When having to choose a favourite romantic film it’s hard not to picture Meg Ryan (and probably Tom Hanks) on the screen. Meg has been gracing our screens since the ’80s. We’ve laughed and cried with so many of her characters and now it’s time to celebrate 6 of her roles as she celebrates turning 60!
Top Gun (1986)
Even though Meg Ryan isn’t the first name that comes to mind when thinking about Top Gun, this film was extremely important in Meg’s life. Top Gun was her first official break-out role in a movie. And what followed after the hit, was greater than she ever expected.
When Harry Met Sally… (1989)
One of Meg’s next big roles was playing Sally Albright in When Harry Met Sally. Described as a “genre-redefining romantic comedy“, this movie is a classic that you’ll just keep going back to.
Follow Harry and Sally as they embark on a 12-year friendship while pondering the question: Can a man and a woman just be friends without sex getting in the way?
And of course, the movie left audiences with the restaurant scene which made Meg Ryan even more memorable.
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
Sleepless in Seattle is the second movie where on-screen power couple, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, came together (the first being Joe Versus the Volcano).
Annie Reed (Ryan) listens to the radio one night when Jonah, an 8-year-old boy, comes on to find love for his recently widowed father (Hanks). As the pair start writing to each other, a relationship blooms without the pair even meeting. Oh and there’s one thing – she’s already engaged.
The film keeps its meant-to-be lovers apart until the very end of the movie, but it is so worth it as their meet-cute is one of the best in cinematic history.
When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
This heart-wrenching movie tells the story of Alice Green, a mother of two and school guidance counsellor who battles alcoholism. Together with her husband, played by the incredible Andy Garcia, she rebuilds her life in rehab after coming to terms with all the wrong-doings she has done in her life.
This role as Alice allowed Meg Ryan to really show off her serious acting skills and portrayed the role perfectly.
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
You’ve Got Mail marks the third film in which Ryan and Hanks team up, and it was the most commercially popular of their films together.
We follow the story as two bitter business rivals accidentally fall in love with each other, except, they don’t know that they are in love. And as their anonymous online romance flourish, their in-person business relationship takes a turn.
Kate & Leopold (2001)
And finally, we are left with the sweet and charming story of Kate & Leopold.
As the very dashing nobleman Leopold, the third Duke of Albany – played by the handsome Hugh Jackman – finds himself transported from 1876 to the 21st century, he catches the eye of the cynical Kate McKay – perfectly portrayed by Meg Ryan.
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