Don’t you love New York in the fall? You’ve Got Mail’s autumn backdrop and depiction of love at the beginning of the internet has continued to entice viewers for more than two decades.
AOL’s instant messaging might be a thing of the past, but the 1998 rom-com starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks has never gone out of style.
Despite being rival bookstore owners — Ryan’s Kathleen Kelly owned The Shop Around the Corner while Hanks’ Joe Fox founded the Fox Books chain, which was putting her out of business — fans have continued to root for the star-crossed lovers.
With the help of online chatting, “Shopgirl” and “NY152” fell in love without knowing who they were falling for. Fans believed every minute of the romance, including the moment Joe stands Kathleen up and when, despite all odds, she says, “I wanted it to be you so badly” upon learning he was her pen pal.
After starring alongside one another in Joe Versus the Volcano and Sleepless in Seattle, Hanks and Ryan teamed up to make You’ve Got Mail and hoped it would be another box office smash — and it was.
“You never know if that magic chemistry is going to strike again,” former Warner Bros. cochair Terry Semel told Entertainment Weekly in December 1998 ahead of its release. “But two people falling in love — especially these two people — has international appeal. If there is such a thing as a perfect couple, Tom and Meg are it. They’re like Mr. and Mrs. World.”
The chemistry between the film’s leads has since inspired a loyal fanbase, one of which is Mindy Kaling. The Never Have I Ever creator even threw a themed dinner party for Christmas in December 2017 because of her obsession with Nora Ephron movies.
“You’ve Got Mail is the most soul-mate-y or soul-mate movies,” the Mindy Project star told Vulture in September 2010.
Stephen Colbert revealed in 2015 that he too is a mega fan of the rom-com. “I wept through the entirety of You’ve Got Mail — that’s my confession,” he said on The Late Show.
Scroll down to see what the cast of the ‘90s film is up to now — including stars Parker Posey, Dave Chappelle, Chris Messina and Greg Kinnear.