Force Fed Films: You've Got Mail (1998)

This week Puneet stumbled across the fact that I've never seen You've Got Mail, and today's Force Fed Film was born! Tom Hanks is awesome in everything he's in, and I'll share a secret with you, I had a crush on Meg Ryan so long ago I can't remember exactly. She's just so damn cute! Anyways, enough of that. We're here to talk about serious things! Like did this 1998 film about email and internet hold up at all over the years? Does the technology get in the way of the movie? How relevant is it? Find out my thoughts on these and more after the jump!


The story revolves around Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), and their book stores. You see Joe is one of the heads of a book superstore called Fox Books, while Kathleen is the owner of a small independent children's bookstore. Fox Books is just about to open a new multi-floored location not far from Kathleen's which seriously threatens to put her out of business. Meanwhile, and unbeknown to them, they've both been email pen-pals for quite some time already. They're also both in loveless relationships and have started having feelings for the mystery person on the other side of the screen. Just like the tagline says, "at odds in life, in love online."

These days, online relationships are common place. Even regular relationships will have an online component while dating as that's just such common way to stay in touch now. Joe and Kathleen's situation still rings true in many respects. The fact that you can change what you're about to say. That you can wait and hold off on a response to craft it into just the right words. This is what makes online relationships so alluring. Everything they say can be perfect, there's so much less nervousness, and all the gaps you're missing, you fill in with your own imagination and create the perfect person. This of course is never true, as evidenced by the movie. They think they know exactly what each other are like, but in real life they have the totally opposite opinion of one another.

Their first personal meeting is hostile and a total train wreck. Of course they don't realize who their talking to

At first the technology shown did take me out of the movie. Their computers just seem so old and clunky, especially having to hear that old modem dial-up sound from ages past that most young people totally won't recognize (oh no, I'm getting old). It was also kind of a weird commercial for AOL. Luckily their computers weren't too physically large, especially the monitors, which helped be able to relate to the film. I wonder how long that will hold true? Eventually though, I stopped really noticing the tech all together and the characters were what took over and the story came to life.

Joe steps in to help Kathleen with an awkward situation, saving her even though she hates him. This scene was great

It was the great characters and acting power of both Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan that won me over in the end. It really picked up once Tom's character, Joe, found out who his mystery email friend was, and started working with this knowledge in-hand whenever he saw Kathleen again. The back and forth jabs and barbs were entertaining, but it was seeing how Joe manipulated the situation to make up for the hurt he caused her, and become friends with her instead of enemies. In a way, it's sweet. In another way it could be seen as totally creepy. Either way it was entertaining.

It did occur to me part way through the film, how odd this movie was. For large portions of the film, especially in the beginning, we're just watching people mime typing. They're just staring at the screen and wobbling their heads around as we hear a voice-over of their thoughts. It's so bizarre, and it's probably only because of the charming nature of the two leads that make it work at all. This could have been such a total train wreck of a film, it's scary!

Happily Ever After

I really liked this movie, and it has to be one of the happiest endings to a movie I've ever seen. It's still kinda wishful thinking that the whole thing ends the way it does, and that she doesn't freak out that he's been completely manipulating her and the situation for months. But they're both such nice people that you've been rooting for them the whole movie and it's that "dream come true" ending that is so nice to see. Also, it's not so much that he was deceiving her, but trying to gradually show her that the way he can be in real life is the same as the way he was online. Online has that comfortable safety net which made them both more relaxed and natural with each other. He just had to get past the awkward fact of their business lives and that terrible first impression they both made once they felt threatened. Even so, it's still kind of creepy anyways, but that's just the way it is. It was a good movie and I'm really glad I finally saw it. You definitely need an open mind if you're going to watch it though. Be warned.