Groundbreaking in its departure from its predecessors, When Harry Met Sally… (1989) established classic romantic comedy themes and tropes still being employed today. Following the relationship between its title characters, Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan), and their best friends Jess (Bruno Kirby) and Marie (Carrie Fisher), the film unfolds as a series of episodes, from Harry and Sally’s prickly car journey from Chicago to New York City to a momentous encounter on New Year’s Eve twelve years later.
Tamar Jeffers McDonald’s insightful study explores how writer Nora Ephron and director Rob Reiner used structure, filmic devices, music and classic romcom concepts in innovative new ways. In her afterword to this new edition, she reflects on the movie’s continuing influence on the romcom genre, and its relevance in a more turbulent era, where the question at the movie’s heart – “Can men and women ever just be friends?” takes on fresh nuance in the age of #MeToo.
Author: Tamar Jeffers McDonald
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: British Film Institute
Published: 02/05/2026
Series: BFI Film Classics
Pages: 104
Weight: 0.38lbs
Size: 7.50h x 5.42w x 0.24d
ISBN: 9781805750253
Language: English
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