In the 1989 romantic comedy, When Harry Met Sally, the pairing of Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as the very cynical Harry Burns and cheery Sally Albright allows for entertaining conflict as their personalities clash over everything. Of course, in classic rom com fashion their friendship outweighs their differences and the two ultimately fall in love.

Harry and Sally first meet to drive from The University of Chicago to New York together. Harry’s girlfriend at the time had a friend, Sally, who she set him up with so that they could make the trip together. From the start Sally is irritated by Harry’s sarcastic comments and incredible stubbornness. It takes very little time for the two to both realize that their polar opposite personalities do not mesh well. While driving together Harry asks Sally many questions that only aggravate her further and reveal Sally’s uptight demeanor. Harry first notices how high strung Sally is when he offers her a grape and she responds by saying “No I don’t like to eat between meals”. After hours of butting heads the two arrive in New York, briefly say goodbye and do not meet again for 5 years. The next time they see each other is in the airport where Sally is with her boyfriend and Harry shares that he is getting married. It takes 5 more years before their paths cross again this time in a bookstore. Sally and her boyfriend have recently broken up and Harry is getting divorced. The two talk and bond over their failed relationships and continue their conversation over dinner. From there Harry and Sally become great friends. They talk on the phone, share bad date stories, and attend a holiday party together. Everything slowly seems to be falling into place, even their two best friends fall in love and get married. But, when conflict arises between Harry and Sally it takes a major toll on their friendship. After drifting apart they begin to long for each other and realize that despite their differences they love each other.

There are an endless number of genius techniques used in the movie that contribute to highlighting Harry and Sally’s character traits. The most obvious one being their names. The name Harry Burns undoubtedly refers to Harry’s sideburns and possibly has a deeper meaning as well, because his judgemental comments often “burn”. The name Sally Albright clearly reflects Sally’s optimistic and cheery personality. She also wears very high waisted pants that further convey her uptightness.

When Harry Met Sally was the first real romantic comedy written by Nora Ephron who would later go on to write other classics such as Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, Bewitched and My Blue Heaven. As brilliant as Ephron’s writing is, many of the classic lines were apparently improvised, including the very famous deli scene when Rob Reiner's mom makes a brief appearance and says “I’ll have what she’s having”. It also marked the fifth movie directed by Rob Reiner who had previously directed the other great comedies, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, The Sure Thing, and This Is Spinal Tap. The jazzy and memorable soundtrack by Harry Connick Jr sets the right tone throughout the film and adds to the mood in a number of scenes. All of this explains why Rolling Stone magazine and Vanity Fair magazine both ranked When Harry Met Sally as the #1 best romantic comedy.

The characters display immense growth over the course of the movie which adds to the intrigue. Harry matures from a shallow college student to a true romantic and at the same time Sally’s uptight and closed off nature relaxes. The movie is filled with quick and witty conversations that always keep you entertained and listening carefully. Harry’s natural ability to turn any of Sally’s comments back on her and into some hysterical sarcastic joke truly deserves an award.The movie is interspersed with touching true stories recounted through interviews with elderly couples about how they fell in love. These interviews add humor, relatability, and sentimentality to the film. The plotline is easy to follow and ultimately predictable, however the smaller twists and turns keep viewers engaged. And although the movie does not have some big overarching message other than people grow over time, it is still guaranteed to pull you in with its feel good charm.