The Rewatchables - ‘When Harry Met Sally’ With Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, and Amanda Dobbins

Episode Date: July 9, 2019

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Juliet Litman, and Amanda Dobbins will have what she’s having, which is the 1989 classic ‘When Harry Met Sally’ starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Oh, yeah. My son likes a little, little giants. Head to voodoo.com slash rewatchables to sign up and start watching today. That is VUDU.com slash rewatchables. Coming up, I'd be proud to partake in your Pekampai. Pecan pie. When Harry met Sally, it's next. You tell her about other women.

Yeah, like the other night. Made love to this woman, and it was so incredible. She took her to a place that wasn't human. She actually meowed. You made a woman meow? You're challenging. I'm difficult. I'm too structured. I'm completely closed off. But in a good way. When? In eight years. Same for men. Charlie Chaplin had babies when he was 73.

Yeah, but he was too old to pick him up. All right. We've been circling this for a while. We have a real reason to be doing this 30th anniversary coming up. I'm older than you. I remember seeing this in the... movie, Julia Lim and Amanda Dobbins. I remember seeing this in the theater. Which one? I think I was in Vermont. Nice. Great state. Yeah. In the summer. Lovely time of year to be in Vermont. I'm going to start here. Okay. I think this is one of the most influential movies of the last 50 years. Agree. Okay. I was going to make a list. So there's influential, like there's the influential godfather, taxi driver, blade runner, like where like looks,

styles, innovation. But then there's like mainstream in influential where there's like, a clear demarcation before, like before and after a movie comes out. So I made a little list, like Jaws, 1975. That comes out. All of a sudden, it's like, oh, the summer movie, and then that's a thing. Rocky, 1976. Oh, the sports movie Underdog. And then people just make that movie a hundred times.

Halloween, 1978, horror movies start. 48 hours, 1982, the buddy cop movie. Oh, we'll put these two together. They don't totally belong. Fatal Attraction, 1987. dot, dot, dot, that from hell. Then they just make that, but they're still making that movie. Die Hard, 1988, hero trapped in a circumstance, has to get out.

And then 1989, when Harry met Sally, two friends. Do they belong together? We don't know. This created the rom-com, right, Juliet? 100%. I mean, there were some other movies, but this is the modern rom-com era. This is like year zero for the rom-com. Because Goldie Hawn made some rom-coms that were like pre-rom-rom-coms.

Sure. Seems like Old Times is. a rom-com. Yeah. But we didn't know it was a rom-com yet. It was just a movie. And I think of Woody Allen too.

You have to include them as well. I mean, those are on the list. And we should also just say that in the 30s and the 40s, like, there were a lot of original rom-coms that count. And some of them are very good. I know you don't like to do old-time movies. Sabrina, does that count as a rom-com? Yeah.

Yeah. Great movie. So maybe this is like the kind of pseudo-formulic rom-com becomes the thing? I think what Juliet said, it's the modern rom-com because they made them kind of like an old. Hollywood and then you would have your Woody Allen or your Goldie Hawn, you're occasional. But like 1989 when Harry Met Sally is when people realize, okay, these movies make money, these movies, people will go see them. And it starts 30 years of the romantic comedies.

And Julia had seen all of them. I've seen this movie at least 500 times. You really think 500 times? Because I'm like a crazy insomniac. It's one of the best movies to watch the middle of the night because it's a crisp 90 minutes. It's quiet. There's no like, the only time it's noisy is when she's honking. the car in the beginning. So it's a great soundtrack for trying to fall back to sleep. Yeah.

It's just like the Harry Connick Jr. music is fun nominal. But what I was going to say is also the Sally character is like the archetype for so many other rom-com heroines. Works and media kind of like is a little picky. Is like way prettier than anything else in the movie would ever lead you to believe. Like Sally is so foundational that I think that is like part of why this movie is like starts a new era. I remember when this came out, it took some shit for the Woody Allen connections. And basically, they just remade Annie Hall and made like a dumber version of it. It was the big criticism.

I don't agree with it. I didn't know that Woody Allen owned set pieces. Like, fuck that. Yeah, like Woody Allen used New York in two straight movies. So that means nobody else could use New York, the most famous city in the world. It's ridiculous. Also, people being chatty, wasn't aware that he owned that. And, you know, Meg Ryan with like the quirky, attractive, dresses,

distinctively. Kind of, but like the Diane Keaton roles are really different to me than the... I like how defensive you guys are about this. I would like, but this is just one of the most important movies ever. This was a real criticism, though. And they're most famous about the New York Times, which really dismissed this movie completely and totally. Well, you know, everybody gets stuff wrong once in a while. The New York Times called it a Woody Allen wannabe.

Who is writing this? Was somebody I hadn't heard of? It was not like one of their OG people. Okay. It said, it cited the opening credits with white letters on a black background, scenes that are infatuated with Manhattan. Great City. What's not to be infatuated with? And dialogue obsessed with love, sex, and death.

I mean, it's ridiculous. Oh, sorry. Yeah. Sorry we're on those corners. The three most important parts of life. Sure. Yeah, that review has not aged well. But, like, critically, all of Harry's narcissism is like, is kind of part of the movie.

whereas in like acknowledged and is baked into that dialogue, but that is not in such a different way than a Woody Allen movie. I don't know. I mean, I see like the similarities, but like you can evolve past a first descendant. So this is a maddest that ever seen her. I'm pissed. And I like Manhattan and I like Annie Hall.

But like I actually love Manhattan. I don't know if you're allowed to say that anymore, but I do. And but I just don't think it's fair. Yeah. This is also a two-hander. The Woody Allen movies are ultimately about the Woody Allen stand in. True. And they are written from that perspective.

And this is pretty equal between Harry and Sally. That's fair. Yeah. I think, you know, obviously over the next 30 years, this became one of the go-to movies where in your own life, if you have some friend of the opposite sex and you have this moment where like, am I love that this person, this is the best case scenario for how that would turn out. It was interesting.

I was almost 20 when this movie came out. and it did made me kind of reevaluate a couple of people I had in my life where you kind of leave and you're in this like happy romantic moon and you're like, maybe I should give that so-and-so a second chance. I have a question. Can I ask a question? Yeah. Because this movie, like, I can't remember a time when I hadn't seen it.

So it's very hard for me to like evaluate relationships without knowing about when Harry met Sally. Yeah. But like, was it novel for you? Like the sort of its points about men and women. women and their friendships? Was it like mind-blowing? Yeah. It was hugely influential and definitely made you take a step back and re-evaluate what

was going on in your life. And I don't feel like there was so secret admirer came out. I'm going to say in like 1985, which had a kind of similar plot. See Thomas Howell was in love with Kelly Preston and was best friends with Lori Laughan, ironically now, consider all the things that's happened with Lori Laughlin. And then realizes about an hour in that he's in love with her and tries to get her back. And there's even a chase scene at the end where he's racing to go save her from going on this trip. And that was like that.

But that didn't make me like question people in my life. Yeah. This is the thing where it's not unrequited, like where one person's been pining for the other. It's two friends who don't realize they're in love. And I feel like- Or kind of sort of sometimes occasionally a little bit realize it, but then don't act on it. Right. But don't want to deal with it.

Yeah. But I do think that this is pretty new in movie history. this like arrangement. I was like Googling and couldn't find any, I couldn't remember anything major. And that does become a trope like in movies and TV even now. It also had, Billy Crystal had not been in a movie like this.

And I had been a fan of his from the mid-70s. He was on soap, which was a great show. He was on SNL and then actually joined the cast for a year and crushed it. He was in the comic relief stuff. and then, oh, he was in the movie with Gregory Hines where there were cops, which was a great movie. I can't remember, running scared.

But he hadn't really been in a movie like this. So it was like instantly like, oh, that's weird. He's in a movie where he's in love with his friend. And then Meg Ryan was basically the really cute blonde from Top Gun and Interspace, but she wasn't Meg Ryan yet. I think this was like her first major movie.

Rob Reiner had had a couple hits, but he was still the guy from all in the family who had directed a couple movies. Right. And then I had no idea who Nora Ephron was. Yeah. But now you look back

and you're like, wow. That's a powerhouse. It was funny to see her only get an associate producer credit on this movie or I feel like now if you have the right agent and you're writing the screenplay,

like you get a way better credit in addition to screenwriter. Yeah. Because she got associate producer. Like roll second, but in terms of like pay scale and credit, like only getting an associate producer. I was like, that's fucked up, man.

That's not happening in 2019. I think we turn the floor to Amanda to talk about one of her favorite people of all time, Nora Ephron. Yeah. Thank you so much. I watched this movie again last night. I'd plan to do this later, but let's do it now. No, it's, um, I rewatch this movie for the, maybe not 500th, but at least 100th time last night. I also can't really remember when I, not having seen this movie.

Though, like, must have come to it. I was too young to see the theaters. Yeah, I mean, same. There's two movies to me that are like, yeah. It's actually you guys grew up with this movie, whereas I, I didn't. Yeah. And like the world that Nora Ephron created with this and Sleepless in Seattle and you've got

male is kind of something that I inherited all at once. But now you guys are 13 and you have some male friend and you're like, is this my hair? But you know what's interesting? My best friend's wedding comes out around the time that I'm, I think I was 12 or 13 when my best friend's wedding comes out. And so in terms of like the friend of the opposite sex that you don't really know and modeling that relationship on a movie, I think my best friend's wedding was more formative to me.

just when I saw it. I don't know. Maybe also just because of the friends that were in my life at that time. I sidetracked you with Nora Ephra. Yeah. After watching last night, I went and reread Hartburn just because that's like really important to me. I literally there was a reading from Hartburn in my wedding, which is fine. We are still married despite that novel being about divorce.

I think that she has shaped as a writer, like my mind and the things that I watch and the things I read more than probably. other writer. And just terms of the, and I think really, entire generation of internet in terms of the conversational reference, the chattyness, but still hyper-literary. And, you know, she's also a person who is interested in homes, one of our major interests, and cooking and all of the pleasures of life as much as the ideas. There's also like a real, like, gender equity to the way she portrays relationships where, like, it takes two.

It's not like his fault or her fault. It's not just one person pursuing the other. Like even in Sleepless in Seattle, like they're, those characters are like, you know, they're both flawed. And like that movie is like probably even like way lower stakes than this one. But she like just approaches a relationship that's like this is really on two people. It's not just one. It's not just the other. And that's like also kind of novel, particularly in romcams.

Yes. And I think she's basically the first woman writing romantic comedies. Like that's the first. obviously, but kind of like the big influential. And so you do really start to see, as Julia pointed out, they are equal. And then it starts a trend of rom-coms being about the female character. Because like Sally is so foundational. And then the romcums of the 90s and especially the 2000s you think of Sandra Bullock and Kate Hudson and all of those romantic comedies that are about the from the perspective of the woman.

The CEO of the company who can't find a boyfriend. Which Nora Ephron would never do. She's smarter than that. Totally. She understands that work and love can go together, but it starts with her elevating the female perspective. I like how, first of all, she's great at friendships where she can introduce friendships and they immediately make sense as people that have been friends for 30. I mean, one of the key scenes in this movie is she has the lunch with Carrie Fisher and the other friend. And in like four minutes, she just sets out all the characters perfectly.

That's not true. The clock does not start ticking until 36. Right. And then it goes right to Bruno Kirby and Billy Crystal at the baseball game. And it just nails them within two minutes. I have them down. And then I just want to hang out with both groups. Which is really hard to do. I didn't feel like even in Sleepless in Seattle. Tom Hanks, who is his buddy in that movie? Victor, what's his face? He's married to Rita Wilson. I can't remember his last name. I'm pulling it up. Keep going. No, was the guy Tom Hanks? Yeah, I know. Oh. They had that fake moment. Rob Reiner?

It was Rob Reiner. And they have that fake thing where they kind of start crying and it was like, this just isn't the way two guys would hang out. It's Victor Garber who's married to Rita Wilson in the movie. Rob Reiner's his friend who's telling him about Tiram E Sue. And he's like, what's Tarramesee? And he's like, you'll find out and everything. But Victor Garber, they're in his house and they're joking about an affair to remember and making fun of her for loving it. Yeah, yeah.

But then they get all emotional and it just didn't feel right. Every Bruno Kirby, Billy Crystal's scene, I'm totally in on. Like two guys going at batting practice being dumbasses. Amazing. The batting can, all that stuff. Gracian. And then the Carrie Fisher in this is one of the, the Dion Wader's award. We might as well just spoil it now.

She's so good at this movie. She's so good. And had the whole Princess Leia thing still. Amazing. Because the three Star Wars movies, the last one was like 1982, 83. Right. And this was, I wasn't quite ready to think of her as not Princess Leia. And then she became this person as much as Princess Leia.

The friend getting into the cab is just like such. like so familiar of like the friend who's like sorry I'm going and you're just like and you can't even be mad at them for it you're just like yeah good for you what does she say when um when when when she says joe is single and she says jo's available like she's immediately like so selfish yeah she's got the roll-andex out going through the cards one by one so the history of this movie rob bryner is getting divorced and is becoming single again and decides this should be a movie he's friends with nora Ephron. She interviews him, which provides kind of the basis for what Harry's going to be. Then she bases Sally on herself and some of her friends. Crystal comes in, spruces it up,

does Billy Crystal things, makes the movie funnier. And then Ephron, which is, I never knew this until I researched this. She based Harry and Sally around Reiner and Crystal and their friendship. That's really sweet. And some of the stuff they did, including she found out that they would just talk on the phone and watch television. And they would flip channels and she decided to have Harry and Sally be that. So that's how they made the movie. But that's a pretty good powerhouse. And Reiner, Reiner's first 10 years are pretty astounding.

Because after this, he does misery and then he does a few good men. I mean, he's... You said a few good men and I got excited. We've already done that one. But he had a really nice 12-year run. I mean, he was meathead from all in the family to everybody. became this awesome director. He's amazing.

I mean, he's just like an all-time great. I don't know. I'm biased, but like, I love Rob Reiner. You know the worst thing to happen on him. What? He starts Castle Rock and they buy Seinfeld. Then he becomes like a cajillionaire. Yeah.

And then at that point, it's like, you can't be a good director when you're that rich. We're billions of dollars, literally. This movie made $92.8 million. Wow. It was against a really strong summer of Batman, Ghostbusters 2, license to kill in Indiana Jones the Last Crusade.

Wow. They were afraid when they released it. So they did like, they put it out in a couple markets and tried to grow it word of math and it worked. Yeah, but it still works. More movies should do that. Yeah. Efron got nominated for Best Screenplay.

Harry Connick won a Grammy. The music's amazing. It is. I love the music. 90 and Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert called Rob Brown and Wood of Hollywood's very best director is a comedy. Great. Said what makes it special apart from the Ephron's

screenplay is the chemistry between Crystal and Ryan. One more thing. This is one of the last films that completed the VHS DVD, Blu-ray streaming Quad-Fecta. Really? Where if you love this movie, you've owned them in all four formats. I have a download it on my phone to watch it at all times. Oh, the streaming?

Yeah. I bought it from Apple like years ago. Do you queue it up to a specific scene or you pick up where you left off? Pick up where I left off. Go back to the beginning. We're going to do most rewatchable scene in a second. What's your favorite stretch for this movie? Because I have a specific stretch.

Probably from after they say, we're going to be friends when they're walking in Central Park up until the first party. I really like that first establishing of their friendship. And then, yeah, I can get more into it later. Amanda. I was going to say the same thing. From the bookstore, basically the end of the bookstore, which is right before they go walking in Central Park,

through the establishing of their adult friendship. That's my favorite part as well Because I was trying to figure out This was really hard for rewatchable scenes Because there's like 15 Particularly because the scenes are so defined Yeah and there's like And some of them are two minutes long

But I still feel like they're incredibly rewatchable So I was trying to That's the bookstore of my childhood Shakespeare and Company on 80th and Broadway Yeah we haven't even done the Upper West Side aspect of this for you Billy Crystal Thoughts before we get into the categories Like just a testament to how perfect the movie is

That you take him seriously as like a heartthrob I agree with that. I mean, yes, that's true. I don't think he's a heartthrob outside of this movie. He only exists to me in this movie. I know I remember him hosting the Oscars and doing the English patient airplane, and I know he had a whole career before that, but this is, this movie is Billy Crystal to me. I have to say, I love City Slickers.

I just love. City Slickers great. It hasn't, I don't know, it's not on TV that much. I thought he diminished the rest of his career. I'm just saying that this is the foundational Billy Crystal Test, Formatted Ombuds. He's also really good in running skiskees. which is like the lost buddy cop movie of the 80s. I love Billy Crystal.

He's one of my all-time favorites. And this movie kind of figured him out the best, I felt like. This is like all the things he does well in one movie. Even like when he sings Siri of the fringe at top. So good. And it's like the body posture of the, you know, like all of a sudden he's in Broadway play. It's just like him physically is really good in this movie. And in the batting cages, you're like, is Billy Crystal a good athlete?

Yeah. He was in battle network stars. He's good. He's good. I think he dusted David Letterman. All right, we're going to do the categories. Let's take a quick break. Support for today's show comes from MSX by Michael Strayhan, which is available exclusively at JCPen.

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Visit a store near you or go to JCP.com and explore Michael's lifestyle content on Michaelstrayhand.com. Most rewatchable scene. There's just a lot to pick from. So they meet in 1977. Mm-hmm. And then there's four short scenes with them in 1977. The car ride, two separate parts at the first dinner they have, and then the second part of the car ride. I thought the grape spitting is kind of the best of those, only because we're learning who he is.

And he's just like, in two minutes, you haven't figured out. But I'm also partial to anything that happens in the diner. Yeah, I was going to say the pie, the chef salad slash pie ordering with a strawberry, if, you know, unless the pie is heated, blah, blah, blah. The sex stuff, Sheldon the Wenderselang. The days of the week underwear? Yeah. So how come we broke up with Sheldon? How do you know we broke up?

Because if you didn't break up, you wouldn't be here with me. You'd be off with Sheldon the Wunder Shlaw. So funny. So I don't know. I don't know what the answer is, but it's a, we can't do two from that. I like, of that stretch. My favorite part is when he talks about how he read the last page of a book in case he dies. So that's the second car ride?

Yeah. Okay. Well, I don't even know what the answer is. So we'll just list all of those scenes. Next one is Harry and Sally in the plane in 1982, which has three crucial moments that immediately infiltrated pop culture. One was his incredibly important taking someone to the airport. Yes. How did you know that?

It takes someone to the airport. It's clearly at the beginning of a relationship. That's why I have never taken anyone to the airport at the beginning of a relationship. Why? Because eventually things move on and you don't take someone to the airport and I never wanted anyone to say to me how come you never take me to the airport anymore?

Which has been in my head ever since I do not pick up my wife from the airport I never have. I was like if you truly love me, you get a cab. There's nothing worse than picking up somebody from the airport but then when you actually do it, it really carries so much more weight. It's like, I know how much you hate this.

You did this. The white man's overbite. I can't tell you how influential that was. Well, it's wonderful. It's nice to see you embracing life in this manner. Yeah, plus, you know, you just get to a certain point where you get tired of the whole thing. What whole thing? The whole life of a single guy thing. Meet someone, you have the safe lunch, you decide you like each other enough to move on to dinner.

You go dancing, you do the white man's overbite. Go back to her place, you have sex, and a minute you're finished, you know what goes through your mind? How long do I have to lie here and hold her before I can get up and go home? Because immediately you're at a wedding dancing and you're making. sure you're not doing it. It affected 30 years of white men dancing at Weddick. Also, women, and also this movie invented that concert. Did it

invent that concept? Yes. 100,000% invented. I know or Efron. What a funny perceptive thing. So funny. That might have been a crystal stand-up comedy stealing from like a stand-up comment. I don't know who came up with that. Shout out to the movie. Shout out to whoever came up with that. Incredibly influential. And then the

somewhere between 30 seconds and all night is your problem. That's what you're thinking. Is that true? Sure. All men think that. How long do you like to be held afterwards? All night, right? See, that's the problem. Somewhere between 30 seconds and all night is your problem.

I don't have a problem. Yeah, you do. She's like, I don't have a problem. Oh, that's great. And then the guy asking to move, which I thought was funny. The whole scene is really good. It's also really just amplified by her amazing, like the neck, or like the tie she's wearing, which is just so ugly and so perfect for the moment.

It's fantastic. This also leads to a Bill Simmons movie fetish that I almost feel like doing a dramatic pause because I know you're going to love this so much. Okay. Because you know my love for celebrity real estate. Yes. And just weird stupid things like that. I like seeing old airplanes in movies. I'm always excited.

Like at Midnight Run, they have this awesome two-deck airplane and just like how airplanes have changed and how what they are now. they're just so boring. They all look the same. But there was this run of cool airplanes for 20 years in movies. I did think about how spacious it looked and how calm they all seemed. It wasn't like a harrowing experience for them. They were just on the airplane. Yeah.

Yeah. I agree. There you go. The aforementioned combo of Carrie Fisher's first scene. Yeah. Leading into the Bruno Kirby's first scene at the ballgame. I'm lumping those two together. To me, that is one long scene, if that's okay.

It's bending the world's a little. Sure. You're right with that? Yeah, sure. I made my own list, and you and I are just like three for three. Yeah, it's very exciting. Now I'm nervous. I hope the street keeps going.

I'm throwing a no hitter right now. Okay. Fourth one, the museum scene. Temple of Dendor. Peacampi. Yeah. There's apparently in the research, he keeps saying it and she laughs and looks to her right and Rob Reiner's telling her to keep going, which is why she jumps back into the scene.

I don't know if that's true. I like how it's shot. It's got a couple good wide shots with. the window and like fall in New York. Yeah. Does the nice job of pretending New York is happening during the fall for the entire movie somehow or winter, like one of those two seasons. I really like that scene.

Oh, yeah. That's one of those scenes where like, just can you, why wouldn't you guys start dating at this point? Right. Come on. Yeah, it's the first moment where he's like taking aback that she has a date. And she also tells. And she's nervous to tell him.

And then he like pulls the real dick guy move of being like, wear a skirt. You wish you wear skirts more often. It's like a perfect scene. You think that was a dick guy move. See, I thought that was really nice. No, that's rude. I think it's rude. Really? He's got in her head?

I just feel like he's just trying to like tell her she looks bad and how to like look better for her date. I thought he was trying to be supportive and didn't know how else to express it. The funny thing is she does dress badly. Wow. Incorrect. She's so great. The clothes are amazing and they're also on trend even now. I think they do agree on trend.

I can't believe that you defended Julia Roberts's clothes in Notting Hill and now you're telling me that Sally Albright in when Harry met Sally dresses poorly. Julia. I'm so upset. So upset. Can I defend Julia for a second? Yeah. I think she's conflating Meg Ryan's bizarre hair dues in this movie with the outfits. I mean, the hair is just something else.

The hair is something else. The clothes are great. The hair is super Jewish. That's very, we'll talk about it later. I would say it's very late 80s more than anything. Sure. Does she get a parm at some point? 88 to 93 is just a horror show.

By the time they have sex, her curls are way fuller. She's moved way fuller. Well, she has like the feathered hair, then the wavy hair, then curly hair. I had that in what stage the worst because it actually made my wife gas about loud last night. When she answers the door and she's crying. She's like, oh, no. The sexy hair is noticeably bad.

That was when I was like, is this a perm? And then when they go to the dinner next night, it's back to like kind of wavy, messy situation. Yeah, it's quite bad. It is weird. It's basically Marsha Clark studied it and was like, I'm going to use that for the OJ trial. That's what, like, how bad the perm was. Not even courtesy laugh for me now?

You just say you went immediately, oh no for Marsha Clark. Leave Marsha Clark alone by Amanda Dobbins. It's like shorter. I mean, do leave Marshall Clark alone. There was a whole TV show about that. But also, it's much shorter. I don't know. It's tough.

It's tough for everyone. My next scene, most rewatchable, the double date in the aftermath. Oh, yeah. Jimmy Breslin. Well, he's only the reason I became a writer. And just it's going so bad. And then leads to the cab seeing them hopping in. It's just really, really well written and awesome.

Great look for New York Magazine to this day. Also, a classic move when you like somebody else and you try to set one of your friends up with them and it's just never, it's never gone well. Have you ever done that? What? Set someone up with someone you like? You don't realize you like that.

Have you ever set up friends and then gone on the date with them? No. Have you done this? Never. Okay. That's good. I think that's normal. I've never done it either.

It seems very unnatural. It was a good idea for the movie though. Yeah. Well, of course, it's like, yeah, it's one of the most rewatchable scenes. Next one. Surrey with a fringe out top at Sharper Image. Yes. Leading to the web.

And a wagon wheel coffee table. I need a ruling weather. Those are two separate scenes. Oh, yeah. Different locations. So those are two separate scenes. Same day. All right.

So we'll go first. We'll do sharper image. Okay. Surrey with a fringe on top. This is from Oklahoma. Here's the lyrics right here. Surry with a fringe on time. Yes.

Perfect. Ooh. Chicks and ducks and geese bed of scurry. When I take you out in my surrey, when I take you out in my surrey with the fringe. On top, now you. That's a good, like, just Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal being super likable together. She's amazing in that scene where she keeps singing and is being awkward and while he's, like, locked in on Helen.

It's really funny. Love it. I've always liked the actress who played Helen. I never understood why she didn't become a bigger star. Harley Jane Kozak. I feel like she was one of the better looking late 80s, early 90s actresses. I feel like she got market corrected by Natasha McElhone. I was going to, I was wondering if it was Kelly Press.

then. Somebody market corrector. I don't know. Or she had a bad agent. The casting of Ira, I thought, was just perfect. I don't know why that was so insulting that that was the guy. And his name was Ira. Also, his name being Ira is perfect because at the end when he's like, and then you find

herself in sharper image singing story with a friend on top in front of Ira! And you really need the Ira, yell. Yeah. I just can't hold it in. The fact that neither Hallie nor Harry or anyone in this movie is explicitly Jewish is so ridiculous. There's an Ira. It's by Rod Reiner and Nora Ephron. Like, it's just, it's an Upper West Side movie. It's so weird. It's so weird.

But see, I thought Billy Crystal was Jewish in this movie, so he's not. I don't know. I don't think he is. I just assumed him and Jess were both Jewish. I don't think so. It's just weird. You need a Jewish Rulig? How do we find out? There's a Christmas tree, but no, Minora. There's two Christmas trees. Is Rob Reiner Jewish? Yes. And Harry's got to be Jewish. I don't know. So, but Harry Burns. So it leaves it ambiguous. Yeah, but it could have been changed at Ellis Island. You have no idea. I have another question.

Is Billy Crystal Jewish? I think he is. So then Harry, why can't Harry Burns be Jewish? I just think it's just weird. But what are you looking for in terms of like added Jewishness? Yeah, how do we know he's not Jewish?

A reference to a Jewish holiday. Okay. Like some sort of explicit Jewish reference. All the old couples talking about how they met, the ones that live in the tenement and the Lower East Side. I was just like, it's just the weirdest part of the movie. Maybe it just goes unspoken. It's just like,

just notice it, but it's just a weird thing. Do you think they were afraid of making Harry too Jewish or playing that up because of the Woody Allen overtones? Maybe. That's a good point. The matter just steered clear. Sure. Make them seem distinct.

Sure. That would have been a good, probably unanswerable question, was Harry Burns Jewish? Maybe he's half. You might be. Maybe it was his mom's side of that was it. Meg Ryan definitely was, I don't know how that character was doing. She was a Christmas tree. I know, but I don't know how they decided she was, she was not going to be Jewish.

Maybe it's supposed to be a Shixie. Nora E does like having Christmas in her movies. That's true. Is Nora Afron Jewish? I believe she is. Yeah, I believe so. Well, the next scene, the wagon wheel coffee table, which is a tour to force. We started out like this, Ellen and I, we had blank walls, we hung things, you picked out tiles together.

Then you know what happens? Six years later, you find yourself singing Surrey with a fringe on top in front of Ira! You want me do it? Amanda did it. I'll save it for later. I don't want to. It's too close to when Amanda did it. That whole scene is awesome.

I also kind of like the coffee table. I think I might have had it when I was in high school. I don't like it either. Also, another great Carrie Fisher performance when she turns in and I will never want the table. Yeah. Where do you stand on their apartment? There's some pretty nice shots of it. There's a den.

There's a balcony. I mean, it seems pretty great. I like the apartment. We have to talk about the real estate reality index in this movie more generally. Because I also have some thoughts about Harry's apartment. That's a Hollywood given, though. Sure. The apartment's always going to be three times better.

Yeah, but I feel like this movie really influences what comes, in rom-coms at least. Oh, with the over-the-top apartments? Yeah, yeah, you're probably right. Yeah. Harry's windows are just the most incredible windows I've ever seen. Well, and Jess, what does Carrie Fisher's character do? Just dates married men? I don't think we know.

We don't know. Jess is like a writer? It's a writer. Like, how big of a writer could have been? He's writing for New York Magazine? Right. I think that's a pretty, like in the 80s that like gets you further than it does now. He said he has a book, so he could have had like a Jay McInerney type of hit book.

But I also feel like they would have mentioned that. That seems great. And then last rewatchable until, unless you want to count the ending, that they hooked up. On the phone. Split screen phone call. A really great one. No one I know would call it this hour. It's so awful.

I need to talk. What happened? What's the matter? Harry came over last night. I went over to Sally's last night. Because I was a few. I said that Joe was getting married. And one thing led to another.

And before I knew it, we were kissing. We did it. They did it. That's great, Sally. We've been praying for it. They said they had to shoot 61 times. Oh, my God. Three phones, three locations, and they did all of it together.

So if anyone screwed up, they had to redo it. Wow, that seemed extremely stressful. And then Carrie Fisher said on the 54th time, they did everything right, everybody hung up, and then they were finishing it, and Bruner Kirby flubbed his last line, and they had to redo the whole thing again. Don't they have better editing? I don't know if they had the better editing in 1909. That seems really good.

Do we throw the ending in here for most rewatched? I feel like we do, right? I have some problems with the ending, but we'll get to them. Yeah. It's really good. So I notice, and I agree with you, but I think we should talk about the fact that I'll have what she's having is not in this list. We're going to get to it.

I know, but it's not on the most rewatchable list, which is I think it is probably the single most iconic moment in this movie. Yeah. Do you remember in the 90s? I think it was at AMC theaters when they showed like the two-minute montage before the movie started. And it was like the apex of that montage or whatever. I feel like that like almost like killed it went to mainstream. I watching it last night. I wrote down this is actually not rewatchable. It is too long. It's long. It's why I wasn't on my list. That's why I wasn't on my list. I mean, it's still one of the great movie scenes of all time. Please don't misunderstand. But it is I was like, okay, this is quite long. I get the point. Hold that thought because it's coming up. Wow. Yeah.

It might be coming up in a category called What Sage is the worst? Whoa. Oh, Bill. No, no, no, no. Okay. Well, I'm going to make the case. Okay. What's your most rewatchable scene, Juliet?

This is tough. You've seen this movie the most out of any movie ever. No. I've seen you've got Melmore. I really don't sleep. I choose the Temple of Dendor scene when he's up in the Met, when she says she's going on the date, the Pekampi scene. Oh, the museum?

Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Wasn't expecting that. It's so beautifully shot. It like captures the essence of how they feel about each other. There's like good tension in it. And I just love it.

Amanda. I choose the first diner scene. Oh. Going from the ordering the chef salad all the way through Sheldon and the underpants. It's Sheldon the Wundershong? It's Sheldon the Wondershong. I mean, it sets the tone of the entire movie. It's like eight great jokes in it that I think about regularly.

It's really well. Yeah. And I just like watching two people talk. I'm choosing the wagon wheel coffee table scene because six years later you find yourself sick and serve in the fridge atop

in front of Ira! What's age the best? There's quite a few. Yeah, I have a whole long list. I don't know how many I'll have to present. No, it's your show. You start. No, it's our show.

Okay. Well, the obvious ones are the script, which is just in terms of basic screenwriting and also Nora Ephron is a voice and romantic comedy. So they sold it as a book, and I know that because I have it. And I don't think it's for sale anymore.

Well, I'll be buying that. Good to know. But it's really fun to read. Yeah. It's just like really clean. I don't think we can, I mean, I had 96 minutes as one of the what's age the best. Like, there's not like a minute wasted in this movie. You could say like, all right, we could have four old couples instead of six or something like that.

But from an actual, like, all the people in the movie, there's no wasted. there's no wasted stretch. Everything is like, it's like a filet mignon. I think if they made this movie now, it's 111 minutes. And there's probably a whole section in the middle that just sucks about their job or something. It also way more like, well, there, won't they, I think. That's sort of been like overwrought in the intervening years. And there's a villain.

I think that's another thing that's what stage the best for me is there's no villain in this movie. They make rom-coms now. There's always a villain. The asshole boyfriend. Sally's boss. Joe would be a much huge. asshole and, you know. She'd have a fire with Carrie Fisher that have some kind of falling out.

There's always somebody who's causing trouble. In this movie, there's nobody. It's all the tension comes from the two people in their relationship. What else do you have? Well, to that, that's a neat segue. Just the friends who get together concept, which this started and is still in movies and in our lives all the time. So that just, you know, the foresight, I guess, that really invented it.

The Harry Connick Jr. soundtrack? So good. It's so good. She's beautiful. And it made him, if you were doing like a fantasy draft of just young celebrities in 1989, you would have assumed he was going to be like a Zion type musician. He's just wonderful. Because he was super handsome.

Every girl I knew was like, I love that guy. Then he married Joe Goodacre. It was like, of course. And she was, you know, amazing in 1994 and 95. But yeah, and he had the New Orleans accent. and... Total babe. Yeah.

And that was really, like, that was an album that people bought. Yeah. That was the thing in college, when I was in college, like, people had that album. And I do feel like particularly on romantic comedies, the soundtracks always really date them. You know, that does not age well because pop music of a certain time or it can be too frothy or it just kind of feels old and this feels classic. I agree. It actually, I had that another one for what stage is the best.

Like, other than phones... This really doesn't feel like a dated movie. No. Yeah. I was kind of shocked by that. I was expecting to see, like, oh, that would never happen now. And it really isn't a lot of that. I think somebody quoting a magazine piece at a double date dinner is probably unrealistic now because nobody reads.

You would have to be like, I tweeted that. I think that concept has aged really well, though. Restaurants are people in the 80s. Oh, yeah. The restaurants are still that way. Yeah, that is true. I have for what's age the best, all the Sally Harris. I actually kind of enjoy the different phases.

My wife and I decided, the 1989 range right before the perm, whatever that hair was before, was a really nice, nice look. The way, the kind of like big loose waves. Yeah. I like that as well. Yeah. It goes well with the Blazers. It was strong.

Meg Ryan's ordering is really funny. And it's another one that really became influential over the next 30 years. Because if somebody was ordering that at that at dinner, you'd be like, what are you trying to be when Harry Met Sally? That was 10 years of that. Totally. It's also like in anticipating like the gluten intolerance. Like I need this and not that and everything. I lived after college. I lived with two girls, one of whom was named Courtney, who used to eat really weird and would have like yogurt with stuff.

And we would just make fun of her all the time. And now that's how everybody eats. Courtney, way ahead of your time. Harry's joke about winning the Knicks their first championship since 1973 has aged wonderfully. Really well. It seemed like a long time in 1989 that they hadn't won a title in 16 years. Now add another 30 on Harry. Poor Harry.

Joe's available. I mentioned that one. That slaughtered me. It was just really under the radar. Her reaction that. Jimmy Breslin, well, he's the reason I became ready that's not important. I had the whole we should have never slept together moment, which has happened, I think, to just about everybody. That one person that you hooked up with and you just shouldn't have.

but and it definitely did ruin the friendship and it was never the same. It does hit that. It does hit that. Really hard in the movie, which I like. I feel like in general, the way this movie talks about sex has aged really, really well. Because like sexual politics have in many ways changed in 30 years. And like especially comedies can kind of often don't age as well. You kind of say things that are no longer appropriate or whatever. But this is like very frank and direct and all of the lessons still apply.

and it's not gross. Yeah. And mostly non-offensive. Yeah. It's really good. Also, I think highlights like different expectations really well. Yeah.

Men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way no man can be friends of the women he finds attractive. That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.

No, you don't. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I only think you do. You're saying I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge? No, what I'm saying is they all want to have sex with you.

They do not. Do too. They do not. Do too. How do you know? Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her. So you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?

No, you pretty much want to nail him too. I like that he just declared this as a thing that was true, but then amended it. Like five years later, it was like, unless they're both with each other and then it's fine. There's an exception to that. That whole thing, I just like when characters like that who have these declarations and try to stick with them. And then I had Nora Ephron. And so what's the best? Just like, I don't even know who her successor is.

Probably isn't one, right? One of the kind. Yeah. Not for me. There's no one. What else do you have other than New York in October? Just always. Just goes that saying.

It's always there. The foliage was so good. It's so beautiful. Anything else, Amanda? Yes. I've got a couple. Okay. I like all the old movies.

references. Yeah. The Casablanca bit, which I feel like... Casablanca, super rewatchable. Yes. Great movie. Extremely rewatchable, but I feel like I learned to rewatch Casablanca from this movie. I mean, Casablanca is one of the greatest movies of all time.

It doesn't need the help of when Harry Met Sally, but I do feel like this movie steered a new generation towards it. Yeah. And also like a learned behavior of watching movies a bunch of times and arguing about them. Like, I probably saw this in age. I was like, oh, that's what cool people do. And now here we are on a podcast doing it. But, you know, it has, this, this movie has a lot of reference for those older movies.

You sent us deleted scenes. Yeah, there was one good one I felt like. Just one, I refused to watch them. Absolutely not. No, there was one that was worth it. No. Okay. Well, there's, they have like an extra interview, like an old couple that they, um, that they cut.

That they cut. And it, but they, in that interview is a reference to it happened one night, which is like the original old school romantic comedy. And there's like some, I think like pillow talk references in this. Like this movie actually is aware of. of its movie history in kind of a cool way, which I think, you know, now that it is also a part in movie history, it's like, all right, that was a nerdy thing, whatever. Well, but the thing is, Casablanca came out like 45, 46 years before this movie.

So now if somebody was doing today's version of that movie, they would probably be referencing this movie and a couple 80s movies. That's a good idea. Or Kramer versus Kramer, it would be like that 79 to 89 range. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, I have two more things. Yeah.

I feel that this movie opened up the dialogue about faking orgasms in a way that's been productive to both sexes and to the sexual experience of all people. So thank you to when Harry Matt's Alley. Clute, I think, introduced it originally, 1970 Jane Fonda. Fair enough. And then it was just kind of dormant for a while. And then when Harry Metzalry really reunited it. I don't know. People are a lot more comfortable talking about that as a result.

Certainly women's magazines thrived. It's like a given that women do it as a result of this movie. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I don't know. You know, it's important. So you like putting doubt in all generations of men that it might be having a conversation. You and I are having a conversation. Just clarifying. Yeah. And then I also feel like that he's never going to leave her. But also great relationship advice embedded in this movie. Like 20 years before he's just not that into you. You have he's ever going to leave her. Very practical, realist advice. That would be a good title for the movie. He's never going to leave her. I have a new category just for this one. Oh, exciting. Wow. It's a special new category.

It's deliberately created just because it's going to slightly confuse Amanda, but she'll get it. Oh, sports? Yeah, there's a sports wrinkle. Best movie-related fantasy football team name from this movie. Oh. Oh, but I know what this is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Here are the nominees.

Okay. Baby Fishmouth. Okay. Sheldon the Wonderselang, don't fuck with Mr. Zero, I spy a family, Pekampi, Buenos Dio, Signor,

Sphinxie, Miss Hospital's Corners, or Christmas Gravel. I mean, it's Sheldon the Wondersong, if I understand Fantasy Sports correctly. I was thinking it was

Don't Fuck with Mr. Zero would be the funniest. What do you think, Craig? Yeah, those two. I like the Sheldon the Wonder Sheldon? My understanding of fantasy sports is that that would definitely be one. Julie had any opinions?

Julia goes with baby fish bath. I like Miss Hospital Corners because I like that moment in that fight a lot. Okay. Well, there you go. The point of that category is just like so many like stupid little phrases you would never use in real life come out of this movie that I could just throw at you at any point. You would know exactly what I was talking about. I don't remember that many movies like that. Like baby fish mouth is just completely logical and makes no sense.

But if I said that to my wife, she would start laughing. And there's 10 things like that in this. Her just like drawing the arrows over and over again is really fun. and also so accurate to like how that would happen and when you're just like, don't know what to do. You know, we should have at least put that in what stage is the best. It is great. Yeah, that scene's just really funny.

And I think they had lived probably most of it. Yeah, that's what they say. What stage is the worst? Fake orgasm scene. I think only because the shock value of it is gone. And now it's like, all right, now it's too long. It is long. You almost need, it almost needs like a little fast forward button.

And like everyone knows that's Rob Reiner's mom. Like, it's just so played out. Yeah. Like, okay. Great last line, though. Sure. I mean, I agree that it's not hugely rewatchable, but that's just the most iconic moment in the movie. We're allowing it.

Yeah. Okay. But not that rewatchable. Okay, that's fine. It hasn't aged well. I actually remember, because I saw in a sold-out theater, the line when she says, I'll have what she's having, which became, I think, one of the most famous lines and comedy. It's kind of like the original, that's what she said. Yeah, it got such a big laugh that if you watch the movie, the next scene is they have to go like winter wonderland with a wide shot in New York.

And there's no dialogue for like 10 seconds. Because I think in the screenings, people were laughing for like eight, nine seconds. One of my- They had to like kill time. One of my closest childhood friends, there's like a story of him as a kid. I think they took him very young to see this movie. So he was like maybe five or six and didn't understand what the faking and orgasm scene meant. but everyone was like laughing hysterically.

So he understood that it was funny. And so they went out to dinner later. And then like my five-year-old friend started doing like the Meg Ryan. Oh my God. Like something like in a restaurant just because he wanted everyone else to laugh. And because he knew that it got a laugh in the theater. That's really cute. Yeah.

And really upsetting. Yeah. Anyway. And now he's directing porn. One cool thing about that scene. Crystal is like a group effort. Crystal said we need something for Sally to talk about because the movie was skewing a little far toward Harry like his little rants. Nora said, what about faking orgasm?

They went down that road and then Meg said, why don't I do it in a restaurant? So it's three people. Collaboration. Yeah. Love that. Meg Ryan's perm in the crying scene for what's age the worst. It's really an iconically bad haircut. I just can't believe it happened.

She's got to be mortified. Sally has an aerobics class in this. that's like an old school aerobics class where everybody has way too much clothes on. I'm throwing that in what's age of worst. Whatever was going on. What was that? Is it tap dancing class?

It just felt very 1989. It definitely feels 1989. But it kind of seems like... If I saw a video of you in a class like that, right now I'd be like, what is going on? What are you doing? You know I can't tap dance? You know I'm a trained tap dancer?

When I was younger, I took a lot of... Yeah, we won't... We can do that later. Did you know that? I did. Yeah. You guys are so adorable. Two people falling in love with Casablanca.

I wrote that down for what's age is the worst. Why? Because nobody would do that anymore. That movie's 100 years old. Oh, you just mean it's like outdated. Yeah. Age badly. It's age beautifully but also badly because if I'm a 13-year-old kid, I'd be like,

what's Casablanco? What is this movie? You wouldn't know what it was. Do 13-year-olds really not know what Casablanca is? My daughter, no chance. We could FaceTime her right now. She would have no idea what it is. Should we show it to her?

It's really good. Casablanca? Yeah. It's a great movie. Maybe for the next four realsies she could watch it That'd be amazing Yeah All right

Sharper image being prominently Displained in a movie Just incredible I love the sharper image Me too I spent so much time At the Lennox small Sharper Image growing up

Wanted everything there I don't think Craig What are your thoughts on Sharper Image I don't know a lot about Sharper image Yeah see Let's age the worst You would go there It had gadgets where

Isn't that what's the one now Is it Bridgestone? Brokestone Yeah brookstone Or Brookstone Brookesdown. It's doing to be Brookesdown. It had more

like kind of rich people gifts, like things that you would expect to find in like a bond villain layer, you know, like a gold-plated chest set or really unnecessary objects. Robotic golf putters. Yeah, and more techy things. It's like, it was like the as seen on TV aisle,

but actually cool and not seen on TV. And ridiculously expensive. Yeah. Yeah. Ted Kennedy was shot. That whole story. Yeah. Not playing.

Rue and Kennedy was shot is just nobody would know. Now it's where were you on 9-11. Yeah. This is, I've only noticed because I've watched this movie too many times. Jess's wedding speech was kind of mean. Mm-hmm. If either of us had found either of you remotely attractive, we wouldn't be here right now. It's like kind of a dig.

Yeah. Well. To say to the two single people, I don't know. I honestly. I'll tell you who wouldn't like that. Julia Lippman would have held a grudge. I definitely would. And I don't like mean wedding speeches.

There's no place for it. I don't think that's mean. Everyone's on the joke. I don't like referencing X's in wedding speeches either. Or like could have been. So I just feel like let's focus on the couple. But this is like the definition of a meat cute that they were set up by their best friends. And then they liked each other.

How about this? Just say if we had clicked with either one of you, we would have be here right now. Instead of it's like. Or if it had worked out like you guys planned, we wouldn't be here right now. I'm just mean. I would have filed that one away and would have come up later. I don't think it's that mean. And I beg all of you listening to pursue.

specificity and humor in your wedding speeches. Please, for the love of God. Julie and I are way more spiteful than you. Okay. I'm a legendary grudge holder. Julia's held grudges that even she can't believe she's still holding. I was discussing some of my grudges this morning and I will not let go. Okay.

My God. One thing we've learned over there is don't shush Juliet ever for any reason, no matter what's going on. Do not shush me. Funerals, movie theaters, doesn't matter. Don't shush me. I know that one. At the tail end, one more of what's age the worst. The big Ryan, the I hate you.

You see, like you, Harry, you say things like that and you make it impossible for me to hate you. And I hate you, Harry. I really hate you. I hate you. I think that's some bad acting. Oh, it's the acting. I like the writing. The acting is a lot.

Because I hate you, Harry. I hate you. It's not fair. It's just not great. His speech is so perfect. Yeah. It's just not fair. I mean, like how is she's supposed to respond?

I don't know. Just kiss him and then the movie. It's just really, you know. Yeah. So what's age or worse for you guys? I just think want to throw out one more, which is the way that they handled Harry's hairline, just like very strange. I almost think his wigs are worse than any of her various hairstyles.

I had that in nipicks, but I'm happy to discuss it now. It's just like. Harry in college is just unconscionable. They had the effects at that point. He looks like he's 40. He actually looked older in the first scene. He looks older in college than he does in 1989. Yes.

It's so bad. There's so many things we know how to do now. Like make the lighting a little darker. Have them wear a baseball hat. Yeah. Yeah. All kinds of stuff. It's a bad job.

It didn't make sense at all. Come on, Robbrenner. Wait, I have one more. Okay. And I don't know whether it makes sense in the movie, but it seems really out of date now is that it's just like the total fetishage. I can't say this work. Fetisization. Fetisization.

Fetishization of, of coupledom. Like basically they all have to be. in couples. And there's, there would be now, if you made this movie, there would be someone being like, well, maybe you just need to be, you know, by yourself or maybe, you know, being single is the, there would be the whole, like, independent person aspect of it. They're so obsessed with it. It's like a sports team. And it feels slightly, like, enclosed as a world. I think that's accurate to people in their 30s who aren't in couples. No, no, no, no. I know. But, like, I just feel like if you made the movie now, I think the movie would end differently now.

That's actually kind of what I think. I think we'd have all types of couples in the couples. Yeah, that also as well. And if they didn't, there would be a lot of angry thing. There'd be a gay couple in this movie. Yeah. There'd be a lot of angry think pieces about how there were only heterosexual couples in the movie.

Yeah, no black people. Yeah, no black people is a bad thing. Yeah. We should probably add that to what stage worse. New category, just for this podcast. Fantastic. This is a great one. Who is your favorite old married couple out of the sixth?

I like the couple that worked in the same building and then finally met in Chicago. And he stayed on the elevator a few extra floors. Is that the one where the woman keeps chiming into being like, same building? Like same, yeah. Nine extra floors. Yeah. That was my favorite as well. Really cute.

I also like the old Asian married couple just because I love the latest hair. Yes, they're great. Yeah, with the very cool white stripe. But I go with nine extra floors. What do you go with Amanda? I think the person. who jumped into my mind was the nine extra floors as well. There's a real pitter pattern to their speaking.

Yeah, not. Sometimes the people don't. Casting what ifs. Albert Brooks turned down the role of Harry. Thank God. I like Albert Brooks. I do, but I felt like broadcast news. He's already gone down the road.

To separate them. I'm in love with my friend. I don't feel like he needed to do that again. He turned it down, though, because he thought the movie was too reminiscent of Woody Allen. Joey's got another grudge. It's okay. I love the movie mother, so it's fine. Do you know who Rob Reiner's first choice for this movie was?

For what role? For Sally. Jane Fonda? No. She would have been too old. She would have been? Yeah. I guess that's right.

She's pretty old now. Susan Day. Oh. Hmm. Who was, I think, hot at that point went on L.A. law. That's a weird one, though. That flustered me. They thought about Elizabeth Perkins.

They thought about Elizabeth Bougain. They had Molly Ringwild and she had a scheduling conflict. Absolutely. That's a disaster. Bullet Dossed. Crystal and Lai Riemwald, that feels like a crime is being committed. I think that she is a real negative in the John Hughes movie, so I'm glad she's done in this. Wow.

Wow. This can be the high, can we add this to the hottest take? Sure. You got it, man. That's a good one. She's a downer. What blanket? 16 candles in particular.

Who wants to hang out with her? It's why no one remembers her birthday. Meg Ryan's first leading role would have been Shelby and Steele Magnolius. Oh, wow. But she had to give the part up to be Sally. opening the door for young Julia Roberts. Wow. Incredible.

Incredible big hair for big hair moment. Yeah. That's it for casting one ifs. Dion Waiter's a word. There's only one nominee. Carrie Fisher. You want to do a quick, Carrie Fisher? You want the floor again?

You're right, you're right. I know you're right. I really enjoy that if she says the same thing every time. I also, yeah, what a... Carrie Fisher. What a treasure. Gone too soon. I think that this is probably...

What else sticks out for you at post Star Wars? This 30 Rock? Could it ask you? I actually got to say, I don't understand why she didn't act more. I think she was really good, and I think there was a distinct kind of turf that she could have grabbed. I don't know why didn't she just continue to be an A-list actress. I don't know enough about her. I don't know whether she had like drug issues or she just made so much money from Star Wars or what was going on.

but I think she's really likable, and I don't get it. I think she was a writer. I do think that she kind of had personal ups and downs in her life. Obviously, like, her family was also quite colorful. Being young and famous in the late 70s didn't turn out well for really anybody other than about six people. And I think this also shows this is a supporting role. She's basically doing character work, and she is delightful in it.

And, you know, especially if you're so young, and Princess Leia, maybe don't seek out the giant roles anymore. It's a lot of pressure. At the very least, she should have been the lead of a TV show, like some NBC sitcom in the late 80s. No? I don't feel like when you're a show. Am I overrating her? No, I just think it's different for kids who grew up famous with famous Hollywood parents.

I think you just view the work a little bit differently, and it's almost like the family business rather than like a burning desire to be famous. Where does she rank for you two with the all-time rom-com best friend? group. I think there's only one other person on the conversation. It's Judy Greer. I mean, just legendary. Best Rom-com best friend. You've been carrying her water for years.

Judy? Yeah. She's great. I like Heather Burns, too. Who? Heather Burns. Which one is that? Less famous, but she's the best friend.

She's the runner-up of Miss Congeniality. And then she's also in two weeks notice. She's Sandra Bullock's number two, basically. I feel like this is just a different conversation because, as you said, what this movie does so well is develop the friends. as well. And you know in very short moments who all these people are. And then one of the lessons that other romantic comedies don't learn from when Harry Met Sally is to actually make the friends into real characters. They become sidekicks. And these are people. So.

That was like Kim Cottrell and Sex and the Cityization of Supporting Characters where you just basically ratchet up to 100. Whatever, whatever character you're doing, do the 100 version of it. Yeah. I do think North Iran is good at that. Heather Burns is also when you've got male. And, um... Oh, right. She works through the bookstore. Yeah. And I also think Rosie O'Donnell is a very good friend in Sleepless in Seattle.

Mm. That's a good one. I like Rosie O'Donnell. She's, I like her in beautiful girls, too. She's great now and then. Carrie Fisher. How many scenes was she in, probably? Five?

Perfect, Deanne Waiter is a word winner. Half Fast Internet Research. Ephron want to call this film How They Met? That makes sense, with all the interstitials. They decided no. They went through a bunch of titles, much like how we came up with the ringer over the course of months and months of agonizing on a whiteboard.

You think they had a whiteboard? No, but they started a contest with the crew. Whoever came up with the title won a case of champagne. Wow. Nobody came up with it. The final nominees, just friends, playing melancholy baby, boy meets girl, Blue Moon, Words of Love, it had to be you. Harry, this is Sally, and how they met.

It had to be you. It had to be you. It was pretty good. I personally would have called it Harry and Sally. I like, I mean, I obviously liking the original is like the most boring answer, but I do like having the names then because it's more memorable. Yeah. Harry and Sally or when Harry and Med Sally. Yeah. I don't know.

I kind of like the saddle. It's good. In order to get in the lonely mindset of divorced and single Harry, Oh, good. Crystal stayed by himself in a separate room from the cast and crew in a different hotel while shooting in Manhattan. Yeah, I'm sure that's why. He's so brave. The how we met interludes were real people.

Oh. Not actors. That makes it even better. Gerald Ford's son Jack played Joe. That could have been in what stage the worst because that was a thing in 1989. Now it's like who's Gerald Ford? Yeah. That guy's really hot.

He's attractive. It's really wild. The script initially ended with them be staying friends and not pursuing a romantic relationship. See? That's what I'm saying. Because your hero, Norifron, felt that was the true ending. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I do think it almost never works out. You guys don't want to acknowledge this because you want I choose myself to remain the sole province of Kelly Taylor, and that's fine.

She contains multitudes. Yeah, I know, and she does, and that's important. But I think, I don't know, I think there could be some, I'm happy they wind up together in this movie. It's very romantic. Do you know why they ended up together? Why? Because Reiner met his future wife, Michelle, during the filming, and he found the happy ending. He'd stopped believing it and decided they should have a happy ending.

Well, see, there you go. True love ruins our art. it again. I love a happy ending, so I'm happy with it. I like it, too. I'm just saying, realistically. Yeah, they wouldn't have ended up together. Yeah, they wouldn't have met it up together.

It's fine. Almost had a Bob Kraft joke there, but I pulled back. Realistically, he would have started dating someone and moved on as my take. He does, which I want to bring up in nitpicks. But in the span of three weeks, he finds an anthropologist, your basic nightmare. Anyway. I just don't think she forgives him for how he acted the day after. and then immediately dating somebody else,

I think she's, I don't think she recovers. That's such a male answer. I don't think he figures his shit out. I don't think he figures his shit out. I think he's living in the hotel away from the cast and for crew. I think he fucked it up. I think it's over. Anytime, I'm just looking at my life history of all my friends.

Anytime somebody has a fuck up like that, it's really hard to get it back. For either side. Sure. Yeah. It's tough one. It's true. I think that was like a major fuck up. I don't think she takes them back.

I think she doesn't forgive him and also the timing just never works out. Like I just feel like the sort of, like their parallel tracks, like diverge at some point. I think she wakes up on New Year's Day and she says to herself, I got caught up, I didn't have a date on New Year's Eve, Harry showed up, that was stupid, fuck this guy. I can't trust him. Yeah, what am I doing? And then she's out.

Spun into a 2004 play, do you know what the stars were? No. Luke Perry and Allison Hannigan. Oh, wow. RIP Luke. That's a weird cast. Very weird. Also, he's like completely different energy than.

Billy Crystal. Did you know that Reiner and Crystal met when they played best friends at all in the family? I didn't know that. Did you know that Carrie Fisher knew Reiner because she was best friends with Penny Marshall? Oh. That makes sense. Now that you say it. Did you know that Harry and Sally's final interview at the end of the film was completely improvised?

I didn't. It's really, really good. It's in the deleted scenes. It's really good. Yeah. They filmed like 10 minutes of it. That's awesome. The part with the sauce on the side and just like a.

That's really good. God bless them. We had this really wonderful wedding. It really was a beautiful wedding. We had this enormous coconut cake. Huge coconut cake with the tears, and there was this very rich chocolate sauce on the side. Right, because not everybody likes it on the cake because it makes it very soggy. Particularly the coconut so it's important to keep it on the side. All right.

Apex Mountain? I think... Billy Crystal? I was going to go Rob Reiner. City Suckers next year. I don't know. I don't think so with Billy Crystal. I think it launches him to a next level.

I think Ciddy Slickers and the Oscars. He's at a higher level. Yeah, I agree. Meg Ryan, definitely not. No. Meg Ryan, for how I felt like she ruled the 90s, man, she has a lot of bad movies in there. A lot of flamething.

Batting average is a lot lower than I remembered. You've got mail out for her. It's basically four movies. I don't know five if you like IQ. Mm-hmm. I do like IQ. I was going to say, please count IQ. Okay.

So if you count IQ five. I forgot that she voiced Anastasia. Yeah. Yeah. So you have to count that as well. You know where I stand on Proof of Life, so I count that. Sure. We all know where you stand on that one.

There's a rewatchable as on Proof of Life in case you're listening right now. Rob Reiner? I'm going to go yes on Rob Reiner. I mean, he's got so many hits, though, but like... I'm going to go No, and here's why. Okay. Because two years later, he has misery and Seinfeld Castle Rock blowing up. Right.

Right. So it's at another level. I accept that. Nobody, I couldn't think of anybody else. Unless you want to have the, was this New York's Apex Mountain. I can't rule it out. 1989? As I told you yesterday, Bill, this movie makes me wish I was born 30 years earlier,

specifically to live in this version of New York, specifically. Because you could say early 90s, Seinfeld, New York, or Friends Central Perk? No, definitely not. I guess maybe New York has a pop culture location. I would still go 70s. I enjoy 70s. Yeah, I think you have to do 70s. There's something to me about the gritty 80s with like just like kind of right before they start like tamping down on the crime.

That is just really like appealing to me in a sick way. The Joey Pants Award for the best that guy in this movie. I think it's Bruno Kirby, right? Yeah, you know, I didn't want to admit it to myself and it is. I mean, he played young Clemenza and Godfather too. And he played this character, which was like another iconic. character. But I think people 30 years later just know him as the dude who is Billy Crystal's friend in this movie. And probably don't even know what his name is. Yeah. I think it's right.

He's gone. He died. Carrie Fisher died. Um, Nora Efron died. Yeah. Somebody else died. Four people died from this movie. The Saul Rubenick, they knew, overacting award. Is there any overacting in this movie? I mean, are you going to nominate Meg Ryan for this for the last scene? You have a You're making a look at a face right now, and I know what that face is? No, it's not that scene, but I am going to nominate Meg Lane. Okay. There we go. I can't believe.

She's really, the whole, I know Juliet loves it, but when she finds out Joe's engaged and invites Harry's over and the crying. She's really floppy. I'm sitting on the phone thinking, I'm over him. I really am over him. I can't believe I was ever remotely interested in any of that. He said I have some news. She's really weird. That's a weird performance.

That seems too long. The bathroom is a problem. I just feel like that's a lot of it. Dropping the Kleenex. Yeah, she's messy in that. But like, is that her fault? No, I just don't like the performance. I think it's kind of over the top.

I would have had her do a couple more takes and really tried to get the tone of. Yeah, it's a lot of different tones. Like, the scene right after they have sex compared with the scene when she's in the kitchen versus offering water. She's all over the place. I actually think that character is a little inconsistent. It's like there are certain things You're like that's so Sally Like with at the end

When they're talking about the cake and the ordering But there's a couple other moments where Like I was actually kind of surprised That she like lost herself in the singing When they do karaoke And I actually think that like her character is As just like sometimes I'm like Is that actually something she would do?

Like that actually makes sense Yeah that's the first Yeah That's kind of against what her character is Yeah like Miss Hospital Corner is not also doing The fake orgasm Yeah She's a great job of their chin

Always like lifting her head up. Picking Nets. We're going to pick some Nits. Harry in college looks way too old. We covered that. This is a great one. This came from my wife last night watching it. She drops off Harry in 1977 at a really weird location and he's got all the stuff.

Where the hell did she drop him off? Washington Square Park, right? I assumed he was like going to a NYU housing for the summer or something like that. Okay. And he's also there at the end of the movie, which is a problem. because then he has to run to what I assume is the Upper West Side. She basically drops them off at a park with all the stuff. I don't think it's that weird.

He doesn't have that much stuff. It's pretty weird. Okay. I thought it was weird. Related to that, though, I have driven from New York to Chicago, it does not take 18 hours. I don't know if, like, you had to go slower on the roads in the 70s, but it didn't take me 18 hours. How long was it? Like 12 or 13.

Yeah. Oh, they did stop. We stopped. Why didn't we see Harry and Sally ever? working at a job and didn't matter. I was wondering about this. What was Sally's job? She was a reporter, but for who?

She's a journalist. Okay, what did she write? We don't know. They'd have like one shot of her, like, typing on an old, old-timey computer, which I only noticed last night because I was like, why they don't talk about their jobs at all. Harry's a political consultant. Yeah, what do that mean? I mean, that's believable to me.

Yes, but like, for who, for what? They don't talk about it at all. That's ages really well, I think. I think that's like similar. to like people who are consultants. They could have stuck in a Dukakis. Yeah, this Dukakis guy, I think it's going to work out. I feel like especially in New York, people are talking about their jobs and how important

they are all the time. Now that, like, just maybe the current moment and maybe in the 80s, people have lives. Consulting a lot of it is confidential, though, because he go from, like, client to client. I actually think that that makes sense. You could have thrown in one scene where they're getting like a coffee or something. After work drinks. Talk about how much they hate their jobs or something. Yeah.

It's sort of like some context. Or as stressful moments. at work or something, it really seems like their lives operate and totally independently of their jobs, which is maybe just like the 80s. Sally is a reporter. It's just not one of the top 100 jobs I would have picked for her after watching this movie. That's a great line when he's like, so you can write about other people's lives? That's a really good one.

Why would Harry ever break up with Anne Emily? I thought she was perfect. Oh, the pie maker? The dessert lady. She had her own business. She was great looking. What happened? I don't know. Harry's just...

Come on, Harry. Harry just had his eyes on Sally. And Emily, I thought that was a great catch. He also could have been dumped. She's much younger. She has a job. She makes a lot of pies. She was like, do you have a job?

You're a consultant? What does that mean? What is that? Yeah. Why was Harry that freaked out after sex with Sally? Because he wants to be able to leave in the morning and not have talked to them again and say he's got an early squash game and you couldn't do that. Somewhere between 30 seconds all night is your problem.

You're making a face like you don't want to tell us the truth. I don't know. That scene didn't sit totally right with me because they were so close. I think he would have known what that would have done to her if he just like fled out of there. I'm surprised he's less drinking in this movie. I feel like that was like one thing that's missing from that scene where like he would like commiserate with her for a little bit longer. And like they would be drinking whiskey or something. They should have been drinking.

And then it would have made a little more sense because then it would be more of a mistake. It's a weak spot. But I've only noticed that after the 75th time I watch this movie. there is a possibility that maybe the sex wasn't that great and that he was disappointed. And they said afterwards, they both said it was fine. Yeah. So, he knows.

This is a great one. Why did Marie and Jess have two phones, one on each side of their bed with two different phone lines? They seem like the kind of people who then also probably separate bank accounts too. Yeah. Do you know anybody that has two different phone lines on each side of their bed? Do you mean landlines?

Two landlines. No. No, but like we have separate phones on separate sides of my bed in my house now. Two landlines? Can we put in a second landline? Jess wants one next to his side of the bed. That's ridiculous. It's like more common for like if you have a kid or like you get your kid their own phone line or something like that.

I think also if you're a doctor, my father-in-law is a doctor and was like explaining what it was like to be on call in the 80s and 90s. That's a good point. But I mean, maybe he's on call as a journalist. I don't know. Maybe there's like a work phone and a personal phone. She does say, Gary Fisher says, like, as she's answering the phone, no, it's mine. So they are, there's, like, delineation between the, I don't know. Maybe they didn't want to give up their numbers.

This is the last one I have. How do we not get Harry's best man speech? That seems like the easiest 90 seconds ever for this movie, Billy Crystal giving a best man speech. What a miss. It was weird of the only speech you got from Jess. It's not really how weddings go. It's not like the groom speech is the centerpiece of the wedding. I would have thrown a scene where he was giving a really funny best man speech and Sally was trying not to like it.

But it was she was kind of remembering like how funny he was. Yeah. I was just thinking I rewatched part of Heartburn recently, which was written by Nora Afron. And it starts with a wedding. It starts with the wedding between Merrill Streep and Jack Nicholson. And it's like it's second wedding, but it's in a hotel. And it is very similar to the wedding depicted in when Harry MetLife. Sally just kind of in the feel and it's much lower five than our current wedding moment.

So maybe the speeches were not as big a deal in this type of wedding in the 80s. That was kind of what I assumed. Any other nitpicks? I have a few. Why didn't Marie and Jess get to meet Harry and Sally sooner? That's yes. How do none of these people know each other? Like, do they really only hang out in isolation?

Also, if Sally and Jess are both journalists, then they definitely know each other. And they wrote for New York Magazine. Yes, exactly. Then they definitely know each other. That doesn't make sense. Yeah. Another one, you know, there's in one of the montage scenes, she's like picking out the tomatoes from the hot food bar in a bodega.

Yeah. She's using the same tongs. Also, yeah, someone as picky as Sally would absolutely never do that. That's just a bacteria bar. That's disgusting and she would never ever do that. Yeah. But then she uses tomato tongs to go to like the next thing or whatever. That is a nitpick from somebody who's seen this movie 500 times.

Sally would never use the tongs. Juliet noticed that on the 288. She had some salad bar thoughts. I'm also personally disgusted by the hot food bar at like bodegas and the grocery stores. I think we all are. I have two more. Okay. The dating timelines in this movie are just absolutely unacceptable.

So Joe is saying I love you to Meg Ryan one month after they started dating. Did things just move faster in the 80s? Probably. But like a month? Yeah. I would have loved to have seen the Spanish tile. they were not having sex. I know.

You know what? Because she keeps the apartment. And last night I was looking. And the way they shoot the apartment is like Billy Crystal is standing directly in front of the opening to the kitchen the entire time. So you can't see the tile because I assume the Spanish towel was not there. But they thought about that. And I appreciate it. Also, when they have sex and then the wedding is three weeks later and somehow in the middle, Harry has managed to date an anthropologist.

I feel like he probably knew her already And she just got promoted into wedding date But like how often are people going on dates This is the other thing Like what is a normal beginning of relationship dating timeline It's like once a week So at max he's been on three dates with this moment Do we count that as dating?

For Harry maybe I guess if Joe is saying I love you after a month I'm just saying Maybe things are very different here But it seems like people There was you did bring people to date sooner to weddings and stuff like that than I think maybe people do now.

Now it's, I feel like, Craig, bigger deal if you bring a day to a wedding? Yes. In the 80s and 90s, not as big of a deal. Okay. Yeah, it really wasn't. People come and go.

Yeah, now it's like, feels like you're making some sort of statement. I forgot to do this in what stage the best. That scene when the high spy family, when they're hanging out and they're just having like a real life talk. I like, and I think one of the reasons this movie works so well is it has scenes like that that have real meat to them

and are really well written, and then the person's delivering it almost like it's like a play. Yeah. Because I feel like now when they make rom-coms, they're doing that scene, and there's some snazzy blink 182 retro song, and then it like moves, and it's just everything's trying to move so fast now.

This movie actually like breathes a couple times, which I think is instructive. That kind of reminds me. Makes sense? Yeah. And to your point, that kind of reminds me of flea back and why I think it's also like really successful. It's the same kind of like really defined scene to scene and kind of like chatty conversation about like how you're feeling reminiscent of theater. But then some meat.

Yeah. Like the Kristen Scott Thomas episode. Yeah. We're there at the bar for like 10 minutes. Yeah. That was like so moving. That was great. Yeah, it was fantastic.

But it earned the ability to take a breath and do that. And this movie does that. And I just, I think the rom-coms now. you know, now Netflix is bringing them back, but it's the same recipe. But they're moving really fast like that. Yeah, they're also... They're like music videos. This movie, they're just, is talking.

It's two people talking the whole time and they talk a lot and it's great. But now, especially on Netflix, you can't just have two people talking because then people will look at their phones or go do something else. You have to do something shiny to keep people's attention. So suddenly like Keanu Reeves is on the street. Yeah. It's your fault, Craig. Why can't you just listen to people talk? Come on, Craig.

Also, to that point. What's talking about? All we do is DM each other. We're talking all the time. That's true. I'm going to you listen to podcasts. That doesn't count. It doesn't.

Craig watched this movie on 1.5 speed. To that point, Amanda, Netflix rom-coms have really aggressive pop music soundtracks to, like, keep you in it. And this movie, like, lets the movie speaks for itself. And the music is so wonderful because it's like a true accompaniment. It's a true score. And it's not like. But there's whole sections with no music. Yeah.

They would never do that now. Never. That's why it's a great movie for three in the morning because it's quite. Quiet. I actually feel like this might have changed with a lot like love with Amanda Pete and Ashton Coucher, which is a really good movie. Oh, I heard that Chicago song in the car the other day and thought of you. Yeah.

But that's, that movie's just a soundtrack with some dialogue. Yeah. And then that just became what rom-coms are now. It's the sound track is almost more important than the actual script and the stuff people are saying to each other. I feel like. It's definitely, a way for a screenwriter now to like tell you who they are. Like, this is the music I listen to, where instead of, like, allowing the movie to do that work.

Yeah. I'm with you. Best quote, there's, like, too many to listen to. I just want to give a couple shoutouts and then you can feel free to jump in. Well, that symptom is fucking my wife. It's just great. Marriages don't break up on account of infidelity. It's just a symptom that something else is wrong.

Really? Well, that symptom is fucking my wife. It's such a great to fuck with the wave. It's so good. Thin, pretty big tits, your basic nightmare is just such a good Carrie Fisher led. Oh, but baby fishman out to sweep in the nation. Well, I just want it the way I want it. When she's talking about her ordering, is great.

And then his whole speech at the end. Which I thought about delivering to Juliet, but I'm not going to. I'd probably cry. Well, how does it work? Not this way. How about this way? I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich.

I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes, and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's not because it's New Year's Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible. I do love that you get cold when it's 7,000 degrees out. So beautiful.

That is a great speech. It's the best. It's good. It's so good. Any other just like stand out have to be mentioned quotes? I mean, I said it before, but Carrie Fisher's line when she's parroting Jess's article when she says I have people, restaurants are people in the 80s with theater. We're to people in the 60s.

I read that is like one of my absolute favorite movie moments. It's just so good. There's also just a great kicker to that joke, which is I also wrote Pesto as the Kisha of the 80s. Yes. So good. It's classic Norafron. So good. I also really like it's too bad because you were the only person I knew in New York.

Yeah. And they bring it back at the end in that like montage when he's realizing that she's always been the one. It's very sweet. Could this movie have been remade as a 10 episode Netflix show? So initially I was violently opposed. And I was thinking if you remade it, but you made it with people from Craig's generation. They'd be DMing the whole time. Yeah.

Boring. have to say the DMs out loud, Craig. Do you think you could do that? Say something out loud? Yeah. To a significant other. Just people reading phones. A lot of texting. Yeah, I would say no, but I did, I did think about how it would work for 10 seconds. I feel like if Netflix dropped it and it was called When Harry Met Salon is a 10 episode show, we would all at least watch the first episode. Well, couldn't you do it, couldn't it be a period piece? I don't think you could do it in the present day, like set in 2019 and have it have the same effect. Because as Craig pointed out, it's mostly just texting. But if you did a 90s version of it or like a, I don't know. They'd have to be stuck together. Like if it was two people abroad together, they didn't know anybody in the country,

then they wouldn't be texting because they're together 24-7. Okay. A lot of wisdom from this guy. Wow. Unanswerable questions. My first one, we talked about a little bit, is this movie better if they never get together at the end, if they never stay together? I don't want to change this movie, so I don't know.

Yeah. I don't think so. I like that they ended up together. Me too. The final scene of them talking about their wedding is so amazing. Yeah. And the coconut, it's just great. I actually think it gives more weight in context to the old people interviews that they become one of the old people.

Of course, yeah. I don't know how that doesn't work. I think you have to cut those if they don't end up together. I agree. Okay. Yeah. We covered how much of this movie Rupoff, Fannie Hall. Did we officially do what should the title have been?

Yeah. We did and half-assed Internet research. We didn't do this. How far did it? Harry have to run at the end. I actually figured this out. Oh, you map it? There's some internet research on this.

Okay. Okay. Let's hear it. Where is the party? So he lived near Washington Square Park. The New Year's Eve party was at the Puck Building on 295 West Lafayette Street. Oh, that's close. That's like three-quarters of miles. It was a half a mile away via Buecker Street.

If Harry ran five miles an hour, he would have a six-minute run before arriving to the party. Okay. That's age well, too, because the puck building is back to being condos. Yeah. No longer business space. Wasn't there an REI in it for a while? Yeah. Yeah.

So he's appropriately sweaty, but not too sweaty. That makes sense, yeah. I definitely thought he had to run up town. Me too. And I was like, this makes no sense. Last unanswerable question. Does Seinfeld happen without this movie? So Mark Harris posited this question, our old teammate Mark Harris and Grantland in 2014,

because we did a rom-com week. And he wrote about when Harry met Sally. And he talked about this same summer, Brandon Tartikoff, Greenlit, the Seinfeld Chronicles. There was just one episode and they ran it and they buried it. And then this movie came out and it did well. And then he ordered four more in 1990, which I'm proud to say, one of the only people that watched it when it came on.

That this movie doing well, you could argue, was the forefather for Seinfeld. Interesting. People in New York, people talking about stuff, weird theories, the friendships. Specific references. Rob Reiner, Castle Rock. Yeah. It's interesting. It is interesting.

Don't know if it's true, but it's an interesting link. The friend that he has, they never, they dated initially, then they broke up Elaine and Jerry, and then they just stayed friends. I buy it. No, no, no. I think that's right. Whatever. Sorry for bringing up. Sorry to read that article on greatlyn.com when we did rom-com week, which I was in charge of, Bill.

We had one of our best podcasts ever, me and Wesley. It's on YouTube. People can check it out. What was it my best friend's wedding or no? It was a bunch of them? It was just rom-coms. It was when you first declared your true love from Michelle Pfeiffer. We had like a good 15 minutes on the fabulous Bakerboys. I think I was bright red for like seven straight minutes. Yeah. That was a really, really fun podcast. It's on YouTube. Check it out. Look, the heart wants what the heart wants.

It's so true. She knows how I feel. Who won the movie? I am going Billy Crystal because he gets to give the final speech. And it's just like such an incredible rom-com moment. I definitely think you can make the case for Nora Ephron as well, just from the writing all together. But I think ultimately, Billy Crystal's final scene and then the kind of like the pieces that aren't just him and Meg Ryan,

the best ones are because of Billy Crystal. I'm so badly want to give it to Nor Ephron, but I actually feel like Billy Crystal, I don't know who else could have played this part. And the little like pieces of stand-up is what makes it different and what makes it not a normal rom-com. and there's so much of him in it. But the thing is, I really like Meg Ryan, too.

I almost don't want to reward one without the other. That's why I was thinking Nora Ephron's like the easier way out. I mean, I'm obviously going with Nora Ephron. I figured. Just because this establishes, you know, Harper and without success, and then this establishes her as a force. And then you get Seples in Seattle and you've got mail. So really, we're all winners.

Here's the thing with the who won the movie, though. I don't feel like she got the credit for it in the time. Part of the Who Wins the movie is like... Oh, is that? It's contemporaneous. I don't know. You've made this up, so you tell us. Well, it's like, who won the movie?

I don't know if, like, most people would think Nora Ephron won the movie. But I think, like, if you look at what happened with rom-coms, then you really, like, thought about it seriously, and you say she created this structure that then became a dominant movie structure for 30 years, and it's still the best version of it. She probably won. Yeah. I'm going to say her.

Great. Welcome to the Northland. Only because I don't want to dismay Ryan, because I really do feel like she was awesome in this movie. I love Billy Crystal, and I feel like he's a little more important to it, but I think it's hard for me to separate them. Okay. If it's him and Susan Day, the movie doesn't work.

No, it's true. I mean, when we did the notebook, did we declare Mick Adams and Gosling joint winners, or did we say McAdams? Craig, what did we say? Thanks for listening, Craig. By the way, we're not allowed to have joint winners on the rewatch. No, but I think what we were trying to talk about is like that the chemistry was actually the winner.

And then that movie does not work without that. particular blend of two people. And it's like, so the chemistry is the winner. And it's a similar thing here that it doesn't work without those. Or it's a very different movie without those two people. I feel honestly that this movie because the script is so good, like it wouldn't be the same movie, but you could find pairs that work because you've got the Nora Ephron words to work from. Which is what, again, why I'm going now I'm wavering.

Now I'm leaning back toward Crystal. Oh, boy. All right. I just think the combo of... Because I don't know how much Crystal wrote. Like, there's a possibility. That's true. He came up with, like, 30% of the content in the movie.

I have no idea. Even if he didn't write these scenes, I think the combo of the batting cages, the Giants game, the Surrey with a fringe on top. The museum. The museum. I just think that he is so... Sharper image. I just think that he does a really good job selling some of the scenes in a way that sets

Meg Ryan up to also be great. He's also an asshole, but I like him the whole. time, which is the hardest thing to do in a movie. He also was like... He's not an anti-hero, but he's really not somebody we should like, but we like him. He's pritch, yeah. Well, they're both, they both have problems, and they kind of learn through the other to work through them.

Do you think they're still married? Yes. Mm-hmm. You do? I do. Yeah. I do. You think she's sitting at Clipper games of them?

Probably. Probably. Probably she's like, just, you know, just along with the ride. I think she probably, like, brings down the Chlorox wipe and wipes everything down and then sits and yeah. You can just see her doing that, can't you? Doesn't want to share popcorn? And then purchase on the side of the seat and, you know, makes weird comments.

She hates anti-vaxxers just with her vengeance. She's so mad at Jessica Biel right now. My last question. If they did a sequel to this movie with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan right now, what would be your reaction? I would like for them to be the old couple, but like all the interstitials and it's about like their grandkids or something like that. That's how I would point.

I mean, my initial reaction was like, oh my God, yes. And then I know what happens when you get things that you want, especially like remakes and reboots. And it's just, it's hard without a reference because it wouldn't be the same movie. Who would you, who would write it? I think it would be a 35th wedding anniversary for them. And their kids are coming. And it's more like they're the patriarch, matriac or the family. And it's, you'd really have to write the kids really well and make that the wrong time.

So it's like the family stone. It's almost like father of the bride crossed with. What was that movie with Angelina Jolie and the bunch of the kids that were related and you didn't realize that John Stewart was in it? You didn't realize it until the end. Playing by heart? Yeah. Yeah.

It's like that. Oh, Julia, Julia just perked up. No? I don't know. I'm just thinking it through. You get Harry and Sally 35 years later, but now you have their whole family. And they have like four kids. I don't care about their family.

I want to know about them. This really is about them. Well, then we find out about them in the movie. For some reason, I just feel like if we're doing a remake of this movie, Natalie Portman should play the Sally character. Oh, brother. But that's a remake. Yeah. Let me offer you this as a closing carrot. Nancy Myers writes and directs when Harry met Sally too. And it's with Harry and Sally right now. No. No. I don't accept. You wouldn't go.

I would go. But I would go. You would go in a heartbeat. I just don't go. But I don't want it. No, you can't do that because Nancy Myers is California specific. And the Hamptons. And the Hamptons. That's true. But that's like an extension. We're setting in in LA. They live in Brentwood now.

No, but New York is such an essential part of this movie. I hate being like, oh, New York is the fifth character or whatever. But in this case, it is. What if Meg Ryan became a screenwriter? Okay. And was a Nora Ephron proxy? Somebody option one of her movies. You're pushing all my buttons right now.

For the same reason, I used to watch the deleted scenes. I just can't participate in this thought experiment. Somebody optioned whatever New York. magazine stories. Okay, so they moved to California. They moved to California. Where did they live in California? Harry got heavily involved with the Clinton campaign. Oh, which one? Now Harry's on TV.

He's... Well, no, I hate no. No, he's like George Stephanopoulos. What if he's Larry King? Yeah, he's got his own show. Okay. He's like Charlie... Anon Me Too Charlie Rose. He's doing like long interviews and he's on some political thing. Yeah, he's respectable.

He's like a political pundit. Okay. So they're based in L.A. And then Meg Ryan is basically Or Sally is basically a screenwriter. It's just ridiculous. They live in Brentwood. They would not live in L.A. Pasadena?

There's not a single car ride in this movie. They would not live in L.A. Pasadena? No. Absolutely not. You're just out completely and the thought of them. No, they don't know. There is a car ride in this movie.

They drive from Chicago and New York. Outside of that. Once they get to New York, there's no more cars. They hail guards all the time. They don't get in them, though. What makes you think that they would never leave New York from this movie? They both arrived. They're only in New York for 12 years.

It's not like they're like New Yorkers. I just feel like, like, as Amanda said, like, annoying or not. It's like this is like a New York movie. Maybe that's part of the wrinkle, though. Then becomes a Brentwood movie. Why are you so sad on Brentwood? I don't know. Can we just put out of the Palisades, a little bit nicer.

Palisades. Great, palisades. I'm thinking about it. You're thinking about it. Yeah. Natalie Portman is their oldest daughter. No. She's going through divorce.

I don't want Natalie Portman in this. With all respect to Natalie Portman, it's not for me. Who do you want in it? Who would be their children? Who are some of your favorites? I still think. I just feel like I could see Natalie Portman being difficult. Yeah.

Quote unquote difficult. Oh, on the set? No, like as like Sally's daughter. I'm a little concerned. I'm a vegan. Like, I don't need this. This is like the setup of the Family Stone and you're casting Natalie Portman as the Sarah Jessica Parker character. And that's not a road that I want to go down.

The problem is nobody remembers the Family Stone. It was terrible. I liked it. It's on Delta a lot now and I watch it from time to time. Derole Roney. I'm in. Yeah. That's, you guys.

Yeah, Durham Roney. We'll put Dermin in this. He's Harry's younger brother. He lives in the guest house. Wow. I don't see a world which this movie is working for me. I'm sorry.

Okay. Well, we'll find out when it gets made. Okay. When Harry met Sally too is in production. When Harry is still with Sally. When Harry still was Sally? Yeah. What if they got divorced and got back together?

No, they wouldn't do that. You think they're together for like... Why are you trying to torture me? I don't understand. Your reaction to all of this is so... You honestly look like you're in a dentist chair. I think that they... No, they wouldn't...

divorcing it back together because they've already gone through all the dumb stuff. And they're fairly practical people, especially Sally. Thanks to Voodoo, a leading streaming app with the library of over 150,000 titles available to rent or buy. When Harry Met Sally 2 is not one of them. Over 10,000 titles you can watch for free in their ad support on demand service. Enjoy everything from the latest Hollywood blockbusters to your favorite indie films without subscriptions or contracts.

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that features jam session and a lot of good stuff. And you can subscribe there and hear Julia and Amanda. Julian Amanda, thank you. Thank you, Bill. Thank you. Thanks, Craig. Thank you. You heathen.