I’m relatively new to this Substack space, and I love sending out newsletters and posts that educate and (hopefully) inspire. Because I like trying new things (relatively speaking), I am launching a new video series called “This Scene…” where I pick my favorite scenes from movies and TV, and then break down why I love them so much, but from a writing perspective. I hope you enjoy it! The videos will always be less than 10 minutes, and I assume you will all know each of these scenes. So that means I want to hear your comments, and even suggestions on certain scenes you would like me to talk about and break down. Let’s have at it…
Transcript from the video:
This scene! Aww you knew it was coming. For those of you who have worked with me, taken my coursework, or attended any of my webinars…you’re probably sick of hearing me talk about When Harry Met Sally, but folks. How could you ever get sick of this scene? I mean, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan are just plain fantastic, but…we writers don’t have control over the performances. What is it that we do have control over?
The best fricken short monologue in rom-com history…and we have Nora Ephron to thank for that.
Why is this monologue from Harry, and Sally’s reaction to Harry, so perfect? Why does it hit home so hard? I think it hits home because these two characters are so fully steeped within themselves - in every scene throughout the entire movie, but especially in this moment.
Character development is NOT about completely changing your character. It’s about evolving your character into a newer version. Harry could have never and would have never said this to anyone ever at the beginning of this story. How and why is he able to say it? Because of Sally! Sally did this to him - ha that sounds bad, but it’s because of who Sally is that Harry is able to even remotely deliver this monologue. It is because of her influence on him - a stubborn, pessimistic, chauvinistic, closed-minded, opinionated man who always felt that love was more of a business deal or agreement (that is probably pretty universal, too, if you know what I mean).
As an example, earlier in the movie, when Harry and Sally are on the plane together and Harry tells her that he’s in love and he’s getting married. For one, Sally’s response is complete and utter shock, not being able to believe that Harry could embrace life in such a way, but what was Harry’s reaction? Logic. He came at marriage with logic, as if he just didn’t really want to date anymore - he got “tired of the whole thing”. Now look at this scene. The one emotion he was never able to allow himself to feel is now on full display. Vulnerability. What was the one thing Sally always was throughout the story? Vulnerable.
Even though this is so wonderfully romantic and meaningful from a movie moment standpoint, it’s an incredible movie moment because of what Nora Ephron did with and to Harry’s character throughout the story that then lead him to this. It’s about Sally and her emotions being universal and how they affected Harry. Ephron had to break Harry down and force him to live in vulnerability. It’s the only way he would have ever realized that he was in love with Sally, and it’s the only way he could have ever said this…it’s even in Frank Sinatra’s rendition of “It Had To Be You”. “To be glad just to be sad”.
These are emotions that Harry would have never felt before Sally. He never could have said this to Sally without experiencing his friendship with her. And what’s even better…both of these characters basically stay the same by the end of the scene, only they’ve evolved. It’s in Harry’s somewhat neurotic consideration of what the song Auld Lang Syne means…and it’s in Sally’s open, honest, and vulnerable response.
This scene…from When Harry Met Sally. I hope you enjoy it, because it’s one of, if not my favorite movie scene ever.
Trying Something New - A Video Series