60 Thoughts I Had Rewatching ‘You’ve Got Mail’

The news that Meg Ryan would soon be returning to the comforting, formulaic world of romantic comedies with What Happens Later left me with the strong urge to rewatch You’ve Got Mail, arguably one of her finest works. It’s sweet, it’s biting, it’s wholly dependent upon a 1998-era version of email that pretty much no Gen Z’er would be familiar with; in a word, it’s perfect. So, without further ado, find below all the thoughts I had while rewatching the film:

1. God, remember when email was…charming?
2. No offense, Gmail, but you’re just not ever going to spark a romantic comedy.
3. “A Nora Ephron Film” popping up onscreen will never fail to make me smile.
4. Remember when she knew exactly who Deep Throat was and told everybody for years?
5. Anyway, I digress.
6. I don’t usually have real-estate anxiety, but these establishing shots of New York City brownstones are making me nauseous with jealousy.
7. Hey, it’s Meg Ryan! Sleeping on an ugly pillow!
8. How has Greg Kinnear looked the same his entire career? What kind of deal has he made with the devil?
9. I need to find an adorable little pajama set like Meg’s instead of going to bed every night pant-less under a giant Bronx Zoo T-shirt.
10. Oh, my God, dial-up!
11. I did not realize how quaint this movie would seem in 2023.
12. Tom Hanks!
13. PARKER POSEY! What an embarrassment of casting riches!
14. A Cranberries needle drop while Meg and Tom email each other (without knowing who they’re actually emailing)? Perfection.
15. Not to flex my Upper West Side roots, but if they keep showing now closed businesses in the area (shoe repairs! Candy stores!), I’m going to sob.
16. Hey, it’s Dave Chappelle!
17. Dave and Tom are opening a “big, bad chain store,” and while I know this is the central tension of the movie, I still blame them for the Barnes & Noble–ification of the UWS.
18. Aw, Meg is at her little bookstore, a.k.a. the kind of place only women in rom-coms ever work at (charming, adorable, staffed by quirky characters who never demand a raise).
19. Is that the best friend from Miss Congeniality?
20. Obsessed with the little tie she’s wearing, TBH.
21. Meg is feeling the weight of her email romance, and similarly Tom doesn’t seem that psyched about his relationship with Parker Posey (rude).
22. Remember when “Are you online?” was a valid question?
23. Aw, Meg is nice to kids!
24. I wish I were quirky enough to notice butterflies in the subway, much less recount them via email.
25. H&H Bagels!
26. Meg is obviously adorable, but I’m not sure I’m on board with this particular incarnation of her signature short haircut.
27. Hey, Little Miss Shop Local, why are you at Starbucks?
28. I always think about Meg describing her life as “valuable, but small.”
29. I forget who these kids are (Tom’s nephew and niece?), but they definitely serve the purpose of showing how insanely charming Tom Hanks has literally always been.
30. Oh, right, they’re his father’s son and grandfather’s daughter, and they’re both totally besotted with Meg after story time at her bookstore.
31. LOL, I love the idea of moving to Brooklyn being invoked as a last resort.
32. I want an apartment where one entire wall is books.
33. Meg and Tom meet again at a party and piss each other off, leading to the immortal line: “That caviar is a garnish!”
34. Emails, emails, emails.
35. More emails.
36. So many emails! I know these two aren’t getting to inbox zero anytime soon.
37. Time for Tom’s The Godfather quotes, which are weirdly some of my favorite quotes from this movie (weird, in particular, because they’re from another movie).
38. Greg Kinnear writes a column about how Tom’s new bookstore chain is going to endanger Meg’s store, which…did he disclose that she’s his GF?
39. This scene with Tom and Dave at the gym never fails to make me laugh out loud.
40. What happened to describing a person as “a pill”?
41. Meg and Tom meet up IRL to fight more, ostensibly while she’s awaiting her email “pen pal.” Uh-oh!
42. I forgot how socialist lite Meg is in this movie!
43. Starbucks-swilling socialist, but still.
44. Meg’s bummed that her AOL man stood her up, understandably.
45. I’m sorry, did the sweet old lady who works at the bookstore with Meg…date Francisco Franco?
46. Weirdest part of this whole movie, by far.
47. “You need quiet while a hot dog is singing?”
48. Iconic of Meg to get a manicure instead of voting (in the pre-Trump era, anyway).
49. OMG, Greg Kinnear dumps Meg (quite gently, it must be said).
50. I’m sorry, is that a baby-faced Chris Messina?!?
51. This movie may be the root of my fear of getting stuck in an elevator.
52. And just like that, Tom and Parker Posey break up too.
53. I know the whole point of the movie is Tom being with Meg, but…way to fumble the Parker Posey bag, man!
54. Aw, the kids in Tom’s life want to go see the bookstore lady!
55. Unfortunately, the bookstore hath closed, due to capitalism.
56. Obsessed with Meg for drowning her heartache in Joni Mitchell and cranberry juice (although, personally, I’d add some vodka).
57. Aw, Meg is slowly working on a children’s book and falling more and more in love with Tom, who she doesn’t know is her email crush.
58. Time for all to be revealed in Riverside Park!
59. “I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly.” Sob time!
60. Not to ruin the moment, but I once peed my pants approximately four feet from where Meg and Tom are kissing (as a small child, I should mention).