508. Sleepless In Seattle (1993)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Ross Malinger

Director: Nora Ephron

Running Time: 102 mins

Sleepless In Seattle is an American film about a widower who, after his son calls into a local radio station saying his father needs a new wife, becomes inundated with requests from viable suitors, and one mystery woman all the way away in Baltimore…

Well, this film is just unbelievably cheesy. You would think it was made in the 80s, but no, heading deep into the 1990s, this sort of horribly cheesy, yet still quite funny, Meg Ryan rom-com genre remained, and although it was largely cringeworthy to watch, it was simple and funny enough to be enjoyable.

However, in order to get any sort of enjoyment out of this film, you’ve got to try as hard as you can to look past the overwhelming amount of cheese being thrown at your face by the story. For the first hour, then, it is quite difficult to enjoy as you try desperately to avoid the relentless attacks of the cheesiness of this film.

Sometimes it’s nice to watch this sort of extremely simple and happy rom-com, where little thinking or action has to be brought in to enjoy it, and that is commendable, because it provides pretty much anyone with the opportunity to relax for an hour and a half.

And that’s one of the most surprising things about this film. Although I do find it terrible that there is so much cheese in the story, such as the very 80s soundtrack, romantic dialogue, Meg Ryan and preposterous plot, somehow it manages to not be annoying to watch.

That’s largely down to the fact that it does know that it is a sappy rom-com, and is in effect a parody of the 1957 film: An Affair To Remember with Cary Grant, referenced endlessly here, so the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously is nice to see.

Also, in terms of individual jokes, this film is pretty strong. It’s not consistently funny, but there is a great deal of hilarious gags spread throughout its duration, that are surprisingly entertaining for a film that should be a lot sappier.

However, I’ll give this a 6.9 in the end, because although it is occasionally pretty funny, and simple enough to be an enjoyable and relaxing film, the overwhelming amount of cheese is a little bit too much at times to even bare.