Guide Note
When Harry Met Sally is a romantic comedy written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner. The movie follows two friends, Harry Burns and Sally Albright, who over the course of twelve years have chance encounters in New York as they hammer out the debate of whether men and women can ever just be friends. The film stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal.
Fast Facts
- Box Office Total: $92.8 Million
- Released: July 21, 1989
- Starring: Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby
- Running Time: 96 minutes
- Rated: R
- Budget: $16 million
- Soundtrack by Harry Connick, Jr.
- A 2004 stage play was adapted from the film starring Luke Perry and Alyson Hannigan
- A Bollywood film called Hum Tum was also based on the film
Origins of the Film
The idea for the film came off the heals of director Rob Reiner heading towards single life after a divorce. Writer Nora Ephron interviewed Reiner and thought he'd be a good basis for Harry while she used her own personal relationships to create Sally.
The Deli Scene
One of the more memorable moments in the film is the scene when Harry and Sally are having lunch at Katz's Deli in New York City. The scene ensues with a debate on whether a man can tell if a woman is faking an orgasm. Sally states that a man cannot tell the difference and exhibits this by faking an orgasm fully clothed at the table in front of patrons. The scene was not in the original script and was something that Crystal, Ryan, and Ephron came up with. The classic line after the orgasm is from an older patron nearby who says, "I'll have what she's having". The older patron was played by Reiner's mother.
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