Sleepless in Seattle is a 1993 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron, from a screenplay written by Jeff Arch, David S. Ward and Ephron. Starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, the film follows a journalist (Ryan) who becomes enamored with a widowed architect (Hanks) after his young son calls in to a talk radio program requesting a new wife for his grieving father. In addition to Bill Pullman, Ross Malinger, and Rob Reiner, the film also features Rosie O'Donnell, Gaby Hoffmann, Victor Garber, Rita Wilson, Barbara Garrick, and Carey Lowell.
Inspired by director Leo McCarey's An Affair to Remember (1957), which was a remake using the same script of McCarey's Love Affair (1939), Sleepless in Seattle was conceived as a romantic drama by Jeff Arch in 1989. Several studios rejected his script, deterred by the idea that its main couple does not meet for nearly the entire film. Ward and Ephron were hired for script revisions, with Ephron tapped to direct. Although both Hanks and Ryan had been favored for the lead roles from the beginning, several other actors expressed interest in both parts. The film was shot mostly in Seattle during the summer of 1992. Several of its pivotal scenes were filmed on a former naval base due to the city's lack of sound stages, including a recreation of the Empire State Building's observation deck when the New York skyscraper was not available.
Sleepless in Seattle was released by TriStar Pictures on June 25, 1993, to positive reviews, receiving praise for Ephron's writing and direction, as well as Hanks and Ryan's performances. The film received 2 nominations at the 66th Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song. Despite competition from several blockbusters released around that same summer, the film was a surprise commercial success, earning $17 million during its opening weekend (the highest opening for a romantic comedy at the time), and ultimately grossing over $227.9 million worldwide against a $21 million budget. It was one of the highest-grossing films of 1993, and remains one of the most successful romantic comedies in box-office history. Its success extended to the home video market: it was the top rental of 1994 in the United States. The soundtrack was also successful, peaking at number one on the Billboard 200.
Several critics and media publications agree that Sleepless in Seattle is one of the greatest romantic comedy films of all time. The film is also credited with establishing Ephron as a celebrated romantic comedy filmmaker.
Plot
Architect Sam Baldwin moves from Chicago to Seattle with his eight-year-old son, Jonah, to start a new life following the death of his beloved wife, Maggie. Over a year later, on Christmas Eve, Jonah calls a nationally syndicated radio talk show seeking advice on how to help his father find happiness again. He persuades a reluctant Sam to go on the air and talk about how much he misses Maggie. Sam describes her as his soulmate, explaining that he knew she was the one when he first took her hand and believes he could never find true love twice. Touched by his story, thousands of women across the country write to him.
One listener is Annie Reed, a Baltimore Sun reporter. She is engaged to the sensible and supportive Walter, but feels something is missing from their relationship. Her friend and editor, Becky, suggests Annie longs for the kind of destined romance found "in a movie", although Annie dismisses the idea of magical love or fate. Inspired by the romance film An Affair to Remember, Annie writes Sam a letter proposing they meet atop the Empire State Building in New York City on Valentine's Day. She decides against sending it, but Becky secretly mails it.
Encouraged by the response to his radio appearance and by his friends, Sam begins dating a co-worker, Victoria, whom Jonah vehemently dislikes. When Jonah reads Annie's letter, he instinctively believes she could be the one for his father, but Sam dismisses the idea because of the distance between Seattle and Baltimore. Jonah's friend Jessica urges him to reply on Sam's behalf, agreeing to the meeting. After Jonah calls the radio show again and reveals that Sam is dating, Annie travels to Seattle on a work assignment arranged by Becky as a pretext to learn more about him.
While dropping Victoria off at the airport, Sam notices Annie leaving her flight and is immediately captivated by her, unaware of who she is. Later, Annie secretly watches Sam and Jonah playing together on the beach. The following day, she visits Sam's houseboat but mistakes his sister, Suzy, for Victoria. A passing vehicle nearly strikes Annie and sounds its horn, alerting Sam to her presence. They briefly stare at one another and manage only to exchange "Hello"s before Annie, embarrassed, leaves.
Back in Baltimore, Annie reads Jonah's immature reply to her letter and concludes she has made a mistake pursuing Sam. She decides to commit to Walter and travels to New York to meet him on Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, Jessica uses her travel agent mother's computer to book Jonah a flight to New York to find Annie. When Sam learns where Jonah has gone, he flies after him, and they reunite on the Empire State Building's observation deck.
During dinner with Walter, Annie confesses her doubts about their relationship, everything that has happened since hearing Sam's radio broadcast, and they amicably end their relationship. Seeing the Empire State Building illuminated in the shape of a heart, Annie takes it as a sign. She rushes there, arriving on the observation deck moments after Sam and Jonah have left in the elevator.
When Sam and Jonah return to retrieve Jonah's misplaced backpack, Sam and Annie recognize each other. After introducing themselves, Annie takes Sam's hand, and the three leave together.
Cast
Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin, a widowed architect struggling to move on after the death of his wife Meg Ryan as Annie Reed, a Baltimore newspaper reporter who becomes fascinated by Sam after hearing his radio interview Bill Pullman as Walter Jackson, Annie's dependable fiancé Ross Malinger as Jonah Baldwin, Sam's eight-year-old son Rob Reiner as Jay Mathews, Sam's friend and confidant Rosie O'Donnell as Becky, Annie's friend and editor Gaby Hoffmann as Jessica, Jonah's friend Victor Garber as Greg, Sam's brother-in-law, and fellow architect Rita Wilson as Suzy Baldwin, Sam's sister and Greg's wife Barbara Garrick as Victoria, Sam's co-worker and girlfriend Carey Lowell as Maggie Baldwin, Sam's late wife David Hyde Pierce as Dennis Reed, Annie's brother Dana Ivey as Claire, Sam's demanding client
Sleepless in Seattle also features Brian McConnachie as Bob, Kevin O'Morrison as Cliff Reed, Michael Badalucco as New York Cab Driver, Caroline Aaron as Dr. Marcia Fieldstone, Frances Conroy as Irene Reed, Calvin Trillin as Uncle Milton, Le Clanché du Rand as Barbara Reed, and Rich Hawkins and Hannah Cox as Jessica's parents.
Production
Origins and development In 1989, Sleepless in Seattle was conceived by Jeff Arch, a struggling writer and former cinematographer, whose work as a writer had experienced little to no success at the time . Sleepless in Seattle was Arch's first script to be optioned as a film. The story began as a play about two people falling in love over the telephone without meeting in person. Arch decided that, unlike typical romance plots in which the main characters bicker for most of the film after they "meet cute", his couple would not meet until the end of the film, feeling unprecedented confidence that Sleepless in Seattle would be successful as long as he "got these people to the top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day". The writer drew inspiration from several sources, including the French film And Now My Love (1974), a seminar by motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and a Washington Post article he had read about women hiring private investigators to uncover information about their romantic partners.
Arch faced criticism about the unlikelihood of the film being made due to the lack of scenes shared by its lead couple. He pitched the film to at least six studios and executives, all of whom rejected it for similar reasons. Desperate, Arch's agent Dave Warden submitted the spec script to producer Gary Foster in 1990. Although Foster typically discards new scripts that fail to captivate him within its first 25 pages, he claims to have read past the 25th page of Arch's script unnoticed, only to find he was crying by the last page. Immediately noticing the script's potential, Foster submitted the script to TriStar Pictures executive Richard Fischoff, whose studio had produced all of his previous films. At first, Fischoff's staff screened the script and passed on it. After pleading from Foster, Fischoff eventually relented and read the script, optioning it to TriStar a few days later.
Eventually TriStar chairman Mike Medavoy heavily promoted the film, and Foster began interviewing potential directors shortly after. Nick Castle had been slated to write and direct Hook (1991), a big-budget adaptation of Peter Pan also for TriStar, but he was eventually removed from the film in favor of Steven Spielberg. The studio reassigned Castle to Sleepless in Seattle as a consolation. Garry Marshall had also been considered to direct. While Foster retained sole producer credit, the film was co-executive produced by Lynda Obst and Patrick Crowley. Foster struggled to get the film made over the following two years. After finally agreeing to maintain the idea of keeping the couple separated, TriStar insisted that the "wistful" script be re-written to make the film and each character edgier and quirkier, particularly Sam and Annie. Foster found the script lacked the sophistication and complexity required to elevate an emotional, sentimental story beyond merely treacle. Foster reluctantly informed Arch they were interested in changing writers in order to "sharpen" his script. Although Arch submitted a re-write himself, he soon found he was essentially "kicked off my own movie", and replaced by a writer with whose work he was not pleased, such as relocating the entire film to New York without including the Empire State Building. Arch begged Foster and director Nick Castle to hire a better writer "who's going to take this way up to the next level".
Writing