YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998) ** The cinematic points of reference are, obviously, The Shop Around the Corner and Sleepless in Seattle. The former because this is a remake of it, and the latter because it was the landmark-love it or hate it-Nora Ephron film also starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Landmark film starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan? Yeah, I know it still doesn't sound right to me, either. Well, this isn't terrible, but it's by far the least of the three. Nora keeps her schmaltz cards apparent but in check, which doesn't necessarily help. It needs more than it has, and that's her suit. She does play a few beautifully down the stretch, but nothing historic and too late anyway. The best part of Shop- for me-was Felix Bressart around the corners as its soul. Jean Stapleton is similar, almost comparable, here, but she's no Felix, and even as Edith Bunker...it's an awful lot of soul to have to project, particularly from so shallow a milieu as this. Tom and Meg aren't nearly as endearing as in Seattle , too successful and confident, I think. Meg tries to be cute every time she thinks things need to get turned up, but it's more irritating than anything else. I don't think the Academy did Tom any long-term favors with all those Oscars, either; he certainly takes himself much more serious as an actor than I do. It's a role he might have done something with-being loose and overplaying the part like in Sleepless -but he never seems to sense that, and so instead is a good actor trying to do great things with neither the script nor talent to pull them off. Big statement? How about settling for "corporate raiders are people too" and just getting on with being entertaining, in some manner or another.
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