‘You’ve Got Mail’ is the most ’90s film ever made, and I’ll forever love it
The Internet is filled with so many hidden gems and recently one of the greatest surfaced, a recent Buzzfeed article showed us that the original website set up by Warner Brothers to promote You’ve Got Mail is not only still live but has not in fact been updated since 1998. The website is complete with great quotes from the movie, and even options to download screensavers and desktop patterns. The site gives us a great reminder of what life was like at the time and how charming this movie still is.
After taking a wonderful trip back to 1998, I got to thinking about of all of the many reasons why I loved and still love this movie. So please grab a tall decaf cappuccino, sniff some newly sharpened pencils and enjoy, in no particular order, some of the many reasons why I love You’ve Got Mail.
1) It’s classic Meg Ryan. Remember back in the ‘90’s when it seemed like Meg Ryan was in everything? This was her finest hour, in my humble opinion. There is something so friendly and delightful about the character of Kathleen Kelly, who runs a children’s bookstore. She is equal parts feisty and adorable. This is Meg Ryan at her best.
2) Make that, classic Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Can these two please make more movies together? I mean, they work REALLY well together. Also, I have to credit Hank’s Joe with some of the best lines in the movie. See below.
3) Running an indie children’s bookstore is a dream movie job. Kathleen’s The Shop Around The Corner is an idealized children’s bookstore, where the employees are equally charming and knowledgeable. Indie book stores have become so hard to find IRL that when you watch the movie you can’t help but fall in love with it. Another reason why I love this movie is that I actually worked in a Children’s Book Store while I was in college. And while Meg Ryan was not my boss, I did get to be in charge of story hour and that was pretty cool. Bonus fact the name The Shop Around TheCorner is a nod to the 1940 film staring Jimmy Smith and Margaret Sullivan, on which You’ve Got Mail is based.
4) It can’t get any more ’90s than this movie. You’ve Got Mail is a love letter to the ‘90’s The Gap clothes, the AOL dial up tones, plus it has that amazing opening scene featuring The Cranberries. I don’t think it can get anymore ‘90’s than that.
5) The supporting cast in this film is unreal. Dave Chappelle as Kevin, Joe’s friend and employee. Parker Posey as Patricia Joe’s high-strung book editor girlfriend, Greg Kinnear as the typewriter obsessed Luddite Frank Navasky. And two blink and you’ll miss it cameos from The Mindy Project’s Chris Messina (as the clueless Fox Books employee) and Grey’s Anatomy’s Sara Ramirez (as Rose who mans the cash only line at Zabar’s).
But I think more then anything what I love about this movie is the great writing and directing by the late Nora Ephron and her sister Delia Ephron. Sure, we may not have AOL dial-up Internet anymore, but we’ll always have Mail.
