Nora Ephron, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, meet up again after the success of Sleepless in Seattle, for another movie with a high saccharine content.
The chemistry between Hanks and Ryan is again superb, whether bickering as business rivals, or when falling in love over the endless void of the internet.
Hanks is the big business bookseller, who threatens, and eventually destroys, the livelihood of Ryan's children's bookstore owner.
Hanks does a pretty good job as the ruthless business man, while at the same time making you feel that, at times, he would rather have the life that Ryan's character leads, if his up-bringing and family expectations did not prevent it.
Ryan plays the character that she as honed over so many similar movies, while the other characters, such as Greg Kinnear as Ryan's boy friend, are really just window dressing, although some wonderful comic moments do come from Parker Posey, as the high flying business woman, and Hanks' partner.
A wonderful script from Ephron, which keeps the schmaltz at bay, while remaining funny and romantic throughout, and good performances from the leads make this as good as Sleepless in Seattle, though it is still not quite as good as the original Shop Around the Corner, on which it is based.
The chemistry between Hanks and Ryan is again superb, whether bickering as business rivals, or when falling in love over the endless void of the internet.
Hanks is the big business bookseller, who threatens, and eventually destroys, the livelihood of Ryan's children's bookstore owner.
Hanks does a pretty good job as the ruthless business man, while at the same time making you feel that, at times, he would rather have the life that Ryan's character leads, if his up-bringing and family expectations did not prevent it.
Ryan plays the character that she as honed over so many similar movies, while the other characters, such as Greg Kinnear as Ryan's boy friend, are really just window dressing, although some wonderful comic moments do come from Parker Posey, as the high flying business woman, and Hanks' partner.
A wonderful script from Ephron, which keeps the schmaltz at bay, while remaining funny and romantic throughout, and good performances from the leads make this as good as Sleepless in Seattle, though it is still not quite as good as the original Shop Around the Corner, on which it is based.