By Sophie Kilbride
Opinion Editor
Generation Z’s fascination with the nostalgia of early rom-coms such as “When Harry Met Sally” underscores the decay of the genre. While young adults of today navigate love through endless left and right swipes, romantic films hesitate to modernize their plots and story structures to match the progressing dating scene. Consequently, there is an increased demand from today’s audiences for movies to address societal issues instead of relying on tired tropes of the past.
As a crispness enters the air and the first leaves of fall tumble from the trees, audiences return once more to “When Harry Met Sally.” Crystal’s cream cable-knit sweater and shots of Central Park’s golden autumn foliage captured on 35mm film provide a timeless watch about the transcendent nature of love and friendship.
“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible,” Billy Crystal said in the film’s iconic monologue.
With Frank Sinatra’s “It Had To Be You” floating in the background of this final scene, the heartwarming 12-year culmination of Harry and Sally’s slow-burn relationship continues to melt hearts over 30 years later.
“When Harry Met Sally” was released in the late 1980s. The film reflects ever-changing generational attitudes about marriage and relationships. During this period, there was societal pressure to marry by the age of 30. This tension is constantly at play throughout the movie, with Harry and Sally worried that their longing for true love has been lost to society’s superficial desires.
Both characters oppose the marital attitudes of the 80s, in which marriage was treated as a societal milestone that symbolized security rather than love. The authentic, push-and-pull rollercoaster of Harry and Sally’s relationship depicts a realistic love story. A tale beginning with bickering and immaturity inevitably softens into friendship, and, finally, finds the two characters falling in love the hard way.
The movie’s themes are what makes “When Harry Met Sally” such a timeless staple. The film’s critique of traditional norms amplifies the power of the love that blossoms between Harry and Sally, despite the pressure to marry. The characters are willing to work for love, which is a direct contradiction of relationship trends in the 1980s.Yet, these themes of unexpected love and chance encounters feel antiquated to modern audiences.
According to a 2023 study by the Pew Research Center, over half of adults under 30 report using a dating app or site. Another Pew Research study found that from 1980 to 2021, the rates of couples who married before 25 plunged by 40 percent.
No wonder audiences return so frequently to the nostalgia of 80s and 90s rom-coms; movies like “When Harry Met Sally” transport young viewers to a world where love blooms organically and meet-cutes can transform into romance.
As the world progresses and societal expectations and pressures evolve, the dating world will continue to change. While decreasing marital rates and the trend of getting married later in life are not necessarily negative, the media has yet to catch up to these shifts.
According to Academy Award-winning filmmaker Martine Scorsese, “The art of cinema is being systematically devalued, sidelined, demeaned, and reduced to its lowest common denominator, ‘content.’”
Scorsese’s 2023 Harper’s Magazine essay highlights the same problem that has caused ratings of modern rom-coms to plummet. Rom-com revivals such as “Marry Me” (2022) and “One True Loves” (2023) only underscore the death of the genre. By relying upon old tropes and aesthetics, modern rom-coms feel increasingly cold and devoid of originality.
“When Harry Met Sally” was created to answer the anxieties of the 80s; it exists as a critique and direct response to relationship trends of the time. By constantly referrencing rom-coms of the 1980s-2000s to establish their legitimacy, today’s versions of these films appear out-of-touch with the technologizing and progressing dating scene.
As cinema mourns the decline of the rom-com, classics like “When Harry Met Sally” offer a glimmer of hope for creative filmmakers to recognize audiences’ continued desire for media that reflects the state of modern relationships. Harry and Sally’s story should not serve as a blueprint but rather as inspiration for exploring dating’s evolution on-screen.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: The rom-com genre is failing to modernize and adapt to changes in audiences’ dating experiences.