When Harry Met Sally… is an American romantic comedy film directed by Rob Reiner and written by Nora Ephron. Starring Billy Crystal (Harry), Meg Ryan (Sally), Carrie Fisher (Marie), and Bruno Kirby (Jess). The film follows the title characters from the time they meet in Chicago and share a drive to New York City and then through twelve years of chance encounters in New York. The film addresses the question, "Can men and women ever just be friends?"
Ideas for the film began when Reiner and Penny Marshall divorced. An interview Ephron conducted with Reiner provided the basis for Harry; Sally was based on Ephron and some of her friends. Crystal came on board and made his own contributions to the screenplay. Ephron supplied the structure of the film with much of the dialogue based on the real-life friendship between Reiner and Crystal. The soundtrack consists of standards from Harry Connick Jr., with a big band and orchestra arranged by Marc Shaiman. For his work on the soundtrack, Connick won his first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Male Vocal Performance.
The film grossed $92.8 million in North America and was released to critical acclaim. Ephron received the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, as well as nominations for the Academy Award, WGA Award and Golden Globe. The film is ranked 23rd on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs list of the top comedy films in American cinema and number 60 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies".
Robert Reiner (06/03/1947 – 14/12/2025)
Robert “Rob” Reiner was an American filmmaker, actor, and political activist whose career spanned over five decades. Rising to fame as Michael “Meathead” Stivic in the television series All in the Family, he went on to direct modern film classics including This Is Spinal Tap (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), When Harry Met Sally… (1989) and A Few Good Men (1992). A co‑founder of Castle Rock Entertainment, he was also a prominent advocate for early childhood education, marriage equality, and liberal causes.
Reiner received numerous accolades, including winning two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Hugo Award, as well as nominations for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and nine Golden Globe Awards.