Tuesday, April 28, 2015

You've Got Mail

The entire plot of this movie revolves around a woman who loses her small independent family business because a big chain moves in.


So tell me why she gets her coffee from Starbucks? Are there no independent locally-owned coffee shops she could give her business to? Starbucks? Really?


You've Got Mail is a sweet 1998 romantic comedy starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I'm not a big fan of romantic comedies, but I like this one. Except every time I think of the woman saddened by the loss of her business while she's drinking Starbucks coffee, my brain breaks just a bit more.

trailer:



The New York Times has a positive review. Entertainment Weekly gives it a B and calls it a "valentine to modern love in New York". CNN says,
This crisp romantic comedy hits all the right keys. And it lovingly portrays Manhattan's Upper West side to perfection, and made me very homesick for my old neighborhood. Actually the West Side is almost a character in this film in the same way that Woody Allen uses his beloved city in most of his films.

Time Out calls it "manipulative". Empire Online gives it 3 out of 5 stars and concludes, "Hanks and Ryan are masters at making this kind of slight rom- com work, but even they run out of steam before the end." Rolling Stone gives it a place on its "most egregious product placement" list and names it one of the 10 best romantic comedies.

DVD Talk says, "Ultimately the film is an enjoyably lighthearted romantic comedy. I wouldn't call this the best example of the genre, but it's right up there and totally worth checking out." Roger Ebert opens with this: "The appeal of "You've Got Mail" is as old as love and as new as the Web. It stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as immensely lovable people whose purpose it is to display their lovability for two hours, while we desperately yearn for them to solve their problems". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 69%.

Please link your drink-related thoughts over at the link party at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog for T(ea) Tuesday.

16 comments:

  1. Saw it back in the day, thought it was amusing. Wonder if it would hold up if I saw it today. Back then the "mail" part of the relationship was new - or at least newish.

    Darla

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    1. I thought it held up pretty well. Folks still meet online and get to "know" each other sight unseen. It's a remake of the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch film The Shop Around the corner starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, and that one is based on snail mail. I think the concept still makes a connection.

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  2. I never did see that movie. We aren't really movie goers. We tend to wait until we can watch them from the comfort of home. I'm guessing by the time that one came to VHS or DVD was had a newborn and no time or energy. :)

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    1. This was my first viewing lol. We don't see many in the theater either.

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  3. I liked this film ..in German: E@Mail für Dich..
    Happy T-Day!
    ♥♥♥
    Susi

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  4. Yes a really fun film and Meg Ryan was not hard on the eyes either!
    Product placement back when Starbuck's probably "needed" it...
    I would not have remembered that detail hah!
    Happy T Day dear Divers and Sundry
    oxo

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  5. I have watched that movie many times-love it-but I did not once catch the "Starbucks" thing! Happy T day!

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  6. I remember enjoying this film when it came on tv! Starbucks do get themselves every where don't they! Happy T day, Chrisx

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  7. I saw it back when it came out and thought it was cute enough. No idea if I would feel the same about it now. Be fun to see it again. Happy T Day! :)

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  8. One of my all time favourite films. I just love the chemistry between Hanks and Ryan in this and Sleepless in Seattle :D Happy T Day :D

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  9. I have not watched this movie. Thank you for sharing it here.
    Happy T day

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  10. I stopped by about noon and was just getting ready to leave a reply when I lost power. Just now got it back. I never saw the movie, but I know a few people talked about it. I agree her choice of coffee houses could have been better. Although I love Starbucks coffee, I don't ever buy it by the cup, just their beans. I agree with Patty about product placement. I've read that companies pay BIG BUCKS for their products to appear in movies, especially ones as big as this movie apparently was.

    Thanks for sharing this movie and reviews with us for T this Tuesday. Again, I apologize for being so late, but you can thank my energy provider for the snafu.

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    1. There's no such thing as "late" for a blog post comment :) Thx for organizing all this.

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  11. I remember this as the last film in which Meg Ryan looked like herself. I liked her best in "French Kiss", but then I also like Kevin Kline a lot. And, of course, "When Harry met Sally" is a classic. I never would have noticed the Starbucks thing - we don´t have Starbucks here. I would like to see "The Shop Around The Corner" with James Stewart - this is supposed to be a kind of remake of that one (which was an adaptation of a play, I think); another thing to add to the wish list....

    I am having Jäger Tee while reading this post. A potent favourite!

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    1. I saw Shop Around the Corner and liked it so much I bought the DVD. We now watch it every Christmas. It's worth seeking out.

      I'd never heard of Jäger Tee, but the Wikipedia article makes me want to try it.

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  12. yep, I agree with you...we don't go to Starbucks. Mainly because of the high prices, and unfortunately independent coffee houses don't make it in our smaller town. Too much competition from McDonald's I guess. but now I think I need to check out this movie...I usually love Tom Hanks in films...

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