User reviews

In films like You've Got Mail, where you can almost predict how it's going to turn out as soon as the opening credits appear, then it is up to the writers, director, and actors, to get us to enjoy the journey to the end credits. Nora and Delia Ephron's script succeeds because they know their characters well, and give them a can't miss plot device. Tom Hanks is believable as the head of a gigantic bookstore chain, as is Meg Ryan as the owner of a small children's bookstore shop. As the guy who is putting Meg out of business by opening a chain store close to her little shop, Tom Hanks character comes across as the arrogant person who only goal seems to open as many bookstores as he can, and make as much money as he can in doing so. When he is talking to Meg Ryan on the internet, we see another side of him, and learn that possibly, he's not the evil guy you think he is. Of course, in person, Meg hates him for what he is doing, on the internet, she falls in love with him. This is what makes the film work, as their reaction to each other in person is completely different from when they talk on line. Some people may quibble that the ending is not very believable, but face it, do you fall in love with a person because of who they are, or what you think they are? I think this question is answered quite adequately.

God only knows why it's taken me so long to see this. But God I wanted it to be this kind of movies. I wanted it to be this kind of movies so badly.

(8/10)

Romantic comedies are not everyone's cup of tea; after all, who would want to watch unrealistic stories about ordinary people 'coupling' when we are offered such wonderful everyday experiences as ten car pileups, hordes of people being slaughtered in a hail of bullets while shopping, goblins, explosions, vampires and intergalactic spaceships?

But the majority of women, and many of those men who do not see themselves as the Governor of California will surely find much to like in this charming eye-moistener.

Tales of this ilk can easily be mawkish, but this one largely avoids the trap, thanks to an intelligent script, the believability of the lead pair (as well as the supporting cast) and good pacing that leaves the denouement until the closing shot.

I'm from Germany and I love this film! It makes me happy to just watch it! When watching this film one comes to think why in real life such beauty in words and moments can't be achieved! The film does'nt get boring, even if watched for the 23rd time! It's pure magic - you could endlessly listen to the conversations, the beautiful music and enjoy the excellent acting! Other films try to come in too trendy with freaky music and sexual content(not that there's anything wrong with that) - but it's not a feelgood movie! Besides the puns and the lovely warm hearted atmosphere does the rest! To everyone who hasn't yet seen this movie - rent it, buy it - enjoy it!

Pleasant, warm-hearted fluff reworking 1940's "The Shop Around the Corner" (remade initially in 1949 as the musical "In The Good Old Summertime"). Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan reteam for the second time as rival bookstore owners in New York City: she operates a Mom & Pop bookshop, he's opening another outlet in his retail chain nearby. They lock horns over business, yet are unaware they are also each other's internet pen-pal. Slick and occasionally too-cute, too cookie cutter, but also an entertaining picture nicely set during the holidays. Ryan can't help but radiate personality and charm, though Hanks is curiously rote here (and he looks tired to boot),. Terrific supporting cast certainly helps, with Greg Kinnear, Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton and Steve Zahn making up a bright ensemble. Engaging, if you're not too demanding. *** from ****

I've been starved for a great romantic film and YOU'VE GOT MAIL more than sated my appetite! I'd rank it right up there with CASABLANCA as one of the most romantic movies of all time. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan have more chemistry than a High School Science Department! This movie was warm, funny, smart, and sexy. Tom and Meg light up the screen and Tom Hanks is the perfect hero! The movie was 2 hours long, felt like 10 minutes, and I didn't want it to be over! This is a definite keeper, and I can't wait for it to come out on video so I can watch it again and again!

While Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks appear to be genuinely nice people, this film is nothing but a disguised attempt to make sexism and multi-national corporations look good.

Meg Ryan owns a small store that gets put out of business by a chain book store with severely uneducated clerks who earn very little money. And then she gets her coffee at Starbucks. Yeah right! How dumb is Ryan's character anyway? While she enjoys her coffee she's helping put out of business all the local mom and pop coffee shops.

Tom Hanks' character, while becoming more compassionate in his personal approach, makes no change whatsoever in his business practices. Ryan's character teaches him to be kinder, but that's all. And she decides to be with him, even though he'll go on to put other small stores out of business just like her's. What will happen to their happily ever after ending when she sees him do this to another person, except this time he does it with more "compassion?" Because Hanks' character didn't truly change (he would have had to denounce his family's business practices), the message is clear: Give in, submit to big business.

Even the very set-up of this film is sexist. Reverse the roles in this film. Suppose Hanks was Ryan and vice versa. What would audiences think of a man who fell in love with the woman who put him out of business? They wouldn't watch it, that's what. He'd be a wuss, absolutely whipped. But because it's a woman being screwed, it's ok. (Btw, I'm a man and I saw this sexism from the get go.)

This film, in the simplest terms, is a thinly disguised sexist pro big business fairy tale that's supposed to make us feel better about our losing a way of life -- the "shop around the corner" where everyone knows your name, knows the products and isn't out to screw the small guy.

This movie was so much better than I expected, which was a simple romantic comedy with predictable "pass each other in the street" scenarios throughout. I was pleasantly surprised to find a love story that touched my heart. Kathleen's vulnerability and pride in her mother made me cry and Joe's sensitivity and devious behavior were so very sweet.

I didn't think that Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan could pull off a romance better than they did in Sleepless In Seattle but I am happy to be mistaken.

Firstly they are both deceiving there partners behind there backs, he is a fat cat evil businessman intent on destroying any other opposition without regard. She had a perfectly interesting business that local community love and respect. He basically gaslights her by knowing he is the other so called anonymous emailer yet she has no clue. Pretty blooming nasty all round.

I'm not usually drawn to the stereotypical "cute chick flick," but while You've Got Mail unabashedly falls into this category, I still loved it. Mail is a clever story, cleverly acted by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. I enjoyed it more than their last joint project, Sleepless in Seattle simply because the immensely likeable pair were onscreen together so much more. Some will dub the movie predictable and sappy, but hey, I wasn't looking for deep psychology, just a friendly feel good. If that's what you're after, Mail delivers. Hanks and Ryan have the greatest onscreen chemistry I've seen, and the last half hour of the film is right on target. While the happy ending was inevitable, I was curious to discover exactly how it would occur. Sugar-coated it was, but charming and thoroughly enjoyable!!! A few bits of dialogue were a little too cute for my taste, but overall, You've Got Mail is more sweet than sugary.

Joe Fox runs a large book store chain and his latest store is about to open in New York. This will likely put the boutique book store in the neighbourhood, owned by Kathleen Kelly, out of business and makes Fox and Kelly bitter enemies. Though they've never met Fox and Kelly are friends, as they write emails to each other. Due to the anonymity of the internet they have no idea that their deadly enemy is also their friend.

Writer-director Nora Ephron, director of Sleepless in Seattle, reunites the stars of that movie, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and the effect is as endearing. Great initial plot, based on two people who are meant for each other also being at each other's throats in business and not knowing that these two people are the same. Quite funny and charming without being too schmaltzy.

As in Sleepless in Seattle, a key factor in why this movie works is Meg Ryan. She is fantastic in the role of Kathleen Kelly: gorgeous and providing a wonderful bubbliness and charm which is incredibly engaging and uplifting. Every facial expression of hers is something to be savoured.

The movie was heading towards being even better than it ended up but Ephron didn't know when or how to end it. The last 30 minutes or so largely involve the plot going around in unnecessary circles. I kept thinking "Why doesn't Tom Hanks just tell her who he is?", to no avail. This does take some of the gloss off the film though the ending is great.

Aside from the fact that both leads in this are essentially cheating on their significant other, this story line was pretty enjoyable and good overall for a movie in 1998. It was good enough to watch.

I was pleasantly surprised to find "Mail" not to be a rehash of "Sleepless." Ryan and Hanks do work exceptionally well together! Three-quarters into the movie I was wondering how they would ever pull off a romantic and yet believable ending, but the scene at the garden was one of those perfect moments in filmmaking. It just rang true and consistent with the story.

I really enjoyed this one! (And hearing Harry Nilsson's music again, used so beautifully, was icing on the cake!)

My fiancé loves this movie, and she wanted me to watch it, since we had run out of Hallmark-y Christmas flicks to watch, on amazon. I was a bit reluctant, at first, but as soon as I realized Tom Hanks was the main character, I was all-in. Love that guy. Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and many other folk are involved with the flick, too, which made it even more interesting, for me, since I love those folks just as much as Hanks.

I'm obsessed with bookstores, and reading. The film is focused primarily on that, with Hanks' enormous Barnes and Noble-type of store trying to deplatform Meg Ryan's small, homely children's bookstore (which had a display of Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark, I might add). But they both have been talking to each other over the internet without even knowing it, even throughout their spat.

It was cute, and Hanks is always fun to watch. The guy really pulls the comedy off well, here. Ryan was pretty and sweet. The ending was touching, like most romcoms.

That's all it has to offer, and that's all it really needed, for the audience it's going for. It was nice, and I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for something like this, within the genre.

"Don't you love New York in the fall? Makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a freshly sharpened bouquet of pencils if I knew your name and address."-NY152

The sweet seduction of a well written letter! The waiting, the anticipation...the delayed gratification.

"Dear friend. I like to pretend that we are the oldest and dearest of friends...I turn on my computer, I wait impatiently as it connects, I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words...'you've got mail'. I hear nothing not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my heart. I've got mail...from you"-ShopGirl

This is a modern retelling of the classic James Stewart film Shop Around the Corner (which if you have never seen it...you definitely should! It is set at Christmas time, so it makes a wonderful Christmas film.). You've got Mail even does a nice hat tip to the original film by naming the little all children's bookstore 'shop around the corner'.

The modern story is about Kathleen Kelly who owns a small neighborhood children's bookstore on the west side in New York. She met someone in a chat room, when the Internet was new and starts a great series of conversations with a stranger NY152. Meanwhile a big chain box store "Fox Books" is being built across the street. Kathleen ends up meeting Joe Fox...not knowing he's the Fox books Fox or her secret pen pal.

"We are going to seduce them. We are going to seduce them with our square footage, and our discounts, and our deep arm chairs and our cappuccino. They are going to hate us at the beginning but we are going to get 'em in the end. And do you know why? Because we are going to sell them cheep books and legal addictive stimulants. In the meantime we will just put up a big sign 'coming soon a Fox Book Superstore The end of civilization as you know it.'"-Joe Fox.

Lots of comedy and great conversations ensue...including a discussion about Pride and Prejudice, Kathleen's favorite book.

This is a great love story and almost as wonderful as the original...except this one has the sad tragedy of a David and Goliath story. Although, I wonder how those big box stores now feel about Amazon putting them out of business?

Beautiful film from the age of When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle. Romantics will love this rom-com and I highly recommend...the topped the wonderful soundtrack filled with Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman and Roy Orbison.

It's a romantic comedy set in the 1990s on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) is the second-generation owner of an upscale children's bookstore. Her employees include Birdie (Jean Stapleton) and George (Steve Zahn). Her live-in boyfriend is Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear), a well-known columnist for the New York Times.

Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) is the third generation of the Fox Bookstore chain that is moving to a location within blocks of Kathleen's store. Joe's father, Nelson (Dabney Coleman), and grandfather, Schuyler (John Randolph), live with much younger women. Joe's live-in girlfriend is Patricia Eden (Parker Posey), a high-flying book editor.

Kathleen and Joe meet anonymously over a 1990s-style Internet chatroom in which they become friends but promise not to reveal personal details. They then begin to email via the America Online (AOL) service that announces "You've got mail" when you've received an email. They become very engaged even while Joe's new superstore puts Kathleen's store out of business. They learn who each other is in life since they live in the same neighborhood and dislike each other. However, for a time, they don't make the connection to their Internet personas.

The movie follows their relationship until it finally resolves itself.

"You've Got Mail" is a gentle romance with great chemistry between Hanks and Ryan. The movie is quite dated because the world's technology has changed so much, and ironically, book superstores have had their own problems because of Amazon, which only began four years before this movie was released. Yet the film was a nice nostalgia trip about the technology of the 1990s with a love story mixed in.

...except for the fact that this movie made me so happy! I'm a huge Tom Hanks fan and I collect all of his movies, and it has been quite some time since i've seen a really good and special movie of his. He's just such a wonderful actor and Meg Ryan's just... Well, she's just so great, always happy and when she's acting she always makes me laugh, cause she's just so wonderful! Let's talk about this movie: I'm gonna be honest with you, this isn't Forrest Gump or The Green Mile, but it is romantic, special, wonderful and it made me smile and wish for them to get together in the film, and in the end I was just happier then before! I think it's underrated, but everyone has a special taste, and I just loved it! I seriously recommend it to every Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan fan, you are not going to regret it! Thank you for your time.

This was an all right movie, but can I make just one little observation? If the movie is trying to make a social statement about big book chains with no personality (like Hank's Fox Books) greedily driving the little stores with charm (like Ryan's Shop around the Corner) out of business, how is it that the filmmakers chose to put every other scene in a Starbucks? Starbucks has undoubtedly forced more little shops out of business that any big book chain has.

This doesn't mean that it's not an enjoyabe movie. But it takes something away from Meg's righteous indignation when she woefully closes the bookstore and then goes to suck down a Mochacino.