First Impression
The saying "first impression lasts" is true because that impression or moment becomes ingrained in a person's memory even when subsequent impressions follow. I did not know who Tom Hanks was until I saw him in Sleepless In Seattle (1993) and kind of fell in love with him. This American romantic film was my first impression of Tom Hanks and it has lasted, well, till now.
I watched Sleepless In Seattle when I was a preteen during Christmas. A TV station aired the film as part of its festive program since it contained some Christmas themes. Tom Hanks' mannerism, performance, good looks and the humour he injects into every scene attracted me to him.
The Love Story
In this film, I see this young, good-looking widower, Sam Baldwin (played by Tom Hanks) with an eight year old son grieving the death of his wife. Then his son takes his father's matter into his hands and tries to find him a wife by calling a radio show on Christmas Eve.
The search then begins…until a newly engaged young lady, Annie Reed (played Meg Ryan) writes a letter of interest but she doesn't post it. Her friend and work colleague posts this letter with an ending that suggests she could meet Sam at the famous Empire State Building on Valentine's Day, just like in the Cary Grant film An Affair to Remember.
Jonah tries to get his father interested in Annie Reed but he is focused on another lady who Jonah does not like and laughs like a hyena. Annie on her part tries to meet Sam, sees him on her visit to Seattle but changes her mind and runs back to her city.
Like all swooning romance stories, this couple somehow find their way to each other despite the odds that tried to keep them apart.
Review
I watched this film again recently because it's Christmas and it's on my festive watchlist. Everyone likes a good love story and it was well depicted in this film. Basically, the characters portrayed to their audience that there's always a second chance at love and life must go on especially after a setback.
This film received a lot of positive reviews for the script writing and the performances of Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan and Ross Malinger at the time and I totally agree with them. The visual effects were good for that period of time. It occurred to me that if this film had been released in 2022, it may not receive the same review as it did then in 1993. The entertainment industry is dynamic and has moved beyond the things we saw then.
Father And Son Relationship
One part of Sleepless In Seattle I adore more was the relationship between Sam Baldwin and his son, Jonah Baldwin (played by Ross Malinger). Their duo performance was outstanding and very realistic. Their banters were fun to watch. Even when it appeared Sam was angry with his son, their love for each other was always evident.
Despite their shared loss and grief, they stuck to each other. I loved the scene where Jonah boarded a plane and flew to New York to meet Annie Reed, his supposedly new mom. Sam immediately followed when he learned his son was missing.
When Sam got to the Empire State building, Jonah screamed, "Dad!" and rushed into his father's arms. Sam made his son understand that he was worried about him being his only family. That was a sweet and touching scene that can melt the hardest of hearts.
Tom Hanks is one of the iconic Hollywood actors we have around and he's great at his work. I was impressed with his acting in this film which led me to watch some of his movies like Forrest Gump (1994), You've Got Mail (1998), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) etc.
I recommend this heartwarming film to all romcom lovers. It's a good watch in this season. Merry Christmas!
This is my entry to the Cine TV Contest #40 - Favorite Tom Hanks Movie. To participate, just click on the link and it will take you straight to the post. The deadline is 7th December, 2022, 11:59 PM, UTC.
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Other images are screenshots from the movie