You’ve Got Mail is a careful look at two difficult realities for today and tomorrow – Love and Money. It combines the two so skillfully as to having you silently shouting from your seat, "Yeah, I know what you mean." You’ve Got Mail stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in what I thought was to be a remake of their now famous classic, "Sleepless In Seattle". It is not. "Mail" has it own legs and beautiful legs they are. You've Got Mail is a actually inspired by the 1940 film, Shop Around the Corner starring James Stewart in the now Tom Hanks role.

The story begins when a family super bookstore dynasty decides to place one of their mega-stores in a quaint New York City neighborhood putting an 85 year old children’s bookstore owned by Meg Ryan’s character, Kathleen Kelly, out of business. The hook is that she is in love with her email pen pal and her pen pal is in love with her. What neither of them knows is that in business, they are each other’s arch rival. The story progresses well until Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) decides to meet with her only to accidentally discover that she’s the competitor that he’s about to ruin.

He falls even more in love with her but not as her email pen pal, but as himself. Through a weird type of pseudo honesty, blatant charm, and genuine personal warmth that she can not resist, she too, abates her hatred of Joe and begins a tortured struggle to love, and not to love, Joe Fox the man. There’s a wonderfully interesting side story of ill fated romance between Joe and his significant other Patricia, and Kathleen and her roommate, Frank (Greg Kinnear). By the way, wonderful performances by Greg Kinnear and Jene Stapleton which were icing on the cake. Beautiful filming made New York City look great and almost livable. Parker Posey played Patricia Eden. She was great in a twisted sort of way I think many of you will find interesting.

All in all, You’ve Got Mail is a tender and touching story that's destined to be a contemporary classic and another big win for director, Nora Ephron. See it now, or buy or rent it in six months. Whatever, you won’t be disappointed.

See ya at the movies,

Mike Way