The director who called Meg Ryan “as good as anyone who has ever acted” in cinema
The romantic comedy has produced some very fine champions across its long history. It might bow be considered one of the less artistic genres, but Hollywood heavyweights like Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy both got their starts in the style.
Matthew McConaughey may be the modern-day rom-com icon, with Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, and Reese Witherspoon all considered of similar rom-com calibre. But if you found yourself hitting the cinema in the 1980s or ’90s, then it was all about Meg Ryan.
With her frizzy hair, bubbly personality, and laser-focused comic timing, Ryan quickly became the genre’s go-to gal. She had a series of hits playing opposite Tom Hanks. Everyone knows Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, but there’s also Joe Versus the Volcano, which has taken on something of a cult status these days. Then there’s the biggest one of them all – When Harry Met Sally. Considered by many to be the perfect romcom, Ryan’s chemistry with Billy Crystal helped ensure that the film would go on to have a shelf life far longer than anyone could have predicted.
Another name instrumental to that film’s success was Nora Ephron. The writer became an integral part of Ryan’s success in the genre. Not only was she the person behind turning Rob Reiner’s divorce into a rom-com masterpiece, but she also directed Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle and You ‘ve Got Mail. It’s a relationship that allowed her unique access.
“I think her ‘cuteness’ sometimes blinds people to how genuinely gifted she is as a comic actress,” she told Vanity Fair. “I think she is as good as anyone who has ever acted in the movies and been funny… She also had huge input into the script for When Harry Met Sally… It was her idea to have the orgasm in the delicatessen.”
Even if you’ve never seen When Harry Met Sally, then you know the moment Ephron is talking about. Harry claims he can tell when a woman is faking an orgasm, Sally proceeds to deliver a very realistic (and enthusiastic) portrayal of one, Reiner’s mother asks to “have what she’s having”. It’s one of the most famous scenes in all of cinema, and it highly vindicates Ryan’s creative vision. Even if her son can’t bear to watch it.
Despite what Ephron might have to say, Ryan’s efforts to expand beyond rom-coms haven’t always ended well. Whether it is being a helicopter or finding herself within an erotic thriller or a boxing drama, Ryan’s never been quite able to break out of the box.
It’s a real shame when an actor becomes typecast. It feels counterintuitive to their success, that by being really good at something, they’re doomed to do nothing else with their careers. Ryan still has plenty of fans who can recognise her various abilities, with Nora Ephron serving as chief cheerleader.
