This post is scheduled for the first day of 2026. Technically, it’s not part of the Christmas season and the idea of Holiday-Palooza is to review Christmas movies. But I’m making an exception this year as this entry does fall on New Year’s Day and New Year’s Day is a holiday. Besides, I also wanted to pay tribute to Rob Reiner, who tragically died just a few weeks ago. Also, I do want to review a movie that a lot of people consider to be one of the best New Year’s movies every made. And it just so happens it’s a movie I’ve never seen before!

So, to close out Holiday-Palooza and ring in the New Year, I’ve decided to review When Harry Met Sally… And just in time, too, because it was leaving Prime Video on New Year’s Eve in my location! Weirdly ironic how one of the most acclaimed New Year’s movies is leaving Prime Video on the first day of the New Year, huh?

By the way, even though When Harry Met Sally… was released more than thirty years ago now, I’m still going to make this a SPOILER FREE review. I mean, I was one of those people who haven’t seen it yet! So, there are bound to be other who haven’t as well. So, SPOILER FREE review! Heck, I’d even say don’t watch the trailer embedded below because even that contains spoilers! Just sayin’!

When Harry Met Sally… follows the twelve year on-and-off relationship between two people, the titular Harry Burns and Sally Albright, played by Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. At the start, they couldn’t be more opposites. Harry is a more freewheeling soul and believes that men and women can’t be friends because of sexual tension. The more structured Sally doesn’t believe that that would be true for all relationships. Throughout the years, their relationship does change from a more antagonistic connection to a more friendly camaraderie… and possibly even more.

Let me get this out of the way and say I really loved When Harry Met Sally… Maybe it’s because I really like listening to well-written dialogue and how much the movie is not in a rush to tell the story. It like to mellow out and focus on the more mundane times of people just having silly conversations with each other. It certainly helps that the script, written by Nora Ephron with contributions from, well, Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal and even Meg Ryan, comes off as believable but fantastical.

I mean, everyone knows about the Katz’s Delicatessen scene where Sally fakes an orgasm to prove to Harry men can’t tell the difference from a real and fake one. Now, I don’t really think any one, especially someone with Sally’s demeanor, would actually do something like that in real life. But it feels right as she wants to prove a point. I just want to believe she would do something like that even though I know that would never happen outside the fantastical realm of movies.

Then again, Nora Ephron’s script mainly works because of the chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. They managed to add a matter-of-factness to the way they deliver their lines, which makes it believable for the most part. The way they speak is almost subdued and toned down, which is, well, how real people converse with each other. They also come off as incredibly likable. Sure, they have their annoying quirks but who doesn’t? I also have to say, wow! Meg Ryan looks fantastic here! Just saying that this is her in her prime!

I also have to give kudos to Carrie Fisher, who plays Sally’s best friend, and Bruno Kirby, who plays Harry’s best friend. They don’t have that much screen time as we are generally following Harry and Sally’s story, they do make the most of what time they have. I can’t say I wish they had more screen time but a part of me does wish these characters were developed a little bit more than what we got. This is especially true for Harry’s best friend as we only get an idea of his personality when compared to Sally’s best friend, who feels more fully formed. Still, they can get away with not developing them all that much as, like I said, this is Harry and Sally’s story.

Since When Harry Met Sally… is a comedy, I do have to address if it’s funny or not. I did chuckle out loud with some scenes. So, at the very least, it’s my kind of humor. The humor is definitely less visual as it’s pretty realistic. The humor can be found in the dialogue and the chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan’s Harry and Sally. So, if you’re expecting total hilarity, you’re not exactly going to find it here. But it is funny.

I guess, if I were to nitpick on what is the film’s biggest flaw, it would be the third act. Before that, When Harry Met Sally… does come off as unpredictable. There aren’t really any big scenes or dramatic flourishes. It’s just all about Harry and Sally talking about things. That all falls by the wayside in the third act when it begins to follow the general romantic comedy formula. It’s not terrible and I didn’t mind it that much because I was truly enjoying the film up until this moment. I just wish there was a better and smarter way to conclude the story without just simply doing the traditional rom-com resolutions. But the movie is so good that I can forgive that.

All-in-all, despite the more formulaic rom-com third act issue, I thoroughly loved When Harry Met Sally… but I will acknowledge it might not be for everyone. This is especially true for viewers who have gotten used to more slapstick comedies and films that aren’t dialogue heavy. These people may find it boring. However, if you’re a person who is willing to slow things down and just listen to more authentic and realistic conversations that are funny, you can’t go wrong with When Harry Met Sally…

Well, that’s going to close out this year’s Holiday-Palooza! Happy New Year!

Have you seen When Harry Met Sally…? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments section below!