You’ve Got Mail , one of many finest romantic comedies of all time , is a film that I’ve watched greater than absolutely anything else over time. No joke, I’ve spent numerous hours watching Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly go from enemies to lovers , and it by no means actually will get outdated. But, after watching the 1998 rom-com directed by the late Nora Ephron for just like the 152nd time, I feel there may be one change that will make this all-time nice romance story even higher.
No, I wouldn’t recast Tom Hanks or Meg Ryan , or exchange the music, or make any adjustments to the story (it could possibly be shorter, however that’s for one more day). Instead, I’d make a small but main change to one thing that occurs very early on within the film.
(Image credit score: Warner Bros.)
You’ve Got Mail Has And Always Will Be One Of My Go-To Comfort Films
Though the film has some issues right here and there, You’ve Got Mail has at all times been certainly one of my go-to consolation movies and legitmately one of many finest ‘90s movies . It’s just about the cinematic equal of a heat comforter proper out of the dryer or a bowl of scorching soup on a chilly winter day. Hearing or studying these three little phrases – you’ve obtained mail – brings a lot pleasure to my coronary heart.
Going by a foul breakup? Go to You’ve Got Mail . Feeling like crud with the Flu? Put on You’ve Got Mail . Don’t know what to look at after spending an hour going by all of the finest streaming providers in search of one thing new? You guessed it… You’ve Got Mail . From the primary time I noticed it with my dad and mom to the newest with my spouse and daughter, this film has at all times been there for me.
And, that’s why I really feel form of dangerous for what I’m about to say…
(Image credit score: Warner Bros.)
But I Think Having The Credits Start After Kathleen’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Monologue Would Add So Much
You know the entire opening credit sequence that travels by a 3D-animated New York City earlier than ending at Kathleen Kelly’s West Side condo? Well, if I had been making a brand new minimize of this traditional, I’d take away that whole two-second opening and maintain off on the title sequence till simply after Shopgirl reads her monologue about her correspondence with NY152 (Joe Fox):
I activate my pc. I wait impatiently because it connects. I’m going on-line, and my breath catches in my chest till I hear three little phrases: You’ve obtained mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, simply the beating of my very own coronary heart. I’ve mail. From you.
In my preferrred model, the You’ve Got Mail title would pop up on the display simply as Kathleen says these “three little words” whereas The Cranberries’ “Dreams” swells within the background. The credit would seem because the digicam jumps from Kathleen to Joe and again to Kathleen as they stroll by the streets of New York City . This scene, already improbable as is, could be even higher with the credit, and I feel the film could be higher due to it.
(Image credit score: Warner Bros.)
The Animated Intro Is Iconic At This Point, But It Honestly Hasn’t Aged That Well
I do know, I do know, the You’ve Got Mail opening credit sequence is iconic at this level and units the tone with the 2 leads falling in love with each other over the web. But… this sequence is ugly. Even again in highschool and school, I thought this a part of the film suffered from the identical issues as different late ‘90s movies that implemented 3D technology. It just hasn’t aged nicely. Not all nostalgia is nice, you understand?
I imply, the entire first scene within the film the place they sneak round their important others to speak to a stranger on AOL units the time and place already, so that you don’t actually need that animation to start with. But hey, that’s simply me.
Don’t let this small critique make you consider that I feel much less of You’ve Got Mail , as a result of I’ll defend this film till the day I die – even when I’ve to elucidate AOL and dial-up web to my children.