Sleepless in Seattle

Name: Sleepless in Seattle
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Released: June 25, 1993
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks

1993

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Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 88 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 88 Ratings

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Sleepless In Seattle

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Movie Details & Credits

TriStar Pictures | Release Date: June 25, 1993 | PG

Starring: Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks

Summary: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in Nora Ephron's wonderfully romantic comedy about two people drawn together by destiny. (Sony Pictures)

Director: Nora Ephron

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Romance

Rating: PG

Runtime: 105 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Vincent Canby

Not since "Love Story" has there been a movie that so shrewdly and predictably manipulated the emotions for such entertaining effect. Read full review

100

Rick Groen

Consequently, Ephron is forced to shape and integrate the twin halves of the picture, and she does a splendid job - the intercutting is always fluid and never mechanical. Better yet, the script keeps surprising us, setting up stock situations and then pulling away from a stock treatment. Read full review

Joe Brown

There are no surprises in Sleepless, and the audience is ahead of the characters every step of the way. But people seem to like it that way. And, hey, it works like a charm. Read full review

Roger Ebert

Ephron develops this story with all of the heartfelt sincerity of a 1950s tearjerker (indeed, the movie's characters spend a lot of time watching "An Affair to Remember" and using it as their romantic compass). Read full review

Brian Lowry

Yet for all the enjoyable flourishes, and there are many, Ephron keeps pausing to remind us, through various contrivances, that this is a movie, making it hard for anyone to really get lost in the story. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

The movie is so prefab, so plastically aware of being ''corny,'' ''romantic,'' and ''old-fashioned,'' that it feels programmed to make you fall in love with it. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

While celebrating the lushly romantic, it also tweaks the tradition so that Sleepless in Seattle ends up something akin to a feature-length Taster's Choice commercial. Read full review

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User Reviews

Habibiehakim

Aug 13, 2021

Sam and Annie only meet in person just 2 minutes and 5 minutes if you include the scene when Annie seeing Sam and Jonah in the beach and on the road, but the movie still be really good and leave me personally satisfying, why?, because they making both Sam and Annie personal life interesting,Sam and Annie only meet in person just 2 minutes and 5 minutes if you include the scene when Annie seeing Sam and Jonah in the beach and on the road, but the movie still be really good and leave me personally satisfying, why?, because they making both Sam and Annie personal life interesting, added with Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Ross Malinger amazing performance, Sleepless In Seattle is incredible.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MovieLonely94

Nov 6, 2010

touching and lovely movie

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Spangle

Jan 3, 2017

A funny and cheesy piece of entertainment, Sleepless in Seattle is a timeless romance starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Though the duo rarely share the screen, the moments they do and the moments they do not are filled with the air of being of a classic Hollywood romance. With two wellA funny and cheesy piece of entertainment, Sleepless in Seattle is a timeless romance starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Though the duo rarely share the screen, the moments they do and the moments they do not are filled with the air of being of a classic Hollywood romance. With two well matched leads and the film fully aware of its status as being a far-fetched Hollywood romantic film, Sleepless in Seattle is an irresistibly adorable film that is always entertaining. Striking a balance between grieving, romance, and comedy, it is clear that this film is by a woman, Nora Ephron. With the romance being found in the words, not in the looks, the film is a romantically written depiction of the true meaning of love.

In my review of Carol, I discussed the power of a look. In that film, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara share a look that makes it feel as though time has stopped. The look in their eyes make it appear that all of their questions have been answered. Sleepless in Seattle contains a look of the same quality. With just fleeting moments of Sam (Tom Hanks) and Annie (Meg Ryan) sharing the screen, Ephron casts aside words. Instead, the power of love is found in a look and a touch. From there, magic happens and the romance in the film is cemented as being nothing less than magical.

However, equally important are the words. Hearing Sam, grieving from the loss of his wife, on a radio show, Annie is moved to tears by his words about his wife. Ephron's writing captures what women want: a man who loves them. Sam loved his wife and was not ashamed to admit it or tell the whole world about that love. Simple statements such as asking how long he had to explain what he loved most leave Annie and women across the country in a sea of tears. While the film can be a bit sexist as it shows women as being emotional wrecks and men as emotionally distant, it works because these moments are so exquisitely written from a romance standpoint. Ephron does not hide that she is trying to emulate classic 1940s/1950s romance films such as those with Cary Grant with repeated references to An Affair to Remember. Instead, she fully embraces the cheesiness and over-the-top romantic nature of those films. With audacious romantic set pieces such as the Empire State Building, absurd coincidences, and repeated references to fate, Sleepless in Seattle is cheesy as all hell. Fortunately, cheese is often delicious and this film certainly fits that bill with a gooey center that leaves you feeling happy. The dialogue in the film emphasizes that cheese with the characters merely dropping words that women would kill to hear from, apparently, any man.

The film's comedy is great, especially the running gag regarding An Affair to Remember. However, as always, Hanks is an able comic with great delivery of his various comedic lines. Ryan receives less comedic lines, but when given the chance, she nails the line. Yet, the biggest fault of the film is its treatment of Walter (Bill Pullman). Though romantic and funny, Walter is cast aside because he commits the cardinal sin of men: being boring. He is boring. He is allergic to everything, sure, but he is also boring. He is safe and hardly exciting. He may love Annie and be engaged to her, but she quickly loses interest purely through hearing Sam. There is no magic between her and Walter. However, the film seems to go out of its way to make you see how boring Walter is, even by picking on his name and serious nature. By the end, when Annie dumps him, he is so boring he just lets her go. He understands and allows her to leave. Walter may be a good guy who does not want to restrict her, even if he loves her, but man is he boring. By the end of the film, Sleepless in Seattle seems to want you to understand that Annie is not a bad person for emotionally cheating on Walter, but we know the truth. Your partner being boring is not an excuse to cheat on them, even if you did not do anything sexually to cheat on them. Just be upfront from the beginning and do not lead them on. The funny part is she was fine with Walter until she sensed a better option being available. Here, the film really struggles and fails to justify putting its leads together.

Fortunately, Sleepless in Seattle is a funny, romantic, and subtle piece of 1990s rom-com entertainment. With two well matched leads, the film is a vintage Hollywood romance film, even if it lacks scenes between the lovers and a great kiss finale. Through the lack of these, the film feels oddly authentic, even if its plot is absurd. Yet, Sleepless in Seattle is able to find realism by capturing the look, feel, and sound of true love from the very beginning of the film.… Expand

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JawsLaxerDrama

Jan 3, 2013

Besides being a romantic movie, it's actually quite good. The only problem was the pacing, as sometimes it was a little dull but it always picked up. It's not meant to have any suspence, violence, explosions or anything else, but it is one of the movies you're like 'Well, okay, not bad."Besides being a romantic movie, it's actually quite good. The only problem was the pacing, as sometimes it was a little dull but it always picked up. It's not meant to have any suspence, violence, explosions or anything else, but it is one of the movies you're like 'Well, okay, not bad."
Tom Hanks is great as always. Diagnosis: See it with your boyfriend/girlfriend. Pros: Wonderful acting. Cons: Can be a bit too slow.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

amheretojudge

Mar 1, 2019

A Necessary Nap.

Sleepless In Seattle Ephron is a believer in simplicity. More importantly, she is a believer. Her entire film whispers to be it, her characters and her arc of the film, everything trying with full effort with all its heart. And on the other hand, her world is pragmatic asA Necessary Nap.

Sleepless In Seattle

Ephron is a believer in simplicity. More importantly, she is a believer. Her entire film whispers to be it, her characters and her arc of the film, everything trying with full effort with all its heart. And on the other hand, her world is pragmatic as ours, often gullible and often mature, this is what keeps the film grounded. This culmination of two different tone sets the film in balance. There isn't too much manipulative melodrama nor too little of the sincerity that it requires. And armed with a dream cast like such, Nora Ephron; the co-writer and director, teases her audience with a panache that you are practically giddy up for more.

With dreamy eyes and goofy body language Annie, (Meg Ryan) is born to be a rom-com actress, she is having doubts on her engagement, she has a best friend that is there to settle the scoreboard with humor and she is a believer. But what makes her stand alone is her love for the film, "An Affair To Remember", in fact every female character in here goes on and on with their references, from someone who doesn't even show up to little girls. And man-spreading the boyish charm is Sam (Tom Hanks) who cries while even talking about "The Dirty Dozen".

His character falls under the sort of pity category and still Ryan's silliness steals the show, probably because she seems more honest and unfiltered than him. Ross Malinger as a sassy kid is utterly convincing in his cloak and plays a major part on getting these two lead characters together. The humor is not overdoing it, but subtle and satisfying and often relied upon other characters that are not part of the film. Sleepless In Seattle is dreamy but not that satisfying as your usual romcom, there is a maturity in its speech this time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

The3AcademySins

Dec 25, 2018

Sleepless in Seattle features great performances by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Their chemistry on screen is so lovely and natural, and it really elevates the movie to a whole other level. The script is a little simplistic, but you'll fall in love with these two characters and the honesty ofSleepless in Seattle features great performances by Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Their chemistry on screen is so lovely and natural, and it really elevates the movie to a whole other level. The script is a little simplistic, but you'll fall in love with these two characters and the honesty of their scenes, that you'll forget all about the script's flaws.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

dierregi

Mar 16, 2014

Romantic comedies are very difficult to get right. This “old classic” signed Nora Ephron is a good example of everything that can go wrong.

Built on the success of “When Harry met Sally”, we have cute heroine Meg Ryan playing one of her romantic leads roles, inclusive of tics andRomantic comedies are very difficult to get right. This “old classic” signed Nora Ephron is a good example of everything that can go wrong.

Built on the success of “When Harry met Sally”, we have cute heroine Meg Ryan playing one of her romantic leads roles, inclusive of tics and weirdness that were her trademark. She could easily be a slightly older version of Sally, with a worse haircut. This time, her character is called Annie and she lives in Baltimore.

Annie is engaged to Walter, whose main defect is being dull. This must be a terrible crime in Ephron’s book, since Walter is treated with zero respect. One night, Annie listens to Sam’s phone call to a radio station. Sam is a young widower, living in Seattle with his son Jonah. Just listening to his story Annie fells for him.

Many criticized this idea of falling in love, which however is not the worst point of the movie. People fall in love for lots of different reasons, so I could buy Annie falling for Sam and trying to meet him. What I do not buy is the artificiality of all the events presented after that.

Annie is a journalist and manages to be sent to Seattle to meet Sam, but somehow manages not to do so, even if she sees him twice (and he sees her too, managing to fell in love at “first sight”). They do not exchange words, even if she could have waited for him and introduced herself in a normal way. But that would have been way too dull for Ephron.

Then there is a letter which makes unbearable Jonah instantly like Annie. Jonah tries to push Sam to meet Annie on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day. This is contrivance at the highest level, built in the script together with many references to the movie “An affair to remember”. Since neither Sam nor Annie live in New York, this “romantic” meeting on Valentine’s is supposed to prove that “love at first sight” does exist and can even be the basis for a long lasting relationship….. or whatever.

What I got instead, is an overlong, unfunny movie where the two leads meet only at the end, which is certainly not the way I like onscreen romances to go.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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