The Rewatchables: 'You’ve Got Mail' With Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins

Published 2017-08-31; 0:54:52 by the feed.

Awards and segments (31)

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick The early New York montage of the two leads walking the Upper West Side, with the Cranberries cue, ending at the Zabar's checkout.
    “It's very early in the movie, but it's the montage of New York and the 2 of them walking around the upper west side and they walk past each other in the cranberries are playing.”
    Amanda Dobbins · 0:13:54
  2. pick Kathleen and Joe meet in person in the bookstore, with the kid spelling F-O-X.
    “My most rewatchable scene just a little bit later.”
    Juliet Litman · 0:15:34

Aged Best · What about the movie holds up best.

  1. pick The movie's predictions about New York changing and online romance: Chain stores replacing the neighborhood shops, and meeting romantic partners over text on the internet, all came true.
    “You know what's funny is that this movie, everything this movie predicted came true.”
    unknown · 0:17:48
  2. pick Kathleen Kelly's apartment and clothes: The sunny junior one-bedroom and her wardrobe are back in style.
    “I think the 2 things that have aged the best are, 1st of all, Kathleen Kelly's apartment.”
    unknown · 0:20:36
  3. pick The original catfishing: The pen-pal deception plot as part of the lineage of catfishing.
    “So this is like part of the lineage of the beginning of catfishing.”
    unknown · 0:21:44

Aged Worst · What about the movie has aged poorly (Bill Simmons texted that it aged worst of all time).

  1. pick Meg Ryan's haircut: Of its moment, though one host thinks it looks fantastic on her.
    “One, I would say, even though her clothes are great, her hair is not great.”
    unknown · 0:24:15
  2. pick Joe Fox hiding at Cafe Lalo until he decides she is pretty enough: The focus on whether she is beautiful enough to be worth meeting feels superficial now.
    “Well, that segues into one of the things that doesn't age well for me, which is when Tom Hanks goes to meet Meg Ryan for the 1st time.”
    unknown · 0:26:11
  3. pick Funny and sentimental tone, now rare: A modern version would be weepier, like This Is Us.
    “Yeah, funny and sentimental doesn't really exist anymore.”
    unknown · 0:27:46
  4. pick Greg Kinnear's character working for the Observer, now owned by Jared Kushner
    “Another thing is, um, Greg Kinnear's character works for the observer.”
    unknown · 0:29:33

Half-assed internet research · Quick internet digging on the movie.

  1. pick The original 1998 Warner Brothers promotional website, still online
    “And the original website still exists from Warner Brothers, when the movie came out in 1998.”
    unknown · 0:30:01
  2. pick Critics objected to the product placement (AOL, Starbucks)
    “But some of some people took issue with the level of product placement and you've got mail.”
    unknown · 0:31:17

Dion Waiters Award · Best heat check performance by a role player.

  1. winner Parker Posey as Tom Hanks's girlfriend, the book editor: Limited screen time, big impact, plus her love of the 1990s book editor life.
    “I think it has, for me, it has to go to Parker Posey.”
    Amanda Dobbins · 0:34:40
  2. winner Steve Zahn as George, the bookstore employee: Teetered toward Parker Posey, but went with Zahn since she was already picked; also loves his pairing with That Thing You Do.
    “going with Steve Zon.”
    Juliet Litman · 0:35:43

Most Offensively Enjoyable Rom-Com Cliche · The cliche the movie leans on that shouldn't work but does.

  1. pick Kathleen taking back the man who put her family bookstore out of business, after Joe's speech: Preposterous, but Tom Hanks's performance gets them every time.
    “There is no fucking way that a woman who respects herself and her business, like Meg Ryan, would lovingly accept the man that has put her family business out of business.”
    unknown · 0:36:58

What if it were made today · Who could remake it now.

  1. pick Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone: They could remake You've Got Mail, set in Brooklyn, though not Sleepless in Seattle.
    “Gosling and stone could remake you've got mail.”
    Juliet Litman · 0:39:33

Apex Mountain · Is this the peak of the star's or filmmaker's career?

  1. pick Tom Hanks as Joe Fox: Not his apex, though the streak is; the performance is effortless.
    “It's not his apex.”
    unknown · 0:42:18
  2. pick Nora Ephron: Not the peak film, but the one watched and quoted most; When Harry Met Sally changed everything.
    “It's not the peak, Nora, but it's peak to me.”
    unknown · 0:43:12
  3. pick Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly: One host says this is her peak with a precipitous drop-off after; the other gives the edge to When Harry Met Sally.
    “I do think, however, this is peak Meg Ryan.”
    unknown · 0:43:19

Unintentional comedy · The funniest thing in the movie that isn't meant to be.

  1. pick The houseboats
    “there is one unintentional, greatdic thing, which is the presence of houseboats.”
    unknown · 0:46:08

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a film they love.

  1. pick Zabar's cashier given an unidentified accent and a knock-knock joke: The one cheap moment, and uncomfortable in a very white movie.
    “Making Sarah Ramirez have like a weird, unidentified accent, like turning her into like some kind of like ethnic cashier, that wouldn't fly.”
    unknown · 0:47:40
  2. pick The book moguls as mohair-couch supervillains with matching boats
    “I do pause at the idea of, uh, 3 like book moguls as these supervillain mohair couch swaggering guys with matching boats in the in the pier at 72nd Street or wherever it is and somewhere around.”
    unknown · 0:46:35

Best Quote · Favorite line of the movie.

  1. pick The bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils line
    “If I knew your name and address, I would send you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils, which I was just thinking today.”
    Amanda Dobbins · 0:48:28
  2. pick Hello, New Jersey
    “Mine is when they just yell, hello, New Jersey because it's so silly.”
    Juliet Litman · 0:49:02
  3. nominee Meg Ryan yelling 'sushi' as Greg Kinnear leaves: Named as a runner-up.
    “So that's my runner-up.”
    unknown · 0:49:25
  4. nominee Greg Kinnear calling her a lone reed
    “I also really like when Greg Kinnear calls her a lone read, alone read.”
    unknown · 0:49:27
  5. nominee Kathleen on people who introduce themselves by first name only, like cocktail waitresses
    “Don't they know you're supposed to have a last name, which I think about a lot?”
    unknown · 0:50:08

Unanswerable Questions · Open questions the movie leaves hanging.

  1. pick The economics of the shop around the corner
    “One of the economics of the shop around the corner.”
    Juliet Litman · 0:50:39
  2. pick Why Dave Chappelle is in this movie
    “Why is Dave Chappelle in this movie?”
    Juliet Litman · 0:51:24
  3. pick Whether the Foxes are still rich today
    “Would you say the foxes are still rich today?”
    Juliet Litman · 0:52:00

Who Won the Movie · Who came out on top of the movie.

  1. winner Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly: Winning and charming, and a real attachment to her character; it is all downhill for Ryan after this.
    “I just find her so winning and charming and I don't know.”
    Amanda Dobbins · 0:52:43
  2. winner Tom Hanks as Joe Fox: An effortless performance, not first-tier Hanks but essential to what makes him great.
    “I really like her, but for me, this is just, this is such an effortless, great Hanks performance.”
    Juliet Litman · 0:52:46

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