Rob Reiner directed When Harry Met Sally back in 1989. Written by Nora Ephron, the movie starred Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal in the two titular roles, and went on to become a top-tier placeholder in the genre of romantic comedies. Reiner himself made a lot of contributions to the screenplay of the movie, and was even the basis for the character of Harry. Ephron, on the other hand, was the basis of the character Sally.
The movie’s initial idea came from Reiner as well. After his divorce from his first wife, Penny Marshal, an interview with Ephron was where the idea snowballed into a script for a movie. And it was also Reiner who decided to change the initial ending to guve Harry and Sally their happy ending.
Rob Reiner Changed The Ending of When Harry Met Sally
The ending of When Harry Met Sally saw Harry and Sally meet at a New Year’s Eve party, where Harry confesses to Sally. But initially, the script had a different ending for the movie. The two lead characters were not supposed to end up together. In an interview on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Reiner told CNN
“The original ending of the film that we had was that Harry and Sally didn’t get together.”
He further added,
“I’d been married for ten years. I’d been single for ten years, and I couldn’t figure out how I was ever going to be with anybody. That gave birth to When Harry Met Sally. I hadn’t met anybody, so it was going to be the two of them seeing each other after years, talking, and then walking away from each other.”
Then he met Michele Singer on the very year he was directing When Harry Met Sally, eventually marrying her in 1989 itself. Meeting Singer was the catalyst for Rob Reiner to change the ending of the movie from sad to happy.
What Was When Harry Met Sally About?
The age-old question of “Can men and women ever be just friends?” is what this movie is all about. Our two characters share a taxi ride from Chicago to New York, discussing their views on relationships. Harry, who is dating Sally’s friend, is against the idea of men and women being able to be friends, but Sally disagrees. And that is the basis from where the story rolls.
The movie grossed $92.8 million in North America, fro. a $16 million budget. Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan‘s chemistry, along with the story, made the movie a hit with the audiences. Critically also, the movie holds a 91% Tomatometer reading on Rotten Tomatoes. Nora Ephron, who wrote the screenplay for the movie, was even nominated for an Academy Award.
When Harry Met Sally is available for streaming on Apple TV.
