Retrospective Film Review

When Harry Met Sally… (1989) • 35 Years Later — the greatest rom-com of all time

Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship.

Out of the thousands of romantic comedies out there, I’d swear in front of a judge that When Harry Met Sally… is the best. Few films have captured the ache of romantic loneliness quite so well, nor the fear of ruining an important friendship through being physically intimate with one another. In a character-driven story that perfectly balances romance and comedy, we get to know two people in their search for love.

Of course, it doesn’t start that way. Our lovebirds initially loathe each other. In their first meeting, as they carpool from Chicago to New York, it’s blatantly evident that they’re distinctly different people. Sally (Meg Ryan) is frustratingly compulsive, whereas Harry (Billy Crystal) is crass and untidy. Much like some of the great romantic comedies, our protagonists take an immediate dislike to one another, a feeling they try to conceal…