The Nora Ephron Trilogy, plus One

A few weeks ago, I did a write-up on a book that I had read about Nora Ephron (HERE), called "I'll Have What She's Having", and it was about Nora Ephron and the making of here three now iconic Romantic Comedy movies, 

"When Harry Met Sally" (1989)

 "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993)

 and "You've Got Mail" (1998)

After reading the aforementioned book, we made it a point to watch all three movies (all written by Ephron; she also directed "Sleepless" and "Mail") in the order in which they were made.  All three of them were and remain sweet, funny, and totally delightful.  They all hold up totally, except for the fact that in 1998, AOL was still a thing and you could get a cup of coffee at Starbucks for only $2.95.  All of them are worth watching again and again.

In ranking these movies, I go 1. Harry and Sally,  2. Mail,  3. Sleepless.  Mrs. Grandstander differs slightly: 1. Mail, 2. Harry and Sally, 3. Sleepless.  We both agree that they could all probably be ranked in any order as 1., 1a., and 1b.

As for the "plus one" in the headline, thanks to a tip from our pal, Tim Baker, we found this documentary streaming on HBO Max:

This 2016 documentary was written and directed by Ephron's son, Jacob Bernstein, and it is a remarkable look at a remarkable woman.  She wasn't perfect, and she could be difficult to work with and for, she divorced twice, and experienced strained relations with her parents and sisters at various times in her life, but no one denies her remarkable talents and abilities.  When she died in 2012, her death made front page news all over the world.  This is a film that is worth seeking out and viewing.

Rating all four of these films as an entry, they earn Four Stars from The Grandstander.

Book Review - "I'll Have What She's Having" by Erin Carlson (2017)

 

The sub-title of this book says it all: "How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved The Romantic Comedy."

If you are fan of the three movies in question, When Harry Met Sally (written by Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner), Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail (both written and directed by Ephron), this is a book that you should read.  It is also one that you should read if you are interested in knowing all the details into how films get made.  The book really tells you how the sausage gets made.  It's never an easy process, and there is never a guarantee that the movie that hundreds of people are pouring their hearts and souls into will be accepted by the movie-going public.

It is also the story of Nora Ephron as the early chapters give a brief biography of the famed reporter and essayist who turned to screenwriting and directing, about how a oft-times cynical New York twice divorced, thrice married journalist turned out to be a complete sucker for love and romance, as evidenced by these three movies.

Lots of great gossip and stories about the people involved in the making of these movies - Meg Ryan, Billy Crystal, Tom Hanks, Rob Reiner especially and all of the many other actors, writers, producers, and "production weenies" (Hanks' term) involved in making these three great movies.  If you like inside Hollywood stuff, this is for you.  The story of a nervous and embarrassed  Reiner directing his mother, who played the lady in the deli, in the now classic "I'll have what she's having" scene is alone worth reading book.

I won't begin to detail any of the good stuff herein except for this: Tom Hanks REALLY is the Good Guy that everyone perceives him to be, although his liberal use of, shall we say, salty language in his conversations with the author might unnerve you a bit.  Here's an example.  After the post-premier party for cast and crew at an elegant New York City venue, Hanks was leaving the party with his entourage when he made it a point walk up to one of the lowly production people, who brought his mother as his date to the party, to thank him for all his help, especially to him, Tom Hanks!, in the course of the making of the movie.  "He did it because he knew that my mother would hear it" the production guy said.  That really is a nice guy.

Three Stars from The Grandstander.

Kritical Kommentary - One Movie, Two Books

First, the movie....

This movie is yet another look at 1960's culture and history, a la "Trial of the Chicago 7" and "One Night in Miami."  This is the story of Fred Hampton, Vice Chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1969, and it is surprisingly relevant today in 2021 when police overreach and #BlackLiveMatter are very much a part of our culture.  It is also the story of Bill O'Neal, a small time car thief in Chicago who gets busted and is given a way out: infiltrate the Black Panthers and serve as an informant for the FBI in order to get the goods on the Panthers in general, Hampton in particular, whom Director J. Edgar Hoover deems to be a "Black Messiah" who must be stopped at all costs, even if it means doing away with such pesky little details as civil liberties, due process, and equal justice for all.   O'Neal becomes the "Judas" of the title in this excellent film.

The cast is terrific with "Get Out" co-stars Daniel Kaluuya as Hampton and LaKeith Stanfield as O'Neal, Jesse Plemons as the straight arrow white bread Hoover-era FBI Agent, and Martin Sheen as old J. Edgar himself.  Great performances all around. 

The "what happened to" titles at the end of the movie are especially jarring, particularly as they concern Bill O'Neal.  Pay attention to those.

Oh, and to settle something that has niggled at me since I saw "Get Out" two years ago, I Googled for the proper pronunciation of Daniel Kaluuya's name.  It's Kuh-Loo-Ya.  So there.

Three Stars from The Grandstander.

Now for the books, both of which have movie and show biz tie-ins.

I have long considered Carl Reiner, who died last year at the age of 98, to be one of the true authentic comic geniuses of our times.  Back in 2003, when Reiner was a young pup at age 81, he penned this memoir.  It is an easy read, but it is everything that you would expect from Carl Reiner: Funny, insightful, funny, poignant, and did I mention funny?

Great stories about Mel Brooks, Sid Caesar, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore (his story about a distraught Moore coming to him to tell him that she and her then husband were going to divorce is a classic!), terrific stories about his father and his brother, and even some tales about his first born son, Robbie, who would go on to a very successful show biz career of his own fill this book.

Four Stars from The Grandstander.

Writer, humorist, novelist, screenwriter, and director Nora Ephron died in 2012 at the age of 71, a cancer victim. This slim book is a collection of essays of hers that was published in 2010.  I get the feeling that Ephron knew that she was dying when these essays were written because many of them deal with aging and getting old.  The final two essays in the book are especially moving.  One is titled "What I Won't Miss" (E-mail, My closet, Bras, Clarence Thomas, The sound of the vacuum cleaner) and the other "What I Will Miss" (My kids, Waffles, Bacon, Reading in bed, Coming over the bridge into Manhattan).  She also includes a very frank story of her divorce from her second husband whom she doesn't name, but whom we all know is Carl Bernstein.  Not sure how she had the guts to go into such detail.  It's not all bad stories and melancholia, her trademark wit is included in just about every essay in this very brief book.

Reading these essays prompted me to seek out and find her 1983 novel, "Heartburn", which tells the story of a successful writer who discovers that her husband is cheating on her while she is pregnant and leads to a divorce.  Yes, it is based on her experiences with Bernstein.  It was made into a successful 1986 movie - Ephron wrote the screenplay; Mike Nichols directed -  starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, and I will probably seek that movie out once I finish the book.

Three Stars from The Grandstander for this one.

To Absent Friends: Nora Ephron

I was saddened to hear of the death yesterday of Nora Ephron at the age of 71.  She was a most talented essayist, writer, screenwriter, and director, with credits that include "When Harry Met Sally", "Sleepless in Seattle", :Heartburn", "You've Got Mail", and "Julie and Julia".  She was a true talent and will be missed.


RIP Nora Ephron.