Sleepless in Seattle

When I announced to my boyfriend that we were going to watch Sleepless in Seattle one night, I was somewhat expecting him to ask, “Isn’t that a chick flick?” Luckily, he had never heard of it before and willingly agreed to have a movie night with me. I had only seen Sleepless in Seattle once when I was very young, so I was actually looking forward to seeing the movie again. I did remember it being the type of movie women would love and men would hate, and now that I know it was directed by a female director, it makes much more sense. The story line itself is pretty far-fetched, but that is exactly why women love this movie – we watch it and wish that the romantic fairy tale will happen to us one day. There are a few specific things I noticed while watching the movie that hinted that this film was by a female director, such as the underlying idea that women, at this period in time, are much more bold and controlling than in the past. Sam (Tom Hanks) has not been in the dating scene for a while, and has to learn that women will pay for their own meals and organize dates. There is a memorable scene where he calls to ask a woman on a date, and after practicing what he is going to say, he ends up barely saying anything, while she decides what they will do on the date, where they will go, and when and how they will meet. This type of scene, with the addition of female bosses and Doctors, shows the new power that women were getting in the work place at the time of this movie. Another scene that made me think that this movie was directed by a woman is the scene where Annie and her female coworker are talking to the two men they work with, and the conversation is very “boys vs. girls,” but the women are the ones whose side you want to take and the men are portrayed as arrogant and insensitive.