Nora Ephron, the writer of When Harry Met Sally..., comes up trumps again as co-writer and director of this gloriously old-fashioned and unashamedly manipulative romantic comedy. Tom Hanks, recently widowed, moves to a new home in Seattle where he just grieves and grieves. His young son, concerned over his dad's state of mind, calls a radio phone-in and when Hanks himself goes on air, he pours his heart out. That's storyline one. Storyline two features Meg Ryan, a Baltimore journalist who hears the broadcast, recognises a kindred lonely heart and starts tracking Hanks down. Hanks's son, played by Ross Malinger, becomes their matchmaker, while the Cary Grant/Deborah Kerr weepie of 1957, An Affair to Remember, is always on TV and serves as a touchstone, providing the inspiration for the movie's climax at the top of the Empire State Building. For nearly two hours, Ephron keeps her marvellous stars apart, a potentially dangerous tactic that works superbly. In the summer of Jurassic Park, Sleepless in Seattle proved to be a box-office smash; the team subsequently reunited for You've Got Mail in 1998.

When Sam Baldwin's wife dies, he is left to bring up his eight-year-old son Jonah alone, and decides to move to Seattle to make a new start. On Christmas Eve, Jonah rings a radio phone-in with his Christmas wish to find a new wife for his dad. Meanwhile in Baltimore, journalist Annie Reed, who is having doubts about her own relationship, is listening in.