Queen of the genre: Meg Ryan names her favourite rom-com movie
As Hollywood enjoyed its most commercial decade in the 1980s, an abundance of new movie stars took to the fold, with the likes of Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger leading the charge. But, as the decade drew to a close, a new generation of young stars began to slowly take over, with some, like Neve Campbell, Christian Slater and Meg Ryan, being largely consumed by the Hollywood machine.
No longer the titan of popular cinema that she used to be, it’s easy to forget just how prominent Ryan was in the industry, initially making her mark alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 movie Top Gun, which would significantly elevate her profile. Becoming a prominent Hollywood sex symbol, Ryan quickly found herself as a favourite of the rom-com genre, being cast in 1989’s When Harry Met Sally, where she shined alongside Billy Crystal.
Recognised as one of the most beloved romantic comedies of all time, Ryan went on to enjoy a decade in the limelight, with the 1990s bringing further successes and collaborations with such actors as Val Kilmer, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington and Robert Downey Jr. Thanks to her dominance in the genre, Ryan became closely associated with her rom-com image, a fact which unjustly led to her downfall.
Choosing to appear in the erotic drama In the Cut shortly after the turn of the new millennium, Ryan was criticised for appearing nude on film, allegedly ‘tarnishing’ her public image in Hollywood. Interviewers like Michael Parkinson unfairly probed the actor, asking, “How could you be naked?” as if she’d committed a crime by merely artistically expressing herself as an actor on screen.
Partly due to the criticism she received on the film, Ryan later stepped back from her Hollywood role, yet remains an icon of the rom-com genre thanks to her role in elevating such gems as Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail and Joe Versus the Volcano.
A lover of the genre as well as one of its greatest performers, Ryan has previously proclaimed her passion for the early Hollywood movies of the 1930s through to the 1950s, particularly loving any movie starring the likes of Clark Gable, James Stewart or Katherine Hepburn. Speaking to People magazine, however, Ryan named her definitive favourite of the bunch, stating: “I love Bringing up Baby.”
Released in 1938, 43 years before Ryan would make her screen debut in 1981, the classic romantic comedy told the story of a palaeontologist who is tailed by an heiress while he’s trying to find a million-dollar donation for his museum. With Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Charles Ruggles, the film is considered not just one of the best rom-coms of all time but one of the greatest early Hollywood successes, period.
Take a look at the trailer for Meg Ryan’s favourite rom-com, Bringing Up Baby, below.
