Customer Reviews

Meg Ryan at Her Best [VHS]

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I've seen this box. It's a two-pack of You've Got Mail and City of Angels.

Meg Ryan fans will love both these films, as will any film lover with a romantic heart. While the tone of the two films is starkly different, both are marvelous examples of Meg Ryan's appeal and talent.


YOU'VE GOT MAIL


"All this nothing has meant more to me than so many somethings." -- Kathleen


This captivating film from Nora Ephron about finding that special someone who makes our heart beat faster and lends love to our small lives is one of the best. While no adaptation of Lubitsch's The Shop Around the Corner starring Jimmy Stewart and the winsome Margaret Sullavan could be as fully realized as that screen classic, no one can deny the great romantic appeal and utter charm of this one.

New York is photographed by cinematographer John Lindley as a magical place for romance to bloom. Meg Ryan is disarmingly enchanting as the blossom Tom Hanks finds so much beauty in through email correspondence, not realizing until too late that he is the person responsible for putting her children's bookstore out of business, and vice versa. Set as the Christmas season approaches, there is a lilting charm to this romantic comedy which must be credited to the two stars.

Kathleen has run The Shop Around the Corner since her mother passed away. It has been a fixture in the neighborhood for 42 years. But when Fox Books opens just across the street, her little store, so personal and intimate, cannot compete with the huge discounts and coffee bar customers flock to at Fox. What she does not know is Joe Fox, who is responsible for her business woes, is also NY152, the person she is falling for online.

Her handle is Shopgirl, and since they have made a pact to only speak in generalities about their lives, neither discovers whom the other is, until they try to meet. Joe can't believe it is she waiting with her copy of Pride and Prejudice and red rose in the cafe. So NY152 stands her up, whilst Joe just happens along. Sparks of the wrong variety fly yet he cannot let her think her dream of finding someone dashed because he didn't care. It is when her store finally closes and he realizes he loves Kathleen that this film is at its most charming.

Joe works his way into her heart and discusses and advises her on her email relationship, finding ways to date her without her realizing she's being wooed. But he and his dog Brinkley finally must risk all and let her know and hope for love rather than disappointment. The final moments of this film are very special, Ryan especially wonderful showing everything she feels without saying a word. Hanks is pretty terrific here also, and the two have a screen chemistry you can feel.

Dave Chappelle as Joe's pal, Dabney Coleman as his father, and Greg Kinnear as her boyfriend, lend fine support. Both Joe and Kathleen are with someone else but the audience knows from the start that they belong together. A great soundtrack and humorous references to The Godfather offer smiles and warmth rather than outright laughter in a film with a quiet yet abundant charm. A wonderful film for anyone who still has the dream of someone.



CITY OF ANGELS


"I'll say it was you." -- Seth


Nicolas Cage gives a wonderful performance as Seth, an Angel who falls in love and begins to long for the ability to express that love, in a film that in some respects resembles the 1930's film "Death Takes a Holiday" with Fredric March and Evelyn Veneble. Seth's assignment as an angel is to help the dead cross over in this quasi remake of the Wim Wenders foreign film, "Wings of Desire." Few films since the glory days of Hollywood and the old studio system have been given the romantic glow of this film.

Meg Ryan is Maggie, the heart surgeon who is the object of Seth's affection. He is stunned when she somehow senses his prescence when trying to save one of her patients, and is touched and bewildered by her. Andre Braugher steals every scene he is in as Seth's fellow Angel and friend. They all hang out at the library and gather every morning at the beach to see the sunrise and hear the singing of heaven.

Dennis Franz has a fine turn as a patient in Maggie's hospital who knows Seth is there because he too was once an Angel. As Seth and he become friends, Seth contemplates how wonderful it would be to truly love Maggie, and searches for the courage to leave heaven behind and, simply fall.

This is one of the most romantic movies to come out of Hollywood in decades and has a message about the wonderful things we all take for granted. More than that, it is a story about the importance of love, even one felt for only a moment, for it is that experience which makes us special among all creation. To love is all, and to be loved in return is truly divine.

There are some memorable scenes in this romantic and haunting film. One involves the simple act of shopping for fruit at a farmer's market. Another involves Maggie being able to feel Seth in her room but unable to see him. Even Hemingway's Moveable Feast plays a part in this magical throwback film to a bygone era. This is very much a film which could just as easily have been made in the 1930's.

I will not ruin the last portion of this film if you have not seen it, but as we all know there is a price we pay for being human. This film is for anyone who has ever loved someone as Seth does, who would trade all eternity for just one breath of her hair. If you have ever loved someone so much your heart ached when they were not with you, then you will be deeply moved by this film. It is painted in broad romantic brushstrokes and colored in rich oils not easily removed from our hearts. This is a truly memorable film you will watch over and over.

Films like this are rarely made anymore and this is one to cherish. You will never forget the line: "When they ask me what I liked best...I'll say it was you."

Since these films are on VHS, the obvious allure is the beautifully packaged sleeve. For film buffs who are fans of Meg Ryan, it is a keeper. Both of these films are as well.

If I knew what was in this giftset, perhaps I'd buy it. Meg Ryan has made a lot of movies. Is this a biography? Is this snippets of her more successful movies? Is this one or two movies packaged together? Can't tell from the info you've provided, Amazon.

If you are a Meg Ryan fan this is a must for your collection, finding just the right mix of movies to share. She is always good in my opinion but to have more than one film of hers is always a bonus for any Meg fan. You will want to see it again and again and laugh and cry with her,she is a spledid actress in my opinion. Take my advice and purchase one today you won't regret it. Pop some popcorn and sit back and watch her all evening on a weekend and then your weekdays will be awesome. Enjoy yourself