So awhile back I wrote that I hold the belief that When Harry Met Sally is the best Romantic Comedy ever. I said I was willing to entertain other possibilities. I have. And I have determined that When Harry Met Sally is hands down the best Romantic Comedy ever period, end of story.
I put Boomerang at number two and Say Anything at number three. I will accept disagreement with those two but I have found no evidence that anything comes close to Harry and Sally.
Yes I know this is not a commentary. I'm working on it. Geez.
Ok this is a tough one but I'm going to take a shot at it. I hypothesize that Sleepless in Seatle is a superior romantic comedy than when Harry Met Sally. Here is my argument:
ReplyDeleteRomantic comedies are essentially formulaic endeavors that follow the same playbook of boy meets girl, boy looses girl, boy gets girl back...insert some funny jokes and awkward humurous hijinks....pardon the heteronormativity. The key, therefore, to a successful romantic comedy is a good leading lady and a good leading man, thats what makes the film.
Now the consistent thread between the two aforementioned films is Meg Ryan, so for purposes of my argument she is the dependent variable. The independent variable that needs to be evaluate, therefore, is Billy Crystal vs. Tom Hanks. I contend that Tom Hanks is inherently a superior actor than Billy Crystal (6 Academy Awards vs. the guy from City Slickers). Ipso facto, all thing being equal, Sleepless in Seattle should be considered superior to When Harry Met Sally.
you have got to be kidding me!
ReplyDeleteno. colin. no. i am still on the fence about When Harry Met Sally (strongly leaning toward yes...that just may be the best romantic comedy ever). WHMS is a comedic masterpiece. Hilarious. Sweet. Topped with an even funnier attempt to try and make billy crystal look “young” in some scenes. That sh** is a jewel.
tom hanks is a better overall actor. BUT he is not a better comedic actor then billy crystal. what, pray tell, movie has tom hanks ever been in where you were like "wow, tom hanks was so good in that AND that movie was ssssooo funny, AND he played a character I would so like to date" i would actually go out on a limb and say tom hank's worst films are the ones where he is supposed to be funny and/or a good lay
billy crystal trying to be in Philadelphia. woudn't work. tom hanks as funny. disastrous. Splash anyone? Sleepless in Seattle can not even begin to touch the masterpiece that is When Harry Met Sally. Clearly your ability to judge a good female lead is not broken….maybe I’ll excuse the mistake and blame it on a certain handicap as to why you might make such an egregious error as to what makes a good male lead in a romantic comedy??
The Real contender hear is Princess Bride. A romantic comedy that makes fun of romantic comedies and still is a successful romantic comedy…HELLO.
Sssuuurrrre. Sexy you look up the word adorable-till-it-makes-you-want-to-puke in the dictionary and you find meg ryan and someother nondescript ugly dude. Yeah yeah…come on guys isn’t that the best romantic comedy ever!? Wink wink. No. I see this ploy. Long live Westley.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-bsf2x-aeE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oow6FknK9NE
Best romantic comedy can be summed up in two words:
ReplyDeleteBull Durham