Wolff rating: GOOD
Plot summary: A light, dreamy look at two rival bookstore owners who fall in love over email despite their hateful business relationship.
Biased, pithy comments: Light is definitely the word here. Hanks and Ryan, who have played these exact roles before for the same director (``Sleepless in Seattle'' which I didn't like as much as this film), do this one for laughs and, assumably, a good paycheck. Ephron serves up her signature stew of one-liners and stand-up-comedy observations about life. The product placements are like a slap in the face, but once you see around them you see a movie with a lot of heart made by people who know how to make such movies, and I have to admit, though I knew these people were supposed to fall in love, I was a anxious about the outcome. Enjoy this film, but handle it carefully---it's gauzy and might blow away.
Other Notes: The real problem with this film is that it encourages people to believe that the cute gal they're chatting with on email looks like Meg Ryan, when in fact it's quite likely ``she'' looks like Tom Hanks. My favorite line is probably, ``I was eloquent! Shit!''
How many times I have seen it: x1
Starring: Tom Hanks
Directed by: Nora Ephron