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Based on an old film titled "The Shop Around The Corner", this story involves a woman, played by Meg Ryan, who owns a small children's bookshop in Manhatten that is being squeezed out of existence by the Big Bad Book Chain store nearby, owned in part by Tom Hank's character, Joe Fox. In the meantime, the woman exchanges email with an anonymous pen-pal, who we immediately find out is Joe Fox. She solicits anonymous advice from her online penpal, and things take off from there. This film fits the formula of Romantic Comedy, so there is humor and romance (like wow).
Sure, they got Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan back on film together. Is that automatically supposed to get me into the theater? Well, yes, but in the end, don't let that be your only deciding factor for choosing to see this film. Sure, I like a good love story, but this one has its faults. Parts of this film were really good and extremely well written, but others were not. Some of the intelligence of the characters that is evident in some scenes is somehow conveniently absent in others.
Everyone's making a big deal about the use of America Online, and how computers aren't evil in this film. I'd rather talk about the premise of this film being that big businesses force the smaller ones out of existence through predatory practices, and yet they choose to have Starbucks prominently portrayed and specifically mentioned in the dialog as a wonderful place to go define yourself as an individual by the coffee you choose to drink. Paging Doctor Irony, Doctor Big Fat Irony! Better call for a consult with Doctor Hypocracy, while you're at it.
I also found the ending a little too forceably contrived, which dissappointed me overall. It's no Joe VS the Volcano, nor is it another Sleepless in Seattle. Sorry people, but this is a wait for rental kind of movie.
Evil Corporate Greed trying to stamp out the little Gal. They hate each other. What happens next? While they fight each other in public, one of them finds out who the other email penpal really is, and then it becomes a delicate relationship. Will that person reveal himself or herself to the other? Since it's Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, what do you think? How convenient.