Rent You've Got Mail (1998)

polished sentimentality - You've Got Mail review by griggs

You've Got Mail is a modern retelling of The Shop Around the Corner, but where Ernst Lubitsch brought depth and timelessness, Nora Ephron opts for polished sentimentality. The premise—anonymous correspondents unknowingly falling for each other—remains delightful, and Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are undeniably likeable. However, their chemistry feels more familiar than electric. The film also trades heavily on reuniting the duo from Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle, though this pairing feels safer than inspired.

 However, it's hard to ignore that these are two people in long-term relationships, living with their partners, who use the internet to essentially have affairs—eventually running off together. This is perhaps the first time the internet was an enabler for infidelity on film. Ironically, despite being the newer film, it feels more dated than its 1940 predecessor. Its depiction of late-90s New York and the excitement of email is firmly tied to a specific era, making it a quaint time capsule as technology has since leapt forward. An enjoyable, if unremarkable, rom-com with questionable undertones.