Rob Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally is considered a yardstick against which all romantic comedies, old or the new are measured. It features likable characters, an iconic soundtrack, and more than most holds well today.
When Harry Met Sally has quintessential elements of all great rom-coms. The biggest takeaway from the iconic movie is that sometimes friendship and love are intertwined and that it’s totally normal if it takes two people a while to process that. All in all, When Harry Met Sally wears its heart on its sleeve and romance quotes like these are exactly why it’s such a classic.
The Delightful Couple Interview
“I Rode Up Nine Extra Floors Just To Keep Talking To Her.”
The couple interviews that appear as interludes between various scenes in the movie make it a timeless classic. One such heartwarming interview about a man and wife who were born in the same hospital appears right after Harry and Sally decide to be friends. This couple also grew up one block away and yet, continued to remain strangers. They met later in life on an elevator in a hotel in Chicago. Though the man was on the third floor, he rode up nine extra floors just to keep talking to the woman.
This short and sweet quote has convinced fans that small efforts are of greater significance in a romance. One interesting behind-the-scenes fact about When Harry Met Sally is that these couple interviews were real stories collected from employees of the production company and later, relayed by actors.
Harry’s Confession
“I’ve Been Doing A Lot Of Thinking. The Thing Is, I Love You. I Love You.”
The second half of When Harry Met Sally, especially the ending is definitely a lot more romantic than the first part. Towards the end, Harry rushes to a new year’s eve party to confess his love to Sally. It’s endearing how he puts himself out there, without the fear of vulnerability to say the things he’s wanted to say for a long time.
Harry enters the crowded room, and just as he sees Sally, the words, “I love you,” come out of his mouth. Though she doesn’t believe him at first, it’s the perfect timing that makes his words stand out.
Harry Wants To Hear The Truth
“How ’bout You Love Me Too?”
Sally, the more optimistic one, tries her best to have an open heart, but still, has her moments of doubt. She has known Harry’s dark side and her apprehensions are valid. She truly doesn’t know how to react to what Harry just told her, which forces Harry to get her to admit her feelings. However simple Harry’s question may be, it’s the one that resonates with fans the most. It’s the only thing that Harry needs to know after years of being close friends.
Loving someone and expecting to be loved in return is rewarding and that’s exactly how Harry feels when he asks Sally this question. Truth is, both of them had a penchant for dillydallying and that’s why it took them so long to get to this point.
Harry’s Sob-Inducing Admission
“I Love That You Get A little crinkle Above Your Nose When You’re Looking At Me Like I’m Nuts. I Love That After I Spend The Day With You, I Can Still Smell Your Perfume On My Clothes. And I Love That You Are The Last Person I Want To Talk To Before I Go To Sleep At Night.”
Harry is slightly unsettled by Sally’s reaction to his short and sweet confession, and he decides to up the ante. As she begins to walk away from him, he recalls the sweet little details about her.
Sally is almost in tears by the end of his very elaborate description and so are the fans. After all, who wouldn’t be bowled over by a sweet admission like this?
Sally’s Reply
“You See? That Is Just Like You, Harry. You Say Things Like That, And You Make It Impossible For Me To Hate You. And I Hate You, Harry… I Really Hate You. I Hate You.”
…when, in fact, Sally means that she loves him. Though she tears up at the end of Harry’s confession, she too has a couple of things to get off her chest.
Sally has been in love with Harry for years (and so has he), but she takes a moment because she doesn’t want him to confuse his loneliness with love. This quote is part of the brilliantly written screenplay that makes Harry and Sally realistic, accessible, and universal characters.
Ben Small’s Wife Knew He Was The One
“I Knew The Way You Know About A Good Melon.”
Ben Small and his wife are the most adorable married couple and they narrate their meet-cute in one of the interludes. The couple knocks it out of the park with Mrs. Small’s melon moment and their classic old-school romance. Mrs. Small takes the lead and tells viewers that they met while working as head counselors at the boys’ and girls’ camps.
Ben wasted no time approaching her at a social night, and all he’d said was, “I’m Ben Small of the Coney Island Smalls.” Mr. and Mrs. Small’s adorable meet-cute draws perfectly on the stranger across a crowded room romance trope. Viewers love how Mrs. Small had known Ben was the real deal pretty much the day they had met.
Harry’s Truth
“When You Realize You Want To Spend The Rest Of Your Life With Somebody, You Want The Rest Of Your Life To Start As Soon As Possible.”
Fans were definitely hit in the feels with Harry’s sweeping statement of love. He’s already told Sally about his feelings and listed her quirks that make him feel that way.
Harry knows he’s late but doesn’t want to waste more time goofing around. He wants to act on his feelings because he’s certain she loves him back. The sense of urgency in Harry’s words convinces Sally that he’s truly loved her all this while.
Sally Smiles Ear To Ear
“And Then We Fell In Love.”
Harry Met Sally concludes on a sweet note and the heartwarming screenplay is what makes it a perfect rom-com.
In the end, Harry and Sally talk about their experiences successfully turning the friendship into a marriage. “We were friends for a long time… and then we fell in love,” she giddily tells the camera. It’s also revealed they were married in a beautiful wedding ceremony only three months after the eventful new year’s eve party. As soon as Harry says it only took them three months to get hitched, Sally cuts in and reminds the viewers that it in fact took twelve years and three months. Fans are glad they acted on their feelings in the nick of time and gave love a chance.
