The Wisdom in "You've Got Mail"

Everyone has a favorite movie that he/she watches over and over again. There is no shame in that. Yet I endure much criticism for being a huge fan of You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. This could be because seeing this movie so many times has taken away from my seeing many OTHER (hehe) classics of American film. I also think people think that a cute, predictable, chick flick cannot be someone's favorite movie. Well, I beg to differ. You've Got Mail is simply amazing.

First off, if there is a movie star that I'd say I strive to be like, it's Meg Ryan. But not necessarily Meg Ryan the person, but Meg Ryan the movie character because if you've seen more than 2 or 3 of her movies, you know that she ALWAYS plays the same character. ALWAYS. When Harry Met Sally, French Kiss, You've Got Mail (YGM), she's the same every time. Slightly anal, extremely cute, and always enjoyable. In the case of YGM, I could so see myself as Kathleen Kelly, living in an adorable apartment, owning a children's bookstore, and meticulously putting Christmas ornaments on her tree. Oh yes, and you can't forget her daily stops at Starbucks....I am definitely all about that! I could also be cute and charming when Joe Fox walks into the store, and I could perfectly play the parts when she is annoyed with him....like when he takes the caviar garnish or when he shows up at the restaurant when she is waiting for NY152 (which is really him! *sigh*). Oh yeah, and her hair...I LOVE her hair!

Now, to move onto the best part of the movie....the development of Joe and Kathleen's relationship. Ahhh....it is so great! They hit it off when they talked on the internet, but the beautiful thing is that they never talked about anything personal. They fell in love with each other by learning little tid-bits about each other that really actually reveal a lot. I love Joe's email that says, "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to go out and buy school supplies...I would buy you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address, but at least this not knowing has its charms." I don't know how much of a fan I am of online relationships, but the greatest part about theirs is that the chemistry was still there when they met in person. After they got past the part of being business rivals, well actually after Kathleen's bookstore got put out of business by Fox Books, they realized that there was something between them. They actually fell in love with each other in two separate worlds...in online world and in the real world...man, were they meant for each other! I never cry at movies, but when Kathleen says, "I wanted it to be you! I wanted it to be you so badly!" at the end when they meet in the park, I could ALMOST cry....but not quite.

I know I've quoted the YGM a lot so far, but there is one final quote which is by far my favorite. In one of her emails to Joe when her bookstore has just started to take a bad turn, Kathleen writes, "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around?" Oh, how true that is!