It has taken me ten days to take a turn down the ‘is that really a Christmas film?’ avenue, but here we are. I am not going to bother to argue the case for You’ve Got Mail (1998) other than to say why I am classing it as a Christmas film for the sake of these reviews. Reason one is that a good chunk of it takes place around the Christmas season which is a good start. Reason two, it is a remake of another ‘possibly not a Christmas film’ that I have reviewed, The Shop Around the Corner (1940). Reason three, it just has Christmas vibes. And the final reason is that if I don’t loosen my rules, I will only be to watch the endless streams of terrible Christmas films that are released annually and that is a fate worse than hell. You’ve Got Mail tells the story of Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), the owner of a small, community-focused bookshop in New York, and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), an executive of a corporate bookstore who are opening a new location across the road which has the potential to put Kathleen out of business. This creates a lot of tension between the two and they grow to despise each other. However, what they don’t know is that they are also communicating anonymously over email and slowly growing enamoured with each other.
Have you seen a romantic comedy before? Did you like it? Well, guess what, you’ll probably like You’ve Got Mail. This is a perfectly well-done rom-com that hits all the beats that you would expect from it. It doesn’t necessarily do much more comedically, but I did get a few decent laughs out of it. Narratively it is all very predictable and doesn’t really add much to the genre, but it doesn’t need to. It knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. It has charm and uses a warm colour palette to create a feeling of comfort that matches the narrative it is telling but also creates a particular feeling that works within the context of a rom-com, but also of a Christmas film. It is a snuggle-up on a Sunday evening next to a fire and with a hot chocolate kind of film, which along with the fact that it is based around the Christmas period makes it feel as much a Christmas film as any I have seen so far.
The main selling point of this film is the two leads in Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Reprising their roles from Sleepless In Seattle (1993), which is not only the more well-regarded of the two films but also can also be seen as a Christmas film so maybe I should have done that first. And they do have pretty decent chemistry with each other. They play off each other well both when they are being antagonistic and romantic, and their relationship does feel somewhat believable. Of course, Tom Hanks brings all the charm. He plays his role really, managing to be very charming and likeable, but also has a slimy underbelly of a high-up executive. Meg Ryan isn’t quite as good. She has a tendency to overact a little and can chew the scenery a bit too much for me. But she isn’t heinous, and she comes across as likeable and a little ditsy that does fit the character. Again, her performance matches the tone and genre of the film well enough, and alongside Hanks, they do work as a rom-com couple.
This film is definitely not one I see myself coming back to but for what it is it is perfectly okay. As rom-coms go it is pretty bog standard but it is charming enough and has enough genuine laughs for it not to be a waste of time. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan play well off each other, and you buy into their relationship well enough. And it does feel like a Christmas film, which for these reviews is the most important aspect. If you like this kind of film and have bypassed this one, give it a go.
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