After scooping an Oscar nomination for her hard-hitting writing for the real life conspiracy drama ‘Silkwood’ and the timeless romantic comedy ‘When Harry Met Sally’, Ephron branched out into film directing in addition to penning her own scripts. The results were less arresting and critically friendly, but they still packed cinemas.
‘Sleepless in Seattle’ harked back to the Hollywood studio romances of the 1950s (especially ‘An Affair to Remember’, even using clips throughout), making Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan into the modern cinematic perfect couple. They would reunite for the misfiring ‘You’ve Got Mail’, but in this initial pairing, Ephron is responsible for a flawless revision of a beloved genre.