When Sam Baldwin’s wife dies, he is left to bring up his eight-year-old son Jonah alone, and decides to move to Seattle to make a new start. On Christmas Eve, Jonah rings a radio phone-in with his Christmas wish to find a new wife for his dad. Meanwhile in Baltimore, journalist Annie Reed, who is having doubts about her own relationship, is listening in.



Credits: TheMovieDb.
Film Cast:
Sam Baldwin: Tom Hanks
Annie Reed: Meg Ryan
Walter: Bill Pullman
Jonah Baldwin: Ross Malinger
Becky: Rosie O’Donnell
Jessica: Gaby Hoffmann
Suzy: Rita Wilson
Greg: Victor Garber
Jay: Rob Reiner
Rob: Tom Riis Farrell
Maggie Baldwin: Carey Lowell
Victoria: Barbara Garrick
Barbara Reed: Le Clanché du Rand
Cliff Reed: Kevin O’Morrison
Dennis Reed: David Hyde Pierce
Betsy Reed: Valerie Wright
Irene Reed: Frances Conroy
Harold Reed: Tom Tammi
Uncle Milton: Calvin Trillin
Dr. Marcia Fieldstone: Caroline Aaron
Loretta: Linda Wallem
Harriet: LaTanya Richardson Jackson
Keith: Tom McGowan
Wyatt: Steve Mellor
Baltimore Waitress: Marguerite Schertle
Claire: Dana Ivey
Bob: Brian McConnachie
Mailman: Matt Smith
Clarise: Amanda Maher
Seattle Maitre D’: Victor Morris
Seattle Waiter: Philip Mihalski
Seattle Detective: Donald J. Lee Jr.
Nervous Woman on Airplane: Mary A. Kelly
Tiffany Saleswoman: Diane Sokolow
Jessica’s Mother: Hannah Cox
Jessica’s Father: Rich Hawkins
Stewardess: Tamara Plank
New York Taxi Dispatcher: Michael Badalucco
New York Taxi Dispatcher: Jeff Mazzola
Taxi Driver: Philip Levy
Cynthia: Julie Janney
Maitre D’: Tony Zazula
Elevator Man: John Boylan
Elevator Man: Robert Livingston
Valet: Butch Stevenson
Information Booth Man: Sidney Armus
Car Driver (uncredited): Philip Anagnos
Baltimore Mail Clerk (uncredited): Jason Bortz
Tourist (uncredited): Scott Duthie
Driver (uncredited): William Rossman
Bartender (uncredited): Nick Taylor
Film Crew:
Set Decoration: Clay A. Griffith
Casting: Juliet Taylor
Executive Producer: Lynda Obst
First Assistant Director: James W. Skotchdopole
Sound Editor: Dan Korintus
Casting Assistant: Eve Battaglia
Costume Design: Judy L. Ruskin
First Assistant Camera: Jeff Cronenweth
Makeup Artist: Leonard Engelman
Director: Nora Ephron
Original Music Composer: Marc Shaiman
Director of Photography: Sven Nykvist
Stunt Coordinator: Conrad E. Palmisano
Set Designer: Charlie Daboub
Screenplay: David S. Ward
Story: Jeff Arch
Producer: Gary Foster
Associate Producer: Jane Bartelme
Editor: Robert M. Reitano
Production Design: Jeffrey Townsend
Casting Associate: Laura Rosenthal
Unit Production Manager: Patrick Crowley
Associate Producer: Delia Ephron
Art Direction: Gershon Ginsburg
Art Direction: Charley Beal
Casting Assistant: Aleen Keshishian
Post Production Supervisor: Paul A. Levin
Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Lee Dichter
Pilot: Al Cerullo
Key Hair Stylist: Colleen Callaghan
Key Makeup Artist: Sharon Ilson
Storyboard Artist: Brick Mason
Second Assistant Director: Donald J. Lee Jr.
Property Master: Jeff Mazzola
Still Photographer: Bruce McBroom
Assistant Costume Designer: Kimberly Adams
Assistant Art Director: Suzan Wexler
Production Illustrator: Daren Dochterman
Production Coordinator: Mitchell E. Dauterive
Property Master: James Mazzola
Chief Lighting Technician: Richmond L. Aguilar
Studio Teacher: Judith M. Brown
Steadicam Operator: Randy Nolen
Key Costumer: Heidi Shulman
First Assistant Editor: Richard Friedlander
Sound Editor: Ira Spiegel
Sound Editor: Louis Bertini
Sound Editor: Bitty O’Sullivan-Smith
Art Department Coordinator: Wendy Skerritt
Greensman: Michael McCombe
Costumer: Sally Roberts
Assistant Sound Editor: Dan Edelstein
Sound Editor: Stan Bochner
Assistant Sound Editor: Eytan Mirsky
Location Manager: Dow Griffith
Assistant Sound Editor: David Wahnon
Camera Operator: Kevin Jewison
Production Sound Mixer: Kirk Francis
Script Supervisor: Mary A. Kelly
Supervising Sound Editor: Michael Kirchberger
Apprentice Sound Editor: Warren Shaw
Transportation Captain: Robert T. Chestnut
Music Editor: Nicholas Meyers
Color Timer: Bob Kaiser
Assistant Sound Editor: Paul P. Soucek
Assistant Chief Lighting Technician: Paul Caven
Construction Coordinator: Harold Collins
Assistant Production Coordinator: Jennifer Campbell
Boom Operator: Mychal D. Smith
Key Grip: Gene Kearney
Production Accountant: Tamara Bally
Cableman: Kay Colvin
Unit Publicist: Betsy Sokolow-Sherman
Negative Cutter: Donah Bassett
Special Effects Coordinator: Bob Riggs
ADR Editor: Harriet Fidlow
Transportation Coordinator: Dennis W. Milliken
Stunts: Barbara Anne Klein
Assistant Accountant: Judy Pursley
Second Second Assistant Director: Maggie Murphy
Music Consultant: Jeffrey Pollack
Extras Casting: Amy Caton-Ford
Dolly Grip: Joe Hicks
Best Boy Grip: Jack Bauer
Post Production Accountant: Diane L. Langone
Second Unit Director of Photography: Marty Oppenheimer
Assistant Sound Editor: Richard Q. King
Movie Reviews:
Filipe Manuel Neto: **Effective, functional and elegant, it has a script that I didn’t like very much, and it has aged a little badly, but it remains an endearing film.**

This is surely one of the most famous romantic comedies that came out during the 90’s, and one of the films that helped to popularize Tom Hanks, showing the world that he could be a serious actor and do more interesting things besides comedy. The film begins with a man and his young son moving to Seattle to deal with a mourning process. There, the child begins to pressure his father to find a girlfriend, to the point of calling a radio program where the father tells his story, touching a young journalist from Baltimore who is about to marry a man she doesn’t love.
The script relies heavily on Platonism: the two main characters do not know each other, and only the radio broadcast and the exchange of letters truly connects them. Neither has any real reason to look for the other (Hanks’ character sees physical distance as an obstacle, and Ryan’s character is already committed). In the end, it is the tenacity and stubbornness of a child that leads them to find each other. Based purely on instinct, which is an illogical and irrational argument for an adult to make his decisions. For that reason, and despite recognizing the film’s qualities, I didn’t particularly appreciate it. I see and understand the attempt to create a contemporary romantic fable here, but fables don’t really seem to work these days. For me, this one didn’t work.
The film’s great strength is in the excellent performances of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The two are still quite young, trying to take advantage of the opportunity to achieve higher flights in more profitable and attractive projects for their careers. Hanks had mostly done comedy up until this point, and was determined to showcase his abilities in other projects. There is no doubt that he knew how to do it and show a deeper, more sensitive and emotional side that was not evident in his work so far. Ryan was also very competent in her role. Ross Malinger was also pretty good.
The film is not a great visual spectacle. It’s a 90’s movie that hasn’t aged well and doesn’t put much effort into the visuals. Proof of this are the graphics on that US map, which look like an arcade game. The cinematography is dull, and the colors washed out, but that was commonplace and routine in films of this era, and I take that reasonably well. The film tries to compensate us with excellent scenery and cityscapes of Seattle and New York, which is always effective, and with an excellent ending on top of the Empire State Building. The soundtrack makes a smart bet on songs by Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, Celine Dion, Carly Simon, Roy Rogers and others. Most of the songs are well known and popular.
r96sk: I can’t say I had a fun time with ‘Sleepless in Seattle’.
Post-watching, I was unsure how I felt about it. The whole set-up and how the story is portrayed is weird, the fact that the two characters in what supposed to be a romcom don’t even properly meet until the final act is an odd choice, like don’t get me wrong I can see it working but here it didn’t for me… especially with one side giving stalker vibes, which adds to the weirdness.
I also wasn’t convinced by the two leads, in both their performances and in their suitability – obviously the latter is hampered by the fact we barely seem them together so they cannot show any chemistry. Tom Hanks is the standout but only just, Meg Ryan tries though her character is just a bit mundane; and is in my opinion better suited to Bill Pullman’s Walter, even though the film attempts to show us the opposite. No-one else onscreen sticks out, though credit to youngster Ross Malinger.
It’s a nae from me, both Hanks and Ryan have thankfully done much better.