One of the most iconic romantic comedy films of all-time is When Harry Met Sally. People everywhere flock to the movie to get their fill of witty banter, touching friendship and suspenseful romance. So many lines from this film have withstood the test of time, and if dropped into a conversation at most parties, at least a few people will know exactly what you're talking about.
However, as is the case with most things that have been around for a while, there are aspects of the film which didn't necessarily age so well. Here are some wonderfully repeatable lines from the film, and some that maybe you want to leave unsaid.
10 Timeless: "Nothing. It's just that all men are sure it never happened to them and all women at one time or other have done it so you do the math."
This quote is from a scene where Sally is once again arguing with Harry about the sexual relationship between men and women. Sally insists that many of the women Harry has slept with are faking it. Harry is sure they aren't. As a response, Sally cites the fact that many women she knows have said as much, and most men will insist it isn't true, so, as she says--"you do the math." Both things cannot be true!
9 Didn't Age Well: "What I'm saying is--and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form--is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way."
Harry is referring to the fact that he and Sally could never be just friends because the issue of being attracted to each other will always be a problem. When Sally asks what would happen if she were ugly, he says it doesn't matter - men always want to sleep with their female friends. This kind of idea is a hard sell in the year 2020, one amongst many reasons being that the quote assumes that all men and women are heterosexual.
8 Timeless: "I'll have what she's having."
This is perhaps the most well-known quote from the film. It's so commonly slipped into interaction now that most people likely don't necessarily know that they are even quoting something. The quote refers to the famous scene in the film during which Sally makes a scene while sitting in a diner with Harry in order to prove a point about being able to convincingly "fake it." Some have rumored that the response of the women next to their table was actually an improvised line!
7 Didn't Age Well: "There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance."
These quote has definitely done some damage to the women's movement. It may sound silly to say, but small waves grow and have great effects.
Such a popular film asserting such an idea is detrimental to women, as it greatly simplifies women by constricting them to fit into one of two categories. It also aligns their value in relation to how easy they are to "maintain," or deal with, in accordance with men. The idea that women are merely something to be dealt with is insulting and unhelpful.
6 Timeless: "But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top, I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it, if not then no ice cream, just whipped cream but only if it's real, if it's out of a can then nothing."
This quote exemplifies Sally's extremely specific ordering habits. It's a wonderful quote, not only because it is hilarious but because it also demonstrates a woman being particular about what she wants and being completely unapologetic for it. She continues the habit all throughout the film, and never once falters in confidence or appears self-conscious.
5 Didn't Age Well: "The truth is that men don’t want to be friends with women. Men know they don’t understand women, and they don’t much care. They want women as lovers, as wives, as mothers, but they’re not really interested in them as friends. They have friends. Men are their friends. And they talk to their male friends about sports, and I have no idea what else."
Once again, the film shoves men and women into specific binaries, perpetuating tiresome stereotypes. It's supposed to be humorous, but the humor is reliant on a genuine belief in the innate differences between men and women. In today's atmosphere, such comedy would not hit home, but rather be met with confusion, unless it was placed in a context of satire.
4 Timeless: "What they could do to make it easier is combine the two. You know, Mr. Kline died yesterday, leaving behind a wife, two children, and a spacious three-bedroom apartment with a wood-burning fireplace."
This quote plays on the universal, possibly timeless issue of not being able to find an apartment.
It works well because this is an issue that relies on the understanding of a shared difficulty among people--it works in the same way that the film's gender-stereotyping jokes wouldn't today.
3 Didn't Age Well: "We're talking dream dates compared to my horror. It started out fine, she's a very nice person, and we're sitting and we're talking at this Ethiopian restaurant that she wanted to go to. And I was making jokes, you know like, 'Hey I didn't know that they had food in Ethiopia? This will be a quick meal. I'll order two empty plates and we can leave.'"
The joke will be debatably funny to some less keen on political correctness but is arguably insensitive and offensive, as it pokes fun at the less fortunate while also insulting the history and respectability of such establishments.
2 Timeless: "I can't do this anymore, I am not your consolation prize. Goodbye."
Sally finally puts her foot down, insisting that Harry leave her alone after they have become involved with one another and he becomes flaky about it. Sally knows what she wants, and she was excited to finally be with Harry, thinking they wanted the same thing. Harry, on the other hand, responds with panic and wants to revert back to their old ways of being friends. Whenever he is lonely, he turns to Sally and she calls him out on it.
1 Didn't Age Well: “You know how a year to a person is like seven years to a dog?”
This is an uncomfortable and somewhat confusing moment in the film. Harry and Sally are arguing about the fact that they never talk anymore ever since the awkwardness of sleeping together. Harry insists they should be able to move past it, saying it was ages ago. Sally asserts that it wasn't that long ago, to which Harry makes the dog years comment. Harry is either saying that he knows Sally well enough to know that even if it's technically a short time, to her it's been a very long time since they spoke...or he's once again being offensive to women in some way or other. Hard to tell.
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