Movie analysis paper: when harry met sally

I. Introduction A. Brief summary B Main Theme II. Body A. Friendship and obstacle to romantic relation B. Conflict issue C. Presence of elderly couples’ interviews D. Resolution of the conflict III. Conclusion A. Testing of the idea about friendship B. Filmmaker’s message When Harry met Sally Rob Reiner’s When Harry met Sally is a movie centering two main characters, Harry Burns and Sally Albright. Billy Crystal has played the role of Harry in the film along with Meg Ryan playing that of Sally. The two people had known each other for years and share a very good relation of friendship. The tagline of the film was “ can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?” The film starts when Harry meets Sally the day they graduate and she offers him a ride to the city of New York. Their lives take different paths as they relocate to different cities and get engaged to other people. Such real like obstacles are overcome finally by the strength of their love and friendship which results in a long lasting relationship. In different instances they are seen bumping into the lives of each other. Fear towards a sexual relationship is the dominant obstacle in the path of their love which lay dormant under the veil of friendship. This is reflected through some instances of their meet where a simple comment of Harry on Sally’s appearance angers her as she feels Harry is making a pass at her. Such instances lead to their temporary separation which is therefore initiated by the fear towards sexual relation or rather, a fear towards commitment. The question whether people of opposite sex can be only friends poses the central conflict. The presence of the elderly couples in the film reflects the idea of marriages that implies stability and security. They meet to discuss of their initial encounters falling in love and finally ending up getting married. These interviews intermittently hint at the impending future of the relation between Harry and Sally and the audience is not disheartened in the end. Love at the first sight has united the elderly couples in relationships of lifelong marriage. However the two main characters of the film present their emotions that undergo rapid changes. In the sequence of consoling Sally for her bitter memories the soothing embrace leads to a sexual act between them, thus reflecting the desire lurking underneath friendship. This makes the situation complicated as both hesitate to get back to friendship and even to go forward with their relationship. They both fear that the night was a mistake.  Thus the original idea of the film that sex ruins everything proves to be true. Yet the issue of sex comes up many times especially when Sally fakes an orgasm to prove that men cannot tell between real and fake orgasms. Ironically it is sex that brings them together finally. After Sally gets involved in the sexual act with Harry, she ends up finding her love. The other characters like Joe and Helen are present only to get the two friends closer though they bring about a short lived diversion in their romantic lives. The conflict is finally resolved as their relationship passes through sexual meeting which ends the friendship between Harry and Sally, binding them the commitment of marriage. Therefore, the filmmaker finally tries to convey the strength of true emotions and how friendship can lead to a long term relationship. Reference When Harry Met Sally. Dir. Rob Reiner. Perf.  Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Castle Rock Entertainment, 1986. Film .