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Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, Greg Kinnear, Jean Stapleton ... see more see more... , Steve Zahn , Dave Chappelle , Dabney Coleman , John Randolph , Heather Burns , Michael Palin , Reiko Aylesworth , Hallee Hirsh , Chris Messina

Sleepless in Seattle director Nora Ephron originally made a name for herself as the writer of romantic comedies such as Heartburn and When Harry Met Sally. She continues the genre with You've Got Mail... read more read more..., marking her second collaboration with actors Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The story brings romance and courtship into the electronic age of the World Wide Web via e-mail and chat rooms. Joe Fox (Hanks) and Kathleen Kelly (Ryan) live and work blocks from each other on New York City's Upper West Side. Their lives are practically intertwined. They both shop at the same place, frequent the same coffee shop, and even own competing bookstores on the same street. They also both have significant others of their own. Joe has the overly hyper book editor Patricia Eden (Parker Posey), while Kathleen lives with the scholarly newspaper columnist Frank Navasky (Greg Kinnear). Then they meet in a chat room. Though they keep their identities secret (they're known only by screen names "NY152" and "Shopgirl"), they tell each other everything about their lives, including their private feelings, which slowly turn into affection for each other. When Joe decides to open a new branch of his "Foxbooks" chain that risks putting Kathleen's "Shop Around the Corner" out of business, the tension between them escalates. Surely her boutique business will be lost to the conglomerate with a built-in newsstand and coffee bar. When Joe sees Kathleen waiting for him in the restaurant where they agreed to meet up, he puts two and two together, but cannot face her, given their agreement not to reveal each others' names and professions. How can he reveal himself to her now, knowing that he is the cause of her misery? Hopefully, love will conquer all. ~ Chris Gore, Rovi

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70% liked it

435,395 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

82 critics

PG, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Nora Ephron

Release Date: December 18, 1998

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DVD Release Date: May 4, 1999

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Stats: 20,985 reviews

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You've Got Mail You've Got Mail You've Got Mail Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail (1998) Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail (1998) You've Got Mail (1998) Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail (1998) You've got mail Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail (1998) Jean Stapleton, Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail (1998) Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail (1998) Parker Posey in You've Got Mail (1998) just havin' coffee Dabney Coleman
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Flixster Reviews (20,985)

  • thmtsang
    April 22, 2012
    thmtsang
    Very predictable storyline, similar to Sleepless in Seattle - the characters don't know each other but are destined to meet. They chat via email, but don't realise they loathe each other in real life. Good cast. Modern adaptation of shop around the corner.
  • 76Majikat
    January 20, 2012
    76Majikat
    I am tackling my demons and attempting a few Rom Coms, this would usually be the type of film I would side step, but I will admit to liking this a little and finding the two sides of the relationship interesting.
  • fb100002359227440
    January 11, 2012
    fb100002359227440
    Dispite, Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail, looks like a weak and odd version of Sleepless in Seattle and that don't present some finals elements of the plot, this movie show a good chemistry between Ms. Ryan and Mr. Hanks characters and in a skilful way, Ms. Ephron make the audience... read more be delighted with the strange and sweet couple formed by Joe (Hanks) and Kathleen (Ryan). Fresh.
  • spielberg00
    September 9, 2011
    spielberg00
    Parts of this were funny, but it wasn't some hysterical romcom.
  • ajv2688
    August 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    At the time I saw this I couldn't stand Meg Ryan anymore, and I just hated romantic comedies as well. But then I saw the movie that this was a sort of remake of, The Shop Around the Corner, and I loved that movie. Anyway, only watch this if you like Meg Ryan.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 1, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    You've Got Mail is an awful romantic comedy that is quite simply boring, dull and considering the cast, is a wasted opportunity. I hated this film when it came out, and was forced to watch it. I hated this film because I felt it was too cheesy, don't get me wrong, when theres a r... read moreomantic background used as a plot backdrop for a film, and if it's interesting, I'll like it. But if it overly cheesy, then I'll hate it. You've Got mail is a terrible film that doesn't have anything good going for it. The talent is wasted, and the story simply is bad. Of all the romance films, You've got Mail is probably the worst. This is a film that isn't worth the celluloid its filmed on. You've got Mail is garbage, pure and simple. The film is a dud, and one that simply doesn't do anything great with it's plot. A very bad and irritating film, You've Got Mail just bores you to sleep. Of all the Tom Hanks films that I've seen, this is his worst yet, and since. A total waste of time. If you consider watching this, expect something totally bad, or better yet, keep expectations low, so you don't get disappointed.
  • movieguru12
    July 14, 2011
    movieguru12
    I loved Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in Sleepless In Seattle and this movie was another great performance by the duo. The story was a great cyberspace love story. I love this movie! :) Such a great movie to watch anytime :) :)
  • murphmann93
    June 24, 2011
    murphmann93
    A feel good romantic film! A must see!
  • wildaly14
    February 4, 2011
    wildaly14
    Interesting take on The Shop Around the Corner. Of course Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are likable leads with chemistry. Romantic and funny.
  • erika250
    October 24, 2010
    erika250
    one of the best rom com films ever mad.

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Alspector
May 27, 2011
Lisa Alspector, Chicago Reader

The coincidences that make the destined lovers' paths cross aren't contrived with much finesse, but the characters get in some decidedly clever lines. Full Review

Jeff Millar
July 21, 2005
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle

Mail may not be as romantic as Sleepless, but it's wittier. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

A love story destined to be remembered as one of the best of the decade. Full Review

Rick Groen
July 12, 2002
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Fully-stocked, well-oiled and soulless, You've Got Mail sure feels like a franchise operation -- all that's missing is a greeter and a discount card. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
June 18, 2002
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

Every time You've Got Mail is about to choke on its own cleverness, it's resuscitated by its extremely likable -- oh heck, let's just call them lovable -- stars. Full Review

Jack Mathews
February 14, 2001
Jack Mathews, Los Angeles Times

There's no denying the chemistry between Hanks, whose comparisons to Jimmy Stewart are becoming annoyingly accurate, and Ryan, whose schoolgirl cuteness is finally taking on a layer of matured confide... Full Review

J. Hoberman
January 1, 2000
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

Not only about PCs; it appears to have been dictated by one. Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Even if you already live on the Upper West Side, you might feel the urge to move there before the film is over. Full Review

Philip Wuntch
January 1, 2000
Philip Wuntch, Dallas Morning News

You've Got Mail provides a perfectly cuddly night at the movies! Full Review

Michael Wilmington
January 1, 2000
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

The whole movie goes bland and flat as a fast-food knish or a blank computer screen.

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Cast

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Facts

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    • Joe Fox: In the meantime we'll just put up a big sign, 'Coming soon Fox Book Superstore, the end of civilization as you know it.'
    • Kathleen Kelly: I love daisies.
    • Joe Fox: You told me.
    • George Pappas: They're so friendly. Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?
    • Joe Fox: The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.
    • Kathleen Kelly: Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are.
    • Kathleen Kelly: What will NY152 say today I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you.
    • Kathleen Kelly: [on closing her store] But the truth is, I'm heart broken. I feel as though a part of me has died and my mother has died all over again and nothing will ever make it right.
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You've Got Mail : Watch Free on TV

You've Got Mail Trivia

  • which actress stared in: Addicted to Love You've Got Mail City of Angels  Answer »
  • In which movie will you find a dog named 'Brinkley'?  Answer »
  • What are the names of Joe Fox's aunt and brother in "You've Got Mail"?  Answer »
  • Name the actor who starred in the following movies? You've Got Mail! The Green Mile Saving Private Ryan The Terminal  Answer »
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