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When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

Best Movie-Related Fantasy Football Team Name From This Movie

The choices split among “Sheldon the Wonder Schlong,” “Don’t Fuck With Mr. Zero,” “Baby Fish Mouth,” and “Miss Hospital Corners.”

In the discussion (3)

Approx. transcript time · 00:45:54Read transcript

Nominees include Baby Fish Mouth, Sheldon the Wonder Schlong, Don’t Fuck With Mr. Zero, I Spy a Family, Pecan Pie, Buenos días, Señor, Sphinxie, Miss Hospital Corners, and Christmas Gravel.
Two participants favor Sheldon the Wonder Schlong, with one also calling Don’t Fuck With Mr. Zero funniest.
Another vote goes to Baby Fish Mouth and another to Miss Hospital Corners.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

What’s Aged the Worst?

The overexposed fake-orgasm scene, Meg Ryan’s perm and final-scene acting, dated aerobics and retail references, Billy Crystal’s age makeup, couple conformity, and lack of diversity are criticized.

In the discussion (9)

Approx. transcript time · 00:47:25Read transcript

The fake-orgasm scene has lost surprise through repetition and now feels long, though its final line remains iconic.
Meg Ryan’s crying-scene perm is called an exceptionally bad haircut.
The heavily clothed aerobics or tap class feels unmistakably 1989.
Teenagers may no longer understand the Casablanca references even though the film itself has aged well.
The Sharper Image store and Theodore Roosevelt shooting reference require lost period knowledge.
Jess’s wedding speech is called mean by some panelists because it jokes that neither bride nor groom was attractive to their friends.
Meg Ryan’s repeated “I hate you” response in the climax is criticized as weak acting against Crystal’s strong speech.
Billy Crystal’s college hairpiece and aging treatment make him look older in 1977 than in 1989.
The story treats heterosexual coupledom as the only satisfying outcome and contains no visible gay or Black characters.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

Who Is Your Favorite Old Married Couple Out of the Six?

The couple who worked in the same Chicago building and rode nine extra elevator floors wins unanimously; the Asian couple with the striking white hair stripe is runner-up.

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:55:31Read transcript

All three stated preferences converge on the “nine extra floors” couple and their overlapping speech rhythm.
The older Asian couple is also praised for the woman’s distinctive hair.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

Casting What-Ifs

Albert Brooks declined Harry; Susan Dey, Elizabeth Perkins, Elizabeth McGovern, and Molly Ringwald were considered for Sally, with the panel strongly preferring the released pair.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 00:56:21Read transcript

Albert Brooks reportedly declined because the project felt too similar to Woody Allen and Broadcast News territory.
Susan Dey is reported as Rob Reiner’s first Sally choice.
Elizabeth Perkins and Elizabeth McGovern were reportedly considered.
Molly Ringwald reportedly had a scheduling conflict; the panel rejects her as a poor match with Crystal.
Meg Ryan gave up Shelby in Steel Magnolias to play Sally, opening that role for Julia Roberts.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

The Dion Waiters Award for Best Heat Check Performance

Carrie Fisher wins unanimously for making Marie a specific, fully legible person rather than a generic rom-com sidekick.

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 00:57:51Read transcript

Fisher’s Rolodex selfishness, repeated “You’re right, I know you’re right,” and emotional economy make five scenes feel career-defining.
The panel compares her favorably with later rom-com best friends and argues that Ephron’s friends are people rather than one-note assistants.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

Half-Assed Internet Research

Research covers rejected titles, Crystal isolating himself, real-couple interludes, Gerald Ford’s son, the original platonic ending, Reiner’s changed outlook, and improvised material.

In the discussion (8)

Approx. transcript time · 01:01:03Read transcript

Ephron reportedly proposed “How They Met,” and a crew contest considered Just Friends, Playing Melancholy Baby, Boy Meets Girl, Blue Moon, Words of Love, It Had to Be You, Harry, This Is Sally, and How They Met.
Billy Crystal reportedly stayed apart from the cast and crew in another hotel to find Harry’s lonely mindset.
The interlude couples are reported as real people rather than actors.
Gerald Ford’s son Jack played Joe.
The script initially kept Harry and Sally platonic; Reiner changed the ending after meeting his future wife during production.
A 2004 stage adaptation starred Luke Perry and Alyson Hannigan.
Reiner and Crystal met playing best friends on All in the Family, and Carrie Fisher knew Reiner through Penny Marshall.
Harry and Sally’s final interview was reportedly improvised from a much longer filmed exchange.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

The released title wins; “Harry and Sally” and “It Had to Be You” receive some support among the documented alternatives.

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:01:03Read transcript

The panel ultimately prefers the specificity and memorability of “When Harry Met Sally.”

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

Apex Mountain

Rob Reiner receives a qualified case, while Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, and New York are rejected in favor of later or earlier peaks.

In the discussion (4)

Approx. transcript time · 01:05:36Read transcript

Billy Crystal is rejected because City Slickers and his Oscar-hosting run take him higher.
Meg Ryan is rejected because later signature movies and an uneven filmography complicate the case.
Rob Reiner is proposed and partly accepted, though Misery and Castle Rock/Seinfeld success make a later peak plausible.
New York as a pop-culture setting is proposed and rejected in favor of the 1970s.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

Bruno Kirby wins because viewers know him as Harry’s friend or young Clemenza more readily than by name.

In the discussion (1)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:25Read transcript

His death and the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Nora Ephron are noted after the selection.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

The Ruffalo / Hanna / Rubinek / Partridge Overacting Award

Meg Ryan wins as the only serious nominee, especially for Sally’s crying after Joe’s engagement; the panel also questions the character consistency around karaoke and the fake orgasm.

In the discussion (2)

Approx. transcript time · 01:07:53Read transcript

Ryan’s crying, tissue-dropping, and rapid tonal shifts are judged too broad and messy.
The panel debates whether several uninhibited moments fit the otherwise controlled “Miss Hospital Corners” characterization.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

The panel challenges Harry’s age makeup and locations, the travel time, unshown careers, Emily breakup, post-sex behavior, dual phone lines, missing best-man speech, disconnected friend circles, food-bar hygiene, and compressed dating timelines.

In the discussion (11)

Approx. transcript time · 01:09:44Read transcript

College-age Harry looks far too old.
Sally appears to drop Harry and all his luggage in Washington Square Park, and the location complicates assumptions about his final run.
Chicago to New York should take closer to twelve or thirteen hours than the stated eighteen.
Neither Sally’s reporting nor Harry’s political consulting is ever shown or meaningfully specified.
Harry’s breakup with the attractive pie-business owner Emily is unexplained.
Harry’s panic and abrupt departure after sleeping with a close friend feel under-motivated without more drinking or bad sex.
Marie and Jess inexplicably maintain separate landline numbers on opposite sides of one bed.
The film omits what should have been a strong Billy Crystal best-man speech.
Sally, Jess, Harry, and Marie unrealistically remain in isolated pairs despite overlapping journalism and New York Magazine circles.
Picky, hygienic Sally uses shared hot-food-bar tongs across dishes.
Joe says “I love you” after one month, while Harry brings an anthropologist to a wedding within three weeks of sleeping with Sally.

When Harry Met Sally... The Rewatchables July 9, 2019

The Neil McCauley “A Book about Metals” Award for Best Line from the Movie

The climax’s “when you realize…” speech is treated as the emotional pinnacle; the infidelity symptom, “basic nightmare,” Baby Fish Mouth, restaurant/pesto, and “only person I knew in New York” lines are also essential.

In the discussion (5)

Approx. transcript time · 01:20:38Read transcript

“That symptom is fucking my wife” is praised for comic rhythm.
Marie’s “thin, pretty, big tits—your basic nightmare” and Sally’s “I just want it the way I want it” are nominated.
Harry’s final speech, culminating in wanting the rest of life to begin immediately, is treated as the defining passage.
Marie quoting Jess’s restaurant essay and adding that pesto is the quiche of the 1980s is a favorite.
“It’s too bad, because you were the only person I knew in New York” is praised for its later callback.