What ingredients does a Christmas film consist of? Is it the one whose plot takes place specifically during the so-called “most special time of the year”? The one who spreads messages of kindness, reunification, solidarity and generosity? The one who incorporates Christmas carols into his soundtrack and decorated Christmas trees into his plans? Maybe it has something to do with the genre or the release date? In the absence of strict regulations on the matter, a film basically becomes a Christmas film if the audience so wishes. And according to the dozens of articles defending it, “You've Got Email” is shaping up to be a perfect classic for the holidays. 25 years after its premiere, the comedy starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, in which the owner of a bookstore and the heir to a large chain have no idea that they have an epistolary relationship, may be the great Christmas story that viewers deserve. These are some reasons to defend your candidacy:
Because even though it's not necessarily Christmas, there is a lot of Christmas in the film: If networks have been arguing for years that “Die Hard” is a marquee film, “You've Got Email” may have a golden ticket to being part of that genre. Although the plot spans several seasons, in the romantic comedy we find scenes with Christmas carols, snow-covered streets and Ryan decorating the tree that towers over the window of his store. Additionally, two of the plot's big turning points occur during the most wonderful time of the year: when Joe Fox finds out while chatting that Kathleen is the user he's fallen in love with, and when she realizes that her library is closing now incorrigible.
Because there is no city more Christmassy than New York: Despite the efforts of the mayor of Vigo or four decades of crowds thanks to Cortylandia, Hollywood has turned the Big Apple into the hegemonic Christmas city of global pop culture. Who doesn't remember Macaulay Culkin visiting the famous tree at Rockefeller Plaza or Central Park in Home Alone 2? “You Have an Email” offers us the opportunity to travel to the most romantic and idyllic corners of the Upper West Side from the comfort of our sofas. Unfortunately, Ryan's little bookstore is now a dry cleaner.
Because it also celebrates the chosen family: No matter how hard advertising creatives continue to try to sell the traditional family—big, structured, and willing to put aside any personal or ideological strife to pursue the magic of that data—as an ideal, the truth is that the concept is ever expanding removed from this hypothesis. The families of 2024 are not always made up of people connected by blood ties, and the pen of Nora Ephron – director and screenwriter – pays a small homage to this diversity. Two examples: Kathleen (Ryan) decides to celebrate Christmas with her bookstore employees, with whom she has a very close relationship. As for Joe Fox, due to his father's last marriage, we get to enjoy Tom Hanks sharing confidences with his four-year-old stepbrother.
Scene from “You've Got Email”United Archives / Cordon Press
Because just like Christmas, watching it is full of nostalgia: Longing and melancholy are two of the basic ingredients of days that are usually about reliving memories and reconnecting with loved ones, thus recognizing what has changed in our lives and what has remained the same. Watch Today You Have an Email is a one-way trip to nostalgia, smearing our collective memory with the ancient sound of the modem as the opening credits tune. Who doesn't want to remember the time when the Internet was still an embryo limited to a desktop computer, when digital dating had not yet developed misogynistic and toxic dynamics, or when romantic comedies filled the cinema halls?
Because the essence of Christmas is spending time with our loved ones: And has there ever been a more endearing couple in the last quarter century of cinema than Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks? We don't believe it.
Because there is no better time to question consumerist impulses: At its core, Nora Ephron was trying to outline a critique of the most predatory, cool capitalism and the effects of gentrification that corners small businesses like Kathleen's with this film. In times of such unbridled consumerism as these, the character played by Meg Ryan stands out as the responsible counterpoint that these celebrations need: to appreciate the meaning of the moments with those closest to us, to appreciate even the smallest details and of course… Supporting local commerce when the occasion calls for it. The character puts his spirit into words in one of the film’s most memorable dialogues: “I lead a small life. Valuable, but small.”
Because Kathleen's (Meg Ryan) style now fascinates Tiktokers: It is one of the most unusual trends of this end of 2023. The social network TikTok has been filled in these months with a wave of tributes to the style that the actress popularized in films such as the one mentioned. Dubbed the “Meg Ryan Fall,” it's an aesthetic that claims her wardrobe as a reference to emulate in fall and winter and has already racked up nearly 11 million views on TikTok. Namely: beige cardigans, flared skirts, oversized blazers or bowler hats. Wardrobe basics in the same color scheme and combined with different textures. “It’s the most enchanting. I've seen pictures of girls trying on hats. I don't know if I have much to do with it, but it's very sweet. I love it,” the above confirmed to People magazine.
Because it is a love story as canonical as it is warm: This holiday season, there is nothing better than wrapping yourself in a blanket and enduring the heaviest digestions of the year with a calming, optimistic and ideal plan that the whole family, regardless of age, can enjoy on the couch. You've Got Email is pure cinematic consolation, the realization of the myth “opposites attract,” which teaches us that there is no romance that cannot overcome an a priori insurmountable difference.
Because its soundtrack enhances every Christmas carol: Ever since we meet the character of Meg Ryan, who enjoys the New York autumn while Dolores O'Riordan sings “Dreams”, the first anthem of the Irish band The Cranberries, you can tell that there is a certain fervor in the musical selection for the film was revealed. And it doesn't disappoint across the board: Carole King, Sinead O'Connor, Stevie Wonder, Roy Orbison, Louis Armstrong… Come for the romance, stay for the songs.
Because Joni Mitchell confirms it herself: “This scene from You've Got Email gets me in the Christmas spirit,” the legendary singer-songwriter confessed in a tweet published in 2022.
Get into the holiday spirit with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks' Christmas scene from You've Got Mail.
Which Christmas movies are you watching this year? pic.twitter.com/XpddXelxlb
– Joni Mitchell (@jonimitchell) December 22, 2022