Why You’ve Got Mail is the perfect rom-com for Valentine’s Day

You’ve Got Mail updates the central conceit of Parfumerie’s anonymous penpals to email users. There’s a lot of fun to be had with this idea, moving back and forward between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in their public and private interactions. Now, it could feel a little dated – it’s very specifically rooted in its era, down to the AOL catchphrases and all – but in a way that also adds to the charm. 

It’s almost quaint; if the movie had been made a few years later, in an era when Facebook and Snapchat and so on are ubiquitous, everything would play out very differently. There’s something nice about looking back on that point where the internet was still a big presence, but wasn’t quite everywhere yet.

I’m quite fond of this movie, generally. It’s not the most famous film ever, but admitting that doesn’t mean you hate it. Or something.

(This is one of those pieces where I would quite like to go into some of the behind-the-scenes workings, but think it’s probably improper to do so just yet, and will make oblique references to the – admittedly in this case minor – frustrations it caused later on.)

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