You've Got Mail (1998)

Joe Fox puts Kathleen’s bookshop out of business, figures out she’s his secret email pen pal, and then keeps charming her in person without saying a word. That’s a lot to forgive for one nice walk in the park. You’ve Got Mail asks you to forgive it anyway, and thanks to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, you mostly do. Hanks plays Joe as a smug corporate shark who can laugh at himself, and Ryan gives Kathleen a stubborn, bookish sweetness that never turns sappy. The best scene is a cafe standoff, Joe sitting down while she waits for her mystery date, both trading insults they’ll regret. Parker Posey and Greg Kinnear are perfect as the wrong partners. Nora Ephron makes the Upper West Side look like the coziest place on earth. It made $250.8 million worldwide on a reported $65M. A 6.6 because the stars are irresistible and the romance runs on one guy’s very long secret. $3,549 says you buy a book from an independent store this month just so you can feel good about it.

What works: Hanks and Ryan are at their most charming, and the cafe scene is a perfect little duel of wits.

What doesn’t: Joe hides who he is for far too long while wooing Kathleen in person, and the movie treats her shop closing as a stepping stone to romance.

Who it’s for: Romantic comedy fans who love bookstores, dial-up nostalgia and two movie stars at full wattage.