Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 17
  2. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. 100
    A ravishing, romantic lark brimming over with style, intelligence and flashing wit.
  2. 100
    The summer's uncorseted, unqualified delight. [14 July 1989, Calendar, p.6-1]
  3. Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    90
    Like Harry and Sally, the movie is hardworking, spot on; it winepresses its conversation into epigrams. No surprise here.[31 July 1999, p.65]
  4. 90
    It's a movie that walks on air.
  5. 88
    Together, Crystal and Ryan really click. Even though their characters are polar opposites (or perhaps because of it), their interaction has a charm and warmth that most motion picture pairings lack.
  6. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    80
    The joy comes not from the will-they-won't-they romance between the two leads, but from the sharply written humour from the pen of writer Nora Ephron.
  7. [Reiner] pulls everything together adroitly to make Harry Met Sally a real refreshment. It's what they call a summer picture, which means that, if it's good as this one is-it will seem summery even in winter. [21 Aug 1989, p.26]
  8. 75
    What makes it special, apart from the Ephron screenplay, is the chemistry between Crystal and Ryan.
  9. 75
    From his long experience in television, [Reiner] has learned how to create characters with just enough depth to hold together but not so much that they become too individualized, too stubbornly complex. [12 July 1989, Tempo, p.1]
  10. The kind of little film you can get cozy with, laugh at in odd places even when nobody else is laughing - and yet people will not turn around to glower at you because they understand. [12 July 1989, Daily Datebook, p.E1]
  11. Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    75
    As a successful careerist who tries purging his neuroses in a coin-operated batting cage, Crystal is funny enough to keep Ryan from all-out stealing the film. She, though, is smashing in an eye-opening performance, another tribute to Reiner's flair with actors. [12 July 1989, Life, p.1D]
  12. The comedy is warm and witty and wafer-thin, as easy on the palate as a raspberry sorbet on a summer afternoon.
  13. What he forgot to ask Woody [Allen] for was the keen insight into middle-class folkways that marks the best Allen pictures. [28 July 1989, Arts, p.10]
  14. Reviewed by: Staff (Non Credited)
    60
    The plot may seem anything but fresh (and the borrowings from Woody Allen certainly are stale), but director Rob Reiner has a killer instinct for setting up jokes and punchlines.
  15. Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    60
    Rob Reiner directs with deftness and sincerity, making the material seem more engaging than it is, at least until the plot machanics begin to unwind and the film starts to seem shapeless.
  16. Very slickly and glibly put together, with a sharp eye for yuppie decor and accoutrements; even Woody's habitual, fanciful vision of an all-white New York is respected.
  17. Reviewed by: Caryn James
    50
    Like the sitcom version of a Woody Allen film, full of amusing lines and scenes, all infused with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. I'm probably one of the sappiest guys I know. Maybe even abnormally so. It is probably because I grew up with primarily my mother. As a result, I fall for the romantic comedy. I would like to think I like the more intellectually stimulating ones, but most people would probably say I'm fooling myself. I can't stand Pretty Woman, or any other Julia Roberts romantic comedy. Nor can I tolerate pure fluff. Again, maybe I'm naive, but I tend to like the romantic movies that do a little more than the normal romantic fluff.

    When Harry Met Sally redefined (or defined, depending on to whom you talk) the romantic comedy. The dialogue, memorable quotes, flawless acting and directing, as well as the sparkling chemistry between two unlikely actors, When Harry Met Sally is a near-perfect story of two opposites who, over time, grow to realize just how compatible they really are. It's a hopeful friends-to-lovers progression that never seems forced. Rob Reiner adapts Nora Ephron's script and edits it to flawless execution. At no point does the connection seem unnatural. The audience is carried end-to-end and experiences the same maturity through Harry and Sally's relationship, recognizing the imperfections of each character and recognizing elements of each's life in their own lives. When Harry Met Sally set the standard and has been copied poorly by many wanna-bes, but it is the original and worth the time if you have never seen it.
    Full Review »
  2. JayH.
    9
    One of the best romantic comedies of it's era. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal make a surprisingly engaging film pair. The supporting cast is great. Superbly written and directed. The restaurant "orgasm" scene has to be one of the funniest scenes ever filmed. Full Review »
  3. AshrafA.
    9
    Really, really good, a very wonderful movie... better than the overrated Lost in Translation