Filmmaker reacts to When Harry Met Sally (1989) for the FIRST TIME! 

Are you freaking kidding me, someone reacting to the best romance movie of all times, thank you James :D

Letting a scene breathe- such a great phrase, perfectly evocative.

When Harry met Sally is the blueprint of the modern romantic comedy.

Carrie Fisher was so much more than just Princess Leia. Also, Billy Crystal is an icon.

The gold standard for romantic comedies. This movie is the blueprint man. Love this film.

To answer your question about who's story this film gravitates towards more, I personally feel it's both. And equally so. That's what's so compelling about this movie and what makes it stand the test of time as opposed to a lot of present day romcoms. They devoted an equal amount of time into both Harry and Sally as characters that made you root for them. Usually romcoms tend to tell it from the perspective of one character who happens to meet their love interest and that's how they generally develop their arc. But here you see both of them go through their own character development during the course of their friendship. They feel like two main characters instead of just just one main protagonist and one plot tool.

This film resonates so strongly with me. The moment at the end of the film where Harry has his moment of realization that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Sally.... I've had that. A literal moment. I know exactly when it happened. I went into that moment just being fine with dating, and being a cynic about the whole concept of 'finding your one'... and it was like a switch flipped, and it all just made sense to me. I was watching a movie alone that night, just some dumb relationship comedy, and one line that one of the characters said about 'every date isn't just a date, every one has the potential to turn into forever'.. and it just made sense to me. I heard all my previous criticisms about love, romance, and relationships, and how stupid I had sounded. I went out and bought an engagement ring the next day.

The cast in this movie is incredible. And the scene at the football game is probably one of the best sports scenes in a movie ever, and it doesn't even involve the actual sport, but rather the experience of just being a fan. Top 5 romcom ever.

Yeah great directing from Rob Reiner but credit is especially due to the screenplay- Nora Ephron is an incredible writer and this script really is something else

I'm so glad you watched this. Rob Reiner had Hell of an initial run of films. This is spinal tap, Stand by me, the Princess bride, when Harry met Sally, misery

I really like the contrast between the Harry/Sally relationship and the Carrie Fisher/Bruno Kirby characters. This movie was probably a big influence on the show Scrubs, which also had two main characters with a constantly on-again/off-again relationship, contrasted by their best friends (Turk and Carla) who have a stable courtship and marriage/family.

If you have not checked it out “Sleepless in Seattle” is another amazing comedy/romance movie from this same time frame. Same screen writers

This is one of those movies that never really ages, and is rewatchable to no end

There were a few ad-libs in this movie, and one of them is the “Waiter, there is too much pepper…” moment in the museum. You can see Meg Ryan glance off to the side at the director, kind of asking, “Are we really doing this?” Meg Ryan did two more movies Nora Ephron wrote (and directed), but her co-star was Tom Hanks: “Sleepless in Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail.” (The latter is a remake of “The Shop Around the Corner”, which was also made into a musical, “In the Good Old Summertime.”)

I'd love for you to watch other classic rom-coms! And Meg Ryan sure was the queen of rom-coms in the 80s and early 90s. You should watch "Sleepless in Seattle" and "You've got mail", she starred in both with Tom Hanks, those movies are soooo good!

This movie and the other romantic comedies of the 90s are so comforting to me. Not even in a lovey dovey, I want to fall in love kind of way. They're just fun and engaging stories with interesting characters that almost certainly have a happy ending. They give me the same good vibes as the romantic comedies in the 30s and 40s (Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, You Can't Take It With You, etc).

This soundtrack made me fall in love with Harry Connick Jr. The intimate numbers are as good as the big band numbers. Instrumentals as good as the vocal numbers.

I’ve kind of viewed the meta message almost as a reflection of the couples interviews…like Harry & Sally are just one of X number of couples being interviewed…and you see the cute little “on the side” comment means something insider to them, but the movie shows how every couple has a whole life story about their coupledom, and how we just scratch the surface of one another in our interactions. Really knowing someone/some couple is special; the human experience is a beautiful thing.

Thank you for this one! One of the best romance comedies of all time. Written by the great Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner, with an incredible soundtrack by a young Harry Connick, Jr, which basically made him a star overnight. And what a cast. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan at their very best, with Carrie Fisher and Bruno Kirby, no less amazing. My husband and I have been quoting this movie for the past 33 years. Who can’t relate?? Love it!

A recommendation for a romance movie done right is Say Anything. It has other themes in it too that are also done well, but overall it’s a romance. And such a good movie! By the way, I also think this is more Harry’s perspective than Sally’s, but there is enough of her perspective that it’s close to even. Definitely my favorite romantic comedy.

This movie's just as much a study on differences between men and women as it is about their relationship. Love that aspect of it. Camera work, music, and main cast are on point. As for who's movie it is? I think it depends on who's watching and which one people empathize with more. Coming up on 20 years married and this has been our only "New Year's" movie since we were dating. Fits the holiday perfectly.

Definitely one of the best romantic comedies ever made. Well made with great performances.

My brother and I watched this so many times when it first came out. It's like a Woody Allen film except it's funny and has likable characters 🤣

"I'll have what she's having." Lol!! Best line in the movie and one o the most memorable in movie history!

I love that. "Jazz makes you feel all the feels." That is so right.

Definitely one of my favorite rom-coms of all time. I love how it's neither a chick flick nor a guy movie. It's perfectly balanced and very, very funny.

Relatable, believable, well acted, well shot and interesting. It’s a shame with the state of the industry that films like this rarely get made anymore. Harry’s story but maybe because I’m a man. But I feel like we get more of his perspective. Can see either one though.

I watch this movie once a year, either on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. Sets me up on the right foot for the new year!

"Someone's staring at you in Personal Growth."

A love letter to New York

My mom and dad met on a blind date and they weren’t each other’s date. They were married 6 weeks later and stayed together for almost 40 years til she passed.

This film is my favorite romantic comedy or rom-com ever, it doesn’t get better than this. It’s relatable to both sides of the party, absolutely hilarious, quotable & well acted. Great reaction!

Is it me or were movies just better back then? Not sure if it’s just nostalgia but whatever formula they had back then it feels like they are missing the ingredients today.

One of my all-time favorites. A classic in every way.

Its refreshing to hear someone talk intelligently about Jazz. Thank you.

I think this movie framed it as Their Story... two humans, one relationship. It's the relationship's story.

When Harry Met Sally is, in my opinion, maybe the best rom-com of all time. It all feels very genuine, and real, and a lot of the conversations about the differences between men and women were inspired by conversations between Nora Ephron and Rob Reiner as the movie was being formulated and put together. If you want another very good one with a similar feel (same writer, and she also directed it,) you gotta check out Sleepless in Seattle. Another Meg Ryan flick, but with Tom Hanks as the male lead. It's great.

Halfway through this movie reaction. Oh James, I'm in agreement with you about that gorgeous scene where Harry and Sally are walking past some stunning red and yellow leaf trees. Autumn is also my favourite season, and always has been. Incidentally, during that diner orgasm scene, that lady that says "I'll have what she's having" was Rob Reiner's Mother. Rob Reiner, former "meat head" from the All in the Family 70's TV show has come such a long way as a director. Thank you so much for watching and reacting to a movie I loved in the movie theatre, purchased on VHS and bought on DVD after that. It has infinite re-watch ability. I can still recall back in 1989 before the Internet when you could call a phone number to check where movies were being played at and it even had a small review about the movie. They said "When comedians become actors, you have to see this movie" or something to that effect.

oh yeah, one of my favorite movies of all time. it was fun to see your reaction of watching it for the first time, since it's been a long time since i first watched it. glad you enjoyed it! i never looked at it as more harry's story or more sally's story, but as equally both their stories. 😊

Spectacular romcom. I think the only one that can hold a candle to it is Sleepless in Seattle. That one is the definition of "Romantic." But you can't really go wrong where Meg Ryan is concerned.

This is my New Years Eve film, one of the greats. Love is chaotic and I like films that show it that way rather than a Hollywood Fairytale. Thanks for the hard work you put in to your channel x

You've made my day with this reaction my good man!!! I adore this film and to see one of my favourite reactors enjoy it too was a dream

I loved seeing you have such a good time watching this movie, which is a great re-watch for me whenever fall comes back around. Also, really enjoyed seeing you make connections to the jazz score & tracks they chose to the story, and how the camerawork and camera movement helped move the storytelling forward.

I love your takes, I always learn something watching your analysis - thanks

“You made a woman meow 😻 “ one of my favorite movie lines of all time. 😂

Really enjoyed how much you enjoyed this one !

You should watch "You've Got Mail" because it's almost time for a bouquet of sharpened pencils. Watch the movie and you'll see what I mean.

James! 🥰 Love that you reacted to this! Your commentary was so spot on! Loved how you taught me something new about this movie that I've seen already, in the music and how it aides the writing so much more than I realized. Have a few suggestions even if you dont watch on your channel they are must sees. Cairo Time, Shopgirl and Chasing Amy. 3 romance movies that are very intimate, unconventional but very beautiful. Shopgirl, I can actually say gave me a heart swell and I thought that was only descriptive before, lol! Ty for reacting to this! Made my day! 🌻

This is one of my favorite movies. I’m glad you liked it as well and I enjoyed your review. I love that Rob Reiner used New York City like it was another character in the film.

Some of my favorite romance movies are older. Roman Holiday and Bringing Up Baby are my top 2 recommendations

I love how you love jazz, you've mentioned it often. Me too! I liked your observation that this film is like jazz. It absolutely is.

I love this movie! Great music, great casting all around, and so hilarious. And the fact that you happened to post a reaction to it on my birthday yesterday makes it an extra special treat! Thanks, James! 😉☺🙃

This has been my Christmas film since it came out on tape. I knew lots of couples just like them in the 70s through the 90s. You can watch the clockwork crank along until they finally figure it out. Glad you got it. Good reaction analysis. Thanks.

My favorite romantic comedy! I can watch this over and over. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan have great chemistry. And you're right, their relationship is so much more believable than most romances out there.

I just saw this movie last week, this is perfect! So glad you enjoyed it and yes this movie is so real with these characters that I can watch this movie again, definitely agree with you on this being Harry's story more than Sally's!

My favourite romcom of all time! I remember watching this as a teen repeatedly on VHS in the 90s, and I still watch it a few times a year. It might be an editing thing (so I might be wrong) but I got the impression that you were talking to us a lot and missing out on a huge amount of brilliant lines. If that's the case, I hope you can rewatch it and appreciate it even more! I also really appreciate your question about who the main character is. Until now, I always thought it was evenly split between Harry and Sally, but now I think it's a 55/45 split, with us seeing just a little more of Harry's heart pursuing the love of his life, Sally - eg Harry talking to Jess about his relationship with Sally, and Harry's inner monologue when window shopping on NYE.

Such a great romance! Glad to see you reacting to it.

Good question James. You're right, there's no right or wrong answer but I'd say Harry story because of his arc. I re-watched that movie last year in Cinema at The Park in NYC in Queens and it was really nice moment. Happy New Year Bro!!!

In thinking about it, I think it's more Harry's story. It's even in a way focused that way in the title -- "When HARRY met Sally." But I do think we get to see growth in both of them as people over the years of this film and because of that it's both of their stories, each as individuals as well as the two of them as a couple and how they came together after a long unusual friendship. We see the evolution of everything and it's such great fun. I especially like the interjection of various couples talking about how they got together (each couple so unique and funny), and it rounds out with Harry and Sally doing the same thing. ❤ Just a well-written, well-acted, well-directed film all around. SO good.

This is not only my favorite romance movie but a top contender for movies in general. Movies don't normally show the whole process of a friendship turning into love. It also hits close to home because my fiance and I are quite similar. We were friends for 8 years before we started dating.

The diner scene is an absolute classic.

So glad you hit this one!! OMG....please footnote this next suggestion when you get around to the nextroma tic film. It's called Serendipity..and stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsal.. Well written, funny, shot beautifully in NYC ..around Christmas..and just a tease..nope won't do it..Please put this one on your list....love your reactions to GREAT FILM MAKING!

This is in my Top Ten of Romance Movies... Thanks for reacting

definitely Harry's story. It was his philosophy that was tested

Was a joy sharing your reaction, your articulation of your thoughts and feelings continues to be what makes your content so rewarding, as always, stay awesome, stay genuine... much love

Thanks for this reaction! I've seen this movie no fewer than 300 times, and I never really noticed the intentionality of the jazz and jazzy music until you pointed it out. After all, what is love, if not a beautiful improvisation?

"The shoes are gonna be swapped on the other side." - JVC

This is the gold standard for the modern RomCom. Gold.

The stories from the older couples are all true! Rob Reiner got the stories and hired actors to tell them. I love those little scenes. Nine extra floors :)

Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it.

this is one of my favorites you really want both these characters to get together.

Great reaction to this film! I appreciate your observations! 👍✌️

Carrie Fisher was known as a script doctor. I believe this was one of the first films she was given credit for it, but I don’t remember if she’s credited in the credits. 😁😆

grew up watching it and love it

One of my favorite movies! I think it does a great job of being both Harry's and Sally's story. Carrie Fisher was great in this too! I love movies that are true-to-life romance movies like this one. Since you enjoyed this movie and Billy Crystal's comedy style, I would suggest watching Forget Paris! ❤~Caroline

I screened this with my 16 yr old son recently. He loves Billy Crystal & had seen City Slickers, which is hilarious, & loved loved this. Absolutely love this film! … my son, after the infamous deli scene, he turned & said, “does that really happen?! “He’s never gonna leave her”

Like the jazz soundtrack, New York City is so much a character in its own right in this film. Wonderfully done!

Been loving the soundtrack since it came out. So good.

I loved your reaction. My favorite romance film of all time is *A Room With A View* -- it assembles one of the greatest casts ever and is light and romantic from the opening credits. I highly recommend it. As a side note about *When Harry Met Sally* , its director, Rob Reiner, between 1984 and 1995 directed, amongst several other films, *This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, Stand By Me, Misery, When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men* and *The American President* which are all classics. Sadly he did not keep up that level of film, but it's an extraordinary run.

james, an underrated romance you should watch is “about time.” it also has a bit of sci-fi, and i think you’d love it!

My favourite movie of all time, such a nice, simple, well written and cozy film.

my fave romcom has gotta be you’ve got mail. man i sob every time

Smart and genuinely funny. Can we get some more movies like that someday?

What a great film, it's been a while since I last watched this. The dialogue is still as good as I remember it and the laid back jazz flowing through the film add another dimension to it. Someone below mentioned Spinal Tap by the same director, it's one to the best Rock Mockumentaries out there. If you fancy a darker/comedy romance?, you could try "War of the Roses" directed by Danny DeVito and starring Michael Douglas & Kathleen Turner well worth a watch.

Great reaction to a great flick, everything just works in this film. And you're right about how jazz can get you in your feels whether you were aiming for it or not. There are nights where you can put on some Chet Baker or Billie Holiday and find yourself diving deep to reflect.

What makes this film great is that it hits all the points we always get wrong. It saves us all when the realization envelopes them and they are able to do something about it. It replaces the longing and remorse we all have in us. It makes us feel better because it does what we failed to do. Recognize that great love we squandered. Unlike Harry, we were too immature or too self-indulgent to recognize a good thing when we had it. Harry gave us a victory in the face of our annihilation. Thanks Harry. I still wince when I think of her.

I love how you can track their relationship in the film. Like Barry was initially always attracted to slaly( found her cute) but didn’t liek her cuz he didn’t know her that well then their budding friendship and eventually romance😊 but what really defined their relationship was the RESPECT tehy ahd for one another. Like when Harry went off on slaly cuz he was upset he crossed a line and Sally told him off for it and he quickly apologized. Like I LOVE it

I saw this in the theater in 1989 when it came out. Damn, I feel old. And yep, it is a great movie!

My favorite movie❤ the writing is awesome!

Oh yeah, the soundtrack is Harry Connick Jr and it's fantastic. It was also his big break as a musician and later as an actor. Bought this album on CD in the 90s. Very good music.

Best line in movie history "I'll have what she's having" lol

One of my favorite movies and definitely the best romantic comedy. It has something special about it that most movies lack. I watch it at least a couple times a year, but I always watch it at least once on either Thanksgiving or over the new year.

Great movie... Harrys' arc is superb and the acting/writing spot on... if you like this type of genre James I can most definitely recommend Silver Linings Playbook... my favourite movie of this genre.

One if not the best script ever written ! I'm liking without even watching it !

Definitely one of my favorites romcom

Love this movie!!

One of the all time great romcoms! It’s wonderfully written, well directed, beautifully acted. The chemistry between Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal is fantastic! It’s incredibly satisfying. It’s a very rewatchable movie. The scene after they meet up again in the bookstore then go to a restaurant together, is such a shining example of how good Meg Ryan is. I really lament how her career took a dive, cause she was genuinely good.

Had to vote for this one. Such a good cast. Also I think to answer your question, I think it is more Harry's movie because of the running scene where he kind of runs to her. I don't know though, it's a close call. I hate romance movies but this one is actually enjoyable.

I knew you'd like this one! This is the same director as Princess Bride!

I’m not a big romcom fan but this and Moonstruck are the few who make the cut.