Can I come out of quarantine yet?
I suppose this is part of sub-series within this series about 90s films revolving around what was once modern technology, which are amazingly dated yet that somehow makes them really comfortable, like putting on an old shoe. You’ve Got Mail opens with an old desktop that has America Online on it (member America Online?) and those classic internet sounds of connecting through a phone line just welcome me back to simpler times where an innocent, charming Rom-Com with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan could be a delightful way to kill two hours…before Y2K, 9/11 and Nickelback fucked it all up.
The 90s were a golden age for Romantic Comedies in that many of them back then took the time to tell a nice story with characters we liked – many are simply good films in general. Then in the 2000s we had the horrific hybrid of gross out comedies and Rom-Coms giving us absolute trash like Along Came Polly and Good Luck Chuck. The was also the cultural spill over from boner, sex-romp comedies like American Pie that appealed to younger audiences with trash like Just Married, The Sweetest Thing, and A Guy Thing. And we cannot forget just the barren wasteland of Rom-Coms that failed spectacularly at being traditional Rom-Coms that were neither romantic or funny like Failure to Launch, How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days, The Bounty Hunter, The Ugly Truth, The Wedding Planner, Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past and Maid in Manhattan, or, more concisely, any Rom-Com starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Lopez, or Gerald Butler. Don’t get me wrong, there were some good Rom-Coms in the 2000s, but you had to wade through a torrent of fetid, sludgy shit to find them.
YES! FINALLY! I've waited all day to check my e-mail!
While You’ve Got Mail isn’t the end of an era per se, it sure feels like one. And when you consider how much money AOL must have spent back then to market itself through this movie, it doesn’t feel as insulting or obvious as watching a typical Adam Sandler movie where you’re assaulted by brand names and logos like a drag queen at a tractor pull. In fact, considering how much of the film revolves around AOL and the phrase “You’ve got mail”, it’s easy to accept as just part of the world, which it was.
The overall backdrop of the film is a down to earth tale of megastores moving into neighbourhoods and crushing family owned business who can’t compete with their cheap prices, which, at the time, was becoming a big issue in dawning age of stores like Walmart or the explosion of chains like Starbucks or, in this film’s context, mega bookstores like Chapters and Indigo. It really offers some gravitas to the film and allows it to actually say something about the advancement of society in consumerism, technology, and the means of forming relationships. There is a great scene with Hanks’ character, one of the owners of the family owned Fox Books megastore chain: he is talking about Starbucks and how by offering so many options for a simple cup of coffee they allow customers to create a sense of establishing their identity through their coffee order by creating something as unique as they are - this is done through voiceover as Meg Ryan orders at Starbucks in a way that’s quite sad yet very true.
SIX FEET APART! SIX FEET APART!
Hanks and Ryan have an undeniable chemistry as is evident in their previous 90s films Joe Versus the Volcano and Sleepless in Seattle. What helps You’ve Got Mail is the central conceit of the story. Joe and Kathleen (Ryan) met in an online chat room (member those?) and now communicate with each other through e-mail and Instant messages. They fall in love with each other through these communications despite both being in (unfulfilling) relationships. At the same time, Joe’s new Fox Books store in New York City is threatening to put Kathleen’s quaint, long-serving children’s book store out of business. In real life these two characters increasingly despise each other yet online they increasingly care for each other. Ultimately one discovers who the other one is and so on, which really gives their relationship an ever-changing dynamic that keeps their chemistry and relationship feeling fresh and engaging, even if you know where it will ultimately end up.
It really is a nice little bookstore.
What also helps is that the characters are easy to like, that the story handles the poignant moments with deftness to avoid being overly saccharine or manipulative, and that it’s quite easy to enjoy.
There is a solid supporting cast here too. Greg Kinnear plays Kathleen’s partner, a writer who hates technology and swears computers are overrated and unimportant (such a 90s sentiment) whose stern pride melts at the slightest whiff of praise. Parker Posey plays Joe’s partner, a self-obsessed, flaky woman who understands a quarter or what she pretends to understand. And Dave Chappelle plays a role that is quite weird for Dave Chappelle since he’s not over the top or vulgar or overly witty…he’s just kind of a dude you can believe is Joe’s good friend. This is also a movie where you can play a game of Spot That Actor as various recognizable faces pop up in supporting and tiny rolls like Steve Zahn, Reiko Aylesworth (Michelle from 24), Chris Messina, and Poppy and Mel from Frasier. I love looking for actors in old movies who, at the time, were nobodies, or I recognize from TV shows. It’s a fun game to play. Some movies are loaded with them.
Dave Chappelle just saw on the news that Tom Hanks tested postive for Coronavirus.
Ultimately, You’ve Got Mail isn’t a fantastic film. But it’s a good film, competently made, very of its time (in the best way) with actors who are nice to spend time with. It’s entertaining, charming, and is pretty funny since it relies more on performances and clever writing than jokes and gags as most comedies after this one did. So if you’re looking for a comfy little film from a simpler time (right before the world seemed to take a nosedive) to take your mind off things for two hours, then You’ve Got Mail is a perfect film for that.