by Jake Hjort, Contributing Writer
For the past five years, I have called the city of Seattle home. However, as I write this piece, I am preparing to move halfway across the country and begin the next chapter of my life. So as a sendoff to my own journey in the Pacific Northwest, I wanted to watch one of the Emerald City’s most famous contributions to pop culture: Nora Ephron’s 1993 film, Sleepless in Seattle.
Following the death of his wife, architect Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) and his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), move from Chicago to Seattle, desperately hoping that the change in scenery will give them the solace needed to move on. A year later, Jonah, realizing that his father is still consumed with grief, calls into a talk radio show and puts Sam on the line to share his story with the world. Amongst the countless women who hear his woes and become smitten is Baltimore journalist Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), who, despite being engaged, finds a spark with a man she’s never met on the opposite side of the country. Despite pushback from Sam, Jonah becomes dead set on making Annie his new mom after receiving a letter from her, and begins a quest to engineer a meet cute. After a near miss in Seattle, Jonah devises a rendezvous atop the Empire State Building in New York City and jets off on his own, forcing Sam to follow him and eventually meet Annie and start life anew.
Aside from its lead actors, director, and reputation as one of the greatest romantic comedy films of all time, I knew nothing about Sleepless in Seattle going into it. Oftentimes, when watching older films with high expectations, it can be difficult for those to be met, but I have to say that I really enjoyed watching this movie. It succeeds with both halves of the rom com, knocking it out of the park with both super endearing characters and a lot of great laughs. The concept of a woman willing to throw away her life for a chance of an encounter with a complete stranger is a tough sell, but I have to admit that I would have done anything to give Sam a hug after his radio interview, too. Hanks’ charisma and likability is off the charts and Ryan is a ton of fun as well. And despite the fact that they only share a few minutes of screen time, the brief glimpses of chemistry feel real and genuine.
I also want to give a huge shoutout to Annie’s fiancée, Walter (Bill Pullman). In so many romantic comedies that want to begin with one of the leads in a preexisting relationship, the writers put great effort into making their partner complete scum. This is certainly functional in allowing the viewer to root for what is oftentimes essentially a home-wrecking affair, but it’s also a tired trope that makes you wonder why the unhappy couple ever ended up together in the first place. Walter, thankfully, is not scum, but instead a perfectly decent man and partner to Annie. Sure, he’s a bit odd and has an unfortunately large collection of allergies, but he’s also a great, understanding partner to Annie, and never wavers in his support of her, even after finding out that she has been having an emotional affair with and will be leaving him for another man. In Sleepless in Seattle, you want Annie to end up with Sam not because Walter is awful but because Sam is great and you can’t help falling in love with him either.
I have to say, my biggest complaint about Sleepless in Seattle is how little Seattle there is in it. As a soon-to-be-former Seattleite, I was really looking forward to a film that not only portrays the city’s landmarks, but its unique charm and personality as well. Instead, all we really get of the city is Sam’s iconic houseboat (which I can confirm still floats on Lake Union to this day; I just visited it a few weeks ago) and a completely bastardized portrayal of the city’s geography in one montage. I’m sure those who live in New York or Chicago deal with this on a more regular basis, but to be a bit self-indulgent one of the most unrealistic aspects of the whole film is that Sam and Jonah take their little dinghy from Lake Union to Alki Beach, which would be at least a 20-mile journey navigating ocean-faring traffic and a lock-and-dam. Speaking of New York, I think it’s a little absurd that that’s where the film’s climax occurs. I accept that this is an homage to the 1957 film An Affair to Remember, a movie which I have admittedly not seen, but aside from that reference, New York has no relevance to two people living in Seattle and Baltimore and has had plenty of time in the cinematic spotlight. Come on, the Space Needle is right there for a romantic rendezvous atop a tall building!
Having now watched Sleepless in Seattle, I totally understand the crowning of Nora Ephron, Tom Hanks, and Meg Ryan as rom com royalty. Although this wasn’t the tribute to the city of Seattle I was hoping it would be, it met or exceeded all my other expectations, and will certainly be entering my rotations whenever I want to watch something that makes me hopeful for a good, loving world.
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