![]() ![]() Unlike My Stepmother is an Alien (1988), a dopey comedy with an utterly preposterous level of circumstantial acceptances by father and son, there are a handful of scenes that effectively trace the pair’s progression from saddened to pro-active wife & mother searchers – Hanks has quick flashbacks to wife Maggie (Carey Lowell), and Malinger delivers a realistic speech to Hanks as Jonah fears losing the memory of his mother – and the rituals of adjusting to strangers in the household is played in comedic vignettes that never stray into farce. That Ephron pulls it off so well within a fairly meaty running time is extremely impressive, and works in Cary Grant references and clips from the 1957 film, but it’s Hanks and Malinger who make the father-son team believable when the reality of death, mourning, and post-traumatic shock have been largely bulldozed to the margins. It’s the film’s biggest gamble – the child being more mature and emotionally stable than dad – not to mention Sam doesn’t directly interact between destined perfect mate Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) for 99% of the film, it’s two people interacting by mail, photos, or leaving phone messages before the hook-up in New York City. The fear of steeped sadness is mostly for himself rather than son Jonah (a difficult character convincingly played by Ross Malinger), since it’s the son who’s moved forward and instigates the first act of change: seeking a wife for his father. ![]() The tragic elements of McCarey’s story are retained by the recent widower status of Hanks’ character Sam Baldwin, a father who uproots from his West Coast life to Seattle to force positive change when he senses the silence following his wife’s wake might seethe into a prolonged depression. Add improvised material from Tom Hanks, and what could’ve been a mish-mash of contributions evolved into a coherent and enjoyable piece of seasonal fluff whose plot hinges on each character being influenced by the romance from an old movie – Leo McCarey’s An Affair to Remember (1957), starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, itself a remake of the director’s 1939 classic Love Affair in which two vacationing strangers agree to meet atop the Empire State Building. Ward ( The Sting), and dialogue rewrites by sister Delia Ephron, then a newcomer to film. There are just two problems: Annie's engaged to someone else, and Sam doesn't know yet - that they're made for each other.Audio Commentary by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron / 1993 making-of featurette "Love in the Movies" (13:10) / Music video: "When I Fall in Love" (4:21) / Theatrical trailer / 8-page colour booklet with liner notes by film historian Julie Kirgo / Limited to 3000 copies / Available exclusively from Screen Archives EntertainmentĢ0 after its theatrical release, Nora Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle remains a reliable romance with two stars at the peak of their popularity as comedic leads, but it’s also a time capsule of the pop culture references that were once relevant to a specific generation of filmmakers and audiences.īased on a story by Jeff Arch ( Iron Will), the screenplay was further developed by Ephron with David S. Meanwhile, inspired in equal parts by Sam's story and by classic Hollywood romance, writer Annie Reed (Ryan) becomes convinced that it's her destiny to meet Sam. He's an instant hit with thousands of female listeners, who deluge his Seattle home with letters of comfort. Hanks stars as Sam Baldwin, a widowed father who, thanks to the wiles of his worried son, becomes a reluctant guest on a radio call-in show. Based on the true story of the pioneering women who blazed the trail for generations of athletes, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN is "a home run." Teammates Madonna, Lori Petty and Rosie O'Donnell round out the roster, taking the team to the World Series. Jon Lovitz adds a scene-stealing cameo as the sarcastic scout who recruits Dottie Hanson, the "baseball dolly" with a Babe Ruth swing. Hired to coach in the All-American Girls Baseball League of 1943-while the male pros are at war-Dugan finds himself drawn back into the game by the heart and heroics of his "all-girl" team. Hanks stars as Jimmy Dugan, a washed-up ball player whose big league days are over. A League of Their Own / Sleepless in SeattleRegion: 4
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