Article by Lindsay buckner
While we as students are in the midst of increased workloads, we are also in what I believe to be the prime season to watch rom-coms. Those who reject the simplicity of a good rom-com may claim this movie genre can lack depth and attention-grabbing storylines. However, as we are settled in what I believe to be the most beautiful season, a simple and uplifting movie can provide the perfect distraction and stress relief to a student’s stressful academic and social routine. The best movies of this genre allow one to sit and contemplate, allowing for introspection and personal growth. But what movie should one start with during this fall season? My answer would be my favorite Rom-com When Harry Met Sally.Â
The movie begins on the last day of college. Through a mutual friend, both Harry and Sally agree to drive from Chicago to New York together as they are both pursuing their professional lives in the city. This drive, which sets the film’s overall tone, is filled with banter and arguments on various topics, but their conversations primarily focus on their views of friendships and relationships. The key deduction of this conversation is made by Harry that men and women can never be friends, which Sally disagrees with.Â
Although after this drive they separate, they meet again a few years later on a plane, and then some years after that in a bookstore. In what may be considered fate, they finally decide to overcome their personal prejudices of each other and become friends. Of course, as with any rom-com, this friendship develops throughout the movie as they both grow together from different shared experiences.
What this film does best is maintain the audience’s attention through its dialogue. Similar to the Before Sunrise trilogy, which I also highly recommend as a fall movie watch, viewers see the two protagonists grow and develop through witty and philosophical dialogue. I think what draws people to this film is that it can keep a viewer interested without any colossal action-packed scenes. The movie portrays the realistic and beautiful simplicity of two people trying to find themselves during their adult lives.
During times of high stress and pressure, taking an hour and a half to watch a simple, uplifting movie, is the perfect way to destress. The 80s New York Fall aesthetic of the film provides the perfect ambiance as audiences witness two, ultimately regular people, fall in love.