You've Got Mail (1998)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Nora Ephron

Writers (WGA):

Miklós László (play)
Nora Ephron (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 December 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Someone you pass on the street may already be the love of your life.

Plot:

Two business rivals hate each other at the office but fall in love over the internet.

Plot Keywords:

Bookstore | Internet | Book | Love | Remake

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. Nov. 11

9:00 PM

LIFE

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Joe Fox
Meg Ryan	...	Kathleen Kelly
Katie Sagona	...	Young Kathleen Kelly
Greg Kinnear	...	Frank Navasky
Parker Posey	...	Patricia Eden
Jean Stapleton	...	Birdie Conrad
Steve Zahn	...	George Pappas
Heather Burns	...	Christina Plutzker
Dave Chappelle	...	Kevin Jackson
Dabney Coleman	...	Nelson Fox
John Randolph	...	Schuyler Fox
Hallee Hirsh	...	Annabelle Fox
Jeffrey Scaperrotta	...	Matt Fox
Cara Seymour	...	Gillian Quinn
Katie Finneran	...	Maureen, the Nanny

Also Known As:

You Have Mail (USA) (working title)
You've Got M@il (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some language.

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (w) | Hong Kong:I | India:U | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

210 Riverside Drive, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Both Kathleen and Joe used AOL software to connect to the Internet. They were both using version 4.0 which was in beta testing mode when the film was being made.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Toward the end of the movie, Joe and Kathleen are standing at a hot dog stand by a window. To avoid reflections/glare there is no glass in the window, which would be fine except that the glass is present in adjacent panes and the reflections of passers-by come and go as they walk along the street.

Quotes:

Joe Fox: So what's his handle?
Kathleen Kelly: Uh...
Joe Fox: I'm not going to write him, if that's what you're worried about. You think I'm going to e-mail him?
Kathleen Kelly: All right... NY152.
Joe Fox: N-Y-one-five-two. One hundred and fifty-two. He's... one hundred and fifty-two years old. He's had one hundred and fifty-two moles removed, so now he's got one hundred and fifty-two pock marks on his face.
Kathleen Kelly: The number of people who think he looks like Clark Gable.
Joe Fox: One hundred and fifty-two people who think he looks like a Clark BAR.
Kathleen Kelly: [laughing] Why did I ever tell you this?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Sonny with a Chance: You've Got Fan Mail (#1.4)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours

"Chemistry, likeable characters make this film work"

In films like You've Got Mail, where you can almost predict how it's going to turn out as soon as the opening credits appear, then it is up to the writers, director, and actors, to get us to enjoy the journey to the end credits. Nora and Delia Ephron's script succeeds because they know their characters well, and give them a can't miss plot device. Tom Hanks is believable as the head of a gigantic bookstore chain, as is Meg Ryan as the owner of a small children's bookstore shop. As the guy who is putting Meg out of business by opening a chain store close to her little shop, Tom Hanks character comes across as the arrogant person who only goal seems to open as many bookstores as he can, and make as much money as he can in doing so. When he is talking to Meg Ryan on the internet, we see another side of him, and learn that possibly, he's not the evil guy you think he is. Of course, in person, Meg hates him for what he is doing, on the internet, she falls in love with him. This is what makes the film work, as their reaction to each other in person is completely different from when they talk on line. Some people may quibble that the ending is not very believable, but face it, do you fall in love with a person because of who they are, or what you think they are? I think this question is answered quite adequately.