Sleepless in Seattle | Rotten Tomatoes

Sleepless in Seattle

PG

Now Playing

1 hr. 44 min.

Romance

Comedy

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List

75%

61 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). When Jonah calls in to a talk-radio program to find a new wife for his father, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings. Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a reporter in Baltimore, hears Sam speak and falls for him, even though she is engaged. Unsure where it will lead, she writes Sam a letter asking him to meet her at the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day.

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Critics Consensus

Sleepless in Seattle is a cute classic with a very light touch and real chemistry between the two leads -- even when spending an entire movie apart.

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Patrick M

Great classic Rom Com, a few things didn't hold up over time, but overall enjoyable film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/24

Full Review

Erica K

When i watched this movie, it was totally NOT what i expected, to be honest... Its a cute classic romcom movie, but was it really good? In my opinion, it was just confusing and..weird maybe? By all means its not a bad concept for a movie; i thought that the whole radio concept was actually really cool and funny, i never really seen it anywhere else in any other film (which is why this one is unique). But most parts of the other film kind of ruined it... To start off, Sam's dead wife was never established later in the movie after the whole beginning sequence, which i find just kind of takes the writing and characters a little less seriously when connecting them with their backstories. Second the entire movie seemed SOOOO dragged out: an example would be why they gave Sam his new date (the weird laugh lady), was for there to be more drama between Sam and Annie (even though they never met nor had drama in the first place? ALSO HELLO THE WHOLE STALKING THING?). Leading to my next point, Annie went way over board on this one; i get it people could get really nervous about weddings and their future spouses, but her LITERALLY stalking Sam, at this point wtf... ALSO wasn't she saying already how crazy in love she was about Walter? I guess that just got thrown out the window. Lastly, i know romcoms are all about coincidences, but this whole thing was just not even trying to hide it...The fact Annie heard the radio, the fact she wasn't happy with her fiancé (why? i don't know they seemed fine), the fact HER letter got picked out of ALL THE OTHER THOUSANDS OF LETTERS by Jonah, the fact that Sam ONLY SAW HER at the airport?!, the fact no other girl on that roof was named Annie... Y'all i don't know but this movie was just not sitting right with me with how weirdly placed everything was... In general though, its not a TERRIBLE movie, but it definitely didn't really make me feel any romance... i love when characters meet, and talk, and grow upon each other, and actually have a good interactive story about their journey throughout the entire film, instead of a "love at first site" situation, and them only ever interacting actually at the very last minutes of the film... Another example (with the same actors surprisingly), is You got mail; that movie is a example of how i love how the characters interact with each other. In conclusion, cute film, really interesting and unique concept, could have been portrayed better, the comedy was good, actors were good, the entire romance part of the film was lacking, and the coincidences were showing up to much it just seemed kind of weird...

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

R 9

I can't say I had a fun time with 'Sleepless in Seattle'. Post-watching, I was unsure how I felt about it. The whole set-up and how the story is portrayed is weird, the fact that the two characters in what supposed to be a romcom don't even properly meet until the final act is an odd choice, like don't get me wrong I can see it working but here it didn't for me... especially with one side giving stalker vibes, which adds to the weirdness. I also wasn't convinced by the two leads, in both their performances and in their suitability - obviously the latter is hampered by the fact we barely seem them together so they cannot show any chemistry. Tom Hanks is the standout but only just, Meg Ryan tries though her character is just a bit mundane; and is in my opinion better suited to Bill Pullman's Walter, even though the film attempts to show us the opposite. No-one else onscreen sticks out, though credit to youngster Ross Malinger. It's a nae from me, both Hanks and Ryan have thankfully done much better.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/24

Full Review

Jacob B

A cheesy yet entertaining romcom with likeable performances, amusing comedic moments, well-executed dramatic ones and good direction from Nora Ephron. Sleepless in Seattle and judging by the comparisons this crowd is making, I think When Harry Met Sally is an ideal movie to watch next Valentine's Day #ShamelessSequelBaiting :p

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/30/23

Full Review

Alexander B

This film is highly over-rated. Although it had an all star cast; the jokes were terrible, the love storyline was nonsensical, I didn't get the point of the film and the city of Seattle does not play a big role in the film despite it's title.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

08/14/23

Full Review

Joshua B

The way they see one another makes lets my heart know that true love exists.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/11/23

Full Review

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Nora Ephron

Director

Tom Hanks

Sam Baldwin

Meg Ryan

Annie Reed

Bill Pullman

Walter

Ross Malinger

Jonah Baldwin

Rosie O'Donnell

Becky

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Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - Sam is Sleepless in Seattle

2:02

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - Jonah Interrupts Sam's Date

1:34

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - Sam Argues With Jonah

1:59

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - That's a Chick's Movie

1:54

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - Finally Meeting

2:11

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - H and G

1:15

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - Closet Radio Listening

1:48

Sleepless in Seattle: Official Clip - Wife Prospects

1:44

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Sleepless in Seattle: Trailer 1

2:35

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Caroline Siede

AV Club

Sleepless In Seattle balances romance and realism by giving its central characters two different but equally pragmatic philosophies on love.

Jan 25, 2019

Full Review

Michael Wilmington

Los Angeles Times

"Sleepless in Seattle" (citywide), a real charmer, is a romantic comedy about an ultimate long-distance relationship. Emphasize "romantic." Emphasize "comedy." It delivers both.

Jan 25, 2019

Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

Self-consciousness infects Nora Ephron's sweet but perilously thin love story, Sleepless in Seattle...such are the perils of these postmodernist times: even our love stories feed off borrowed emotion.

Mar 20, 2018

Full Review

Tina Kakadelis

Beyond the Cinerama Dome

Sleepless in Seattle is odd because there is no meet cute until the final scene. Somehow, Norah Ephron has created a world where it makes sense that two strangers are separated by 3,000 miles and still manage to fall in love.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

Zita Short

InSession Film

Sleepless in Seattle fully embraces romantic melodrama and Ephron cleverly exploits the insane chemistry that Hanks and Ryan share. Its greatness is undisputed and the list just wouldn’t be complete without it.

Feb 1, 2023

Full Review

Molly Haskell

Ladies' Home Journal

Sleepless in Seattle succeeds as a glorious three-way romantic comedy between men, women and children. It's a valiant valentine to the post-nuclear family.

Aug 4, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

After the death of his wife, Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) moves to Seattle with his son, Jonah (Ross Malinger). When Jonah calls in to a talk-radio program to find a new wife for his father, Sam grudgingly gets on the line to discuss his feelings. Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a reporter in Baltimore, hears Sam speak and falls for him, even though she is engaged. Unsure where it will lead, she writes Sam a letter asking him to meet her at the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day.

Director: Nora Ephron
Executive Producer: Patrick Crowley, Lynda Obst
Screenwriter: Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, Jeff Arch
Distributor: Columbia Tristar
Production Co: TriStar Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $125.6M
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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