Friends, we've lost one of great writers/directors/voices of our time. Nora Ephron passed away yesterday. This is a huge loss, not just for women for whom Ephron was a trailblazer, but for writers and filmmakers in general. Her body of work is not epic in scale, rather she wrote 15 screenplays, produced 10 of those, and only directed 8 of the films. But the epicness of her work comes from the hits that to this day resonate with new and old generation alike.
I remember the first Nora Ephron movie I saw. It was winter break of '98 and a couple of my cousins went to go see You've Got Mail. I fell in love but I wouldn't know how much until I was in college and the movie was on EVERY WEEKEND. I am not exaggerating, along with The Wedding Planner and 10 Things I Hate About You. I rediscoverd my love of that movie. "Aren't daisies the friendliest flower?" Who knew that school supplies could be such an aphrodiasic?
After about two years, I finally saw that Sleepless in Seattle was going to be on so I TiVo'd it and saved it for a Saturday night. As I lay in my bed, quietly tearing up, I realized that despite its absurd premise, this movie was a classic and how could I have never seen it before. Yes, it's a tearjerker but its also comedic gold: "Didn't you see Fatal Attraction?" "You wouldn't let me!" "Well I saw it and it scared the shit out of me! It scared the shit out of every man in America!" I think that is when I fell in love with Tom Hanks, all because of Ephron's words and vision.
Now it took me another couple of years to see When Harry Met Sally but when a movie is hyped up so much you worry that if you don't like it, you will lose out on this amazing experience that everyone got to have. Luckily, I too fell for Sally with Harry and the classic scene is ahem... well we all know how hilarious that was and we all secretly wish we could reenact it at our local diners. No? Is... is that just me? Hmmm...
I've seen Bewitched, Michael, Hanging Up, and Julie and Julia and her stamp is still there. But I think what resonates the most with people is the wit, heart, simplicity of the aforementioned trio of films. Obviously they all have Meg Ryan in common as well and she was America's Sweetheart for a reason. My secret dream movie reunion would be a couple romcom with Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts/Richard Gere and I had always assume Ephron had that thought in the back of her mind too and was working on the script.
A dream, yes, but that is what Ephron gave us: the possibility of happy-ever-after and that it all works out in the end despite the obstacles in front. May they be the age-old men and women can't be friends, or the impossibility of love at first sight or listen, or rather that hate and animosity can lead to friendship and true love.
I happen to think that all of the above is true, if only because she showed me that it can happen. As she once said, "Most of us live our lives devoid of cinematic moments." Well, at least we have the ones you created to fill the void.
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