There was a time not so long ago, back in the '90s, when Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks were the most charming on screen couple in existence. The pair starred in three romantic comedies throughout the decade: 1990's Joe Versus the Volcano, 1998's You've Got Mail, and the most famous of all, 1993's Sleepless in Seattle . That film is considered to be a classic today, but it is very much a product of its time, and there's simply no way the movie would work in today's world. Can you just imagine how social media would have ruined Sleepless in Seattle ?
In case you're somehow unfamiliar with the film, the concept is this: A Chicago widower named Sam (Hanks) moves with his young son to Seattle following the death of his wife. His son wants him to remarry, so he calls into a radio show and gets his dad to talk about how much he misses his deceased spouse. A bunch of women all over the country are touched by his story and reach out to him, but the most intriguing is a Baltimore journalist named Annie (Ryan), who writes a letter to Sam asking him to meet her on top of the Empire State Building, a la An Affair to Remember, on Valentine's Day.
Charming, right? Well, here are 11 ways that the existence of social media would have totally ruined the film.
1. Sam Wouldn't Be So Apprehensive About Dating A Stranger
For most of the movie, Sam needs to be convinced that it's OK to date someone he hasn't met in person. Now, thanks to social media, basically everyone gets to know someone online before dating them IRL.
2. The Movie Would Be Over In Five Minutes
As soon as Annie and Sam hear about one another, they would immediately Facebook stalk each other, and any tension that the movie builds would be over immediately as they would instantly find out everything they needed to know about each other.
3. They Would Know What The Other One Looked Like
In one scene, Sam sees Annie at an airport and it's love at first sight — he just doesn't know it's Annie and so he doesn't talk to her. If he had already looked at her Facebook, then he would have immediately recognized her and they would have met right then and there.
4. They Would Know Where The Other One Was At All Times
The climax of the movie features the meeting on the Empire State Building, with Annie unsure if Sam will show up. All she would have to do is look at any one of his social media profiles to see where he's checking in and what he's taking pictures of. "Oh, he just took a selfie at Rockefeller Center and shared it to his Instagram, he'll probably be here in like 15 minutes."
5. They Could Have Just Swiped Right
Annie and Sam matching on Tinder would have definitely stolen the thunder from the whole "Will they or won't they" premise.
6. The Son Mix Up Would Have Been Taken Care Of Immediately
In the movie, it's Sam's son who writes Annie a letter back, pretending to be his dad. Had he done this on social media, Sam would have noticed that his son sent this random woman a message pretending to be him and would have just wrote her, "Hey, sorry my son hacked my Facebook. I will not be meeting you at the Empire State Building."
7. Sam Definitely Would Have Looked Up His Old College Hookups
In one scene, Sam comes across not as a hopeless romantic, but as a guy desperate to have sex, and reminiscing about the "six or seven" girls he slept with in college. If he had Facebook, you can be sure he would be seeing what every single one of them was up to.
8. Annie's Engagement Would Have Ended A Lot Sooner
Annie is engaged for basically the entire movie, but I'm guessing her fiancé probably would have broken things off sooner than he did once he noticed her online presence filled with her obsession about some guy in Seattle.
9. Sam Would Have Way Fewer Questions About Dating
Sam hasn't dated since the late '70s in the movie, so he's nervous about putting himself out there. A quick search on Yahoo Answers about modern dating would answer any questions he might have.
10. Sam Could Easily Find Out How Cute His Butt Is
After hearing that modern women are only concerned with how cute a man's butt is, Sam is distraught that his bottom might not be attractive enough. A quick belfie posted to his Instagram should provide the answers he seeks.
11. None Of It Would Have Happened
Let's face it, the entire plot of women listening to a man on a nationally syndicated radio show and then him mailing letters asking him out would never happen if social media were in the mix; mainly because people would be too busy checking their Facebook and Snapchat to have any time to listen to the radio or write any letters.
Sleepless in Seattle still holds up as a very pleasant rom-com, but there's just no way it would happen in today's world with today's technology... but that's why You've Got Mail exists. Oh wait, never mind, that's hopelessly dated, too.
Images: TriStar Pictures; giphy.com
