Friday, August 22, 2014

You've Got Mail!

A few days ago, I watched You've Got Mail for the nth time. I realized how much I loved that movie and just like a favourite novel that I can read again and again, I could watch it again and again without getting bored. Probably it has to do with chick-flicks and rom-coms which every girl enjoys most. But You've Got Mail is one of my favourite movies for a lot of different reasons. Here are the five things I love most about this movie:

5. It's squeaky clean: It's an American film and a romantic one at that. But there's hardly any scene that can make you squirm or cringe if you are watching it with someone else. Though Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are in separate relationships, living in with their respective partners, there's no blatant display of physical affection. Almost feels like watching an old Hindi movie!

4. The Internet: The basic premise of the story is that of two strangers who strike an unlikely relationship through the Internet, when in real life there is no love lost between them! The scenes where they write about each other's feelings, chat unexpectedly or wait eagerly for a reply evoke memories of my first tryst with email.The magic of receiving a mail within seconds (though in reality, then it took me days to know if I had got one because I had to visit the now-almost-defunct Net Centre) was unique and so new at that time. The statement "You have 1 new mail" on my Yahoo mail was enough to bring a smile on my face and send my heart fluttering with joy and excitement. The movie shows how it is so easy to express one's feelings and thoughts over the Net even to a stranger, than it is to do so in real life.

3. Pride and Prejudice: One of the most important reasons why I love the movie is the multiple references
made to my all-time favourite novel, Pride and Prejudice. The movie subtly brings about the legendary traits of Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy through the rich and commercial hero, James Fox and the passionate and sensitive herione, Kathleen Kelly. The book also makes an important appearance in one of the crucial scenes in the movie.

2. Books: The movie revolves around two bookstores, owned by the lead pair : the small and unique 'Shop Around the Corner' owned by Kathleen Kelly and the chain of huge books stores owned by Fox and Sons. The character of Kathleen Kelly who inherits the store from her mother is completely woven around her love for books, especially children's books. Her struggles to combat the blatant commercialization of the intimate hobby of reading are in vain. Yet in that one scene where after finally closing her store forever, she walks into the Fox bookstore, Kathleen Kelly proves that it's not the piping hot coffee, the snug sofas or all the other trappings of a bookstore that matter; but the love for books and reading which can be fulfilled even in a cramped chair in the confines of our own house.

1. Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks: They may be more famous for their roles in Sleepless in Seattle but I love them most in this movie. Tom Hanks gives his wealthy and arrogant businessman character a touch of humanity and sensitivity in his interactions with Meg Ryan. While Meg Ryan easily wins your heart with her innocent eyes, typical walk and girl-next-door look. She may not be picture-perfect beautiful and he may not be drop dead gorgeous but they make the perfect pair together.

Whether as a woman, a romantic fool, a book lover, a Pride and Prejudice fan or a movie buff, You've Got Mail is simply my ultimate rom-com.