Watch You've Got Mail
- PG
- 1998
- 1 hr 59 min
-
6.7 (230,655)
You've Got Mail is a romantic comedy film released in 1998, directed by Nora Ephron, and featuring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Greg Kinnear in the leading roles. The movie is a modern adaptation of the 1940 Ernst Lubitsch film, The Shop Around the Corner, which was also adapted as a musical in 1963, titled She Loves Me. Set in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the story revolves around two people, Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), who are both the owners of rival bookstores. Kathleen runs a small, independent bookstore named The Shop Around the Corner, which was established by her late mother. Joe owns a large chain of bookstores called Fox Books.
Kathleen is a charming and idealistic woman who is passionate about her bookstore and believes in preserving the essence of books and personal connections. She is friendly and approachable, and she has regular customers who have become her friends. Her store doesn't make a lot of money, but she loves what she does, and she believes that her store has a special place in the hearts of her customers.
Joe, on the other hand, is a pragmatic businessman who values efficiency, profit, and expansion. He is ruthless in his business decisions and unabashedly competitive. He sees Kathleen's store as a threat to his business and is determined to put her out of business.
The movie begins with Kathleen and Joe meeting each other in an online chat room under anonymous usernames, "Shopgirl" and "NY152," respectively. They strike up a friendly and engaging conversation, discussing their personal lives, interests, and opinions. They don't know each other's real identities, but they develop a bond through their conversations.
In real life, however, their relationship is complicated. They meet each other at a local coffee shop without knowing they have been chatting to each other online. They engage in a friendly conversation, but there is an underlying tension due to the fact that they are business rivals. Kathleen refuses to acknowledge that Joe is the owner of Fox Books, which frustrates Joe.
Their lives become more intertwined when Kathleen's store starts to suffer from the competition posed by Fox Books. Kathleen is forced to lay off her employees and face the fact that her store may have to close down. Meanwhile, Joe starts to develop feelings for Kathleen, but he is torn between his attraction to her and his desire to put her out of business.
As the story progresses, Joe and Kathleen's relationship becomes more complicated as they try to navigate their personal and professional lives. They continue their online conversations under different pseudonyms, and they fall in love with the anonymous versions of each other. They start to question whether their attraction to each other is real or if it is merely a personality they have created online.
The climax of the movie takes place at Christmas time, where Joe and Kathleen finally have an honest conversation about their identities and their feelings for each other. The movie ends with a heartwarming and romantic conclusion that involves a sentimental gesture and a hopeful outlook for their future together.
You've Got Mail is a witty, charming, and heartwarming movie that explores themes of love, trust, and the impact of technology on personal relationships. It features strong performances from its leading actors, who bring their characters to life with warmth and depth. The movie captures the essence of New York City during the late 90s and has become a classic representation of romantic comedies in the genre.
You've Got Mail is a 1998 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 59 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 57.