every tine I hear "Surrey With The Fringe On Top" from Oklahoma I sing along off-key like Meg Ryan. And Carrie Fisher--Love her so much
I saw this in the theatre in the summer 0f 89. What a great summer. This the best Rom-Com of all time. Why because it is created by 2 Men & 2 Women. You get the perfect point of view from a Man & a Women. Rob Reiner and Nora Ephron sat down and talked about everything they want in the movie. Nora went off and wrote the script. Then Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan added a lot to their characters. Billy is a master at improv. So much of his dialog is just him. Billy added a lot to the script. He wrote the best line in the movie. "I'll have what she's having." What makes this the best too is they are normal looking people not super beautiful like every other Rom-Com. Another great classic Rom-Com to watch is "The Goodbye Girl"(1977). The first Rom-Com to break 100 million at the box-office. Also created one of the best theme song ever put in a movie. Richard Dreyfuss won an Oscar for a Lead in a Rom-Com. Not to many actors win for a Rom-Com.
Well, everyone else is normal-looking people, Meg Ryan looks like a goddess here 😂. But the quirky clothing helped tone that breathtaking beauty down a bit. A bit.
16:19 I LOVE that Meg Ryan line reference from You've Got Mail.
"Don't they know you're supposed to have a last name? It's like they're an entire generation of cocktail waitresses!"
The October 1989 issue of PREMIERE magazine explains why this is one of my favorite deja vu films: At least 18 story elements in this film had already occurred in Woody Allen's ANNIE HALL or MANHATTAN.
Yep, this is unofficially Rob Reiner's Woody Allen film.
Have to follow this with City Slickers.
one of my favourite movies. very intelligently constructed and written and fantastic actors!
20:45 Those were the 80's. It was the times of get by without a tree or work it hard in the city!
Random NYC trivia: Houston street is pronounced houseton, not like the city
and what does SOHO mean?
@@leonardshevlin7260 South of Houston street. Do I pass the test?
@@woeshaling6421 I never doubted you.
I watch this every New Year's Eve. Close to perfect.
Iirc Carrie Fisher was brought in to fix some bits of the script. Easy to forget how good a writer she was when you get obsessed with how huge Star Wars is
SimonPeggedMe......best Patreon name *ever*. 😆
The movie that began the "running to the airport" trope is "The Graduate".
Yes! Running to the church to stop the wedding. The next scene kills me every time.
'Don't fuck with Mr. Zero.'
***that's just good life advice right there***
The “pecan pie” scene was an ad lib. When Billy Crystal starts talking in the funny voice you can see Meg Ryan look to her right laughing. She is looking at director Rob Reiner. He tells her to go with it.
Finally!! So glad you discovered this, George!
Running after the one you love? Earliest I can think of was a classic in itself..."The Graduate" with Dustin Hoffman 1967, especially after everything he was put through with Anne Bancroft before he decided to chase down his REAL love. Definitely worth a first time watching video of it's own.
A modern film that I think is a great take on the will they won't they is Past Lives. A really beautiful and relatable film.
Great movie. We went to new York for the first time in 2013 (we live in London) and had to visit Katz deli. We saw the plaque but didn’t manage to get the table.
2009. From Australia. Same result.
Yonah Schimmel's, Economy Candy, The Pickle Guys, Russ & Daughters, etc.
A bit cliché perhaps, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Bruno Kirby is not only the Lt. in “Good Morning Vietnam” but is also young Clemenza in The Godfather part ll.
Katz’s Deli in pretty awesome, but pretty expensive can get very busy. Last time I was in NY I was going to go again, but the line was around the block.
A twist on the 'will they/won't they' is The Family Man with Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni, and Don Cheadle. That's a fun movie.
Harry runs to Sally at the ending and they meet eyes on the lyrics "With all of your faults I love you still." And that's the movie.
The coolest thing about this movie is the sort of musings on the argument without drawing hard and fast conclusions.
Bruno Kirby is a fantastic actor. You've seen him in Good Morning Vietnam as you said, but also as the young Clemenza in Godfather II
Watch City Slickers!
I grew up in Manhattan. My mom used to hail a checker cab (bigger than standard sedan cabs) and make the cabbie drive all over the Upper East Side to find the perfectly shaped tree. Then we'd get it home in the taxi.
Maybe the best love confession ever in history!
The Running is Cathy and Heathcliff in "Wuthering heights". The book was written by Emily Brontë, many times filmed. Dave Allen made fun of it with Heathcliff and Cathy running towards eachother on the moor.
If you're going to make romcoms a staple, you should check out Return To Me with Minnie Driver and David Duchovny. Co-starring Bonnie Hunt, who directed 🙂
i remember my mom basically holding me down and forcing me to watch this movie when i was a cynical dork ass teenager and i made it like 10 minutes in before getting totally hooked and now i've seen it like thirty times lol
Fun facts: Sally's boyfriend in the airport kissing scene is Steven Ford, son of US President Gerald Ford. The actress who says "I'll have what she's having." is Director Rob Reiner's mother and the actress playing Harry's young girlfriend in the Pictionary scene is Rob Reiner's daughter.
22:34 I’m not sure which movie began the lovers running towards each other trope. In fact, it probably predates film and was part of theater. That being said, the earliest I know of is from Gone with the Wind (1939) although I’m sure there are earlier. The trope is called “meadow run”
Yes I also cited GWTW.
When I was a kid, we had a wagon wheel table just like that one. I would love to have one just like it. It is completely without purpose and fits nowhere.
"Don't worry honey, I will NEVER want your wagon wheel coffee table" is one of my favorite lines in the movie 😆
This is one of my wife and I's favorite movies. It's one that we can put on at any time and enjoy it all over again. We also like You've Got Mail, Simone! haha
They're just well-made movies. The stories are good, the characters are well-developed, and the acting is on-point.
I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. - Harry Burns