Gooday, Peter, Hell are you here? Welcome to You ain't seen nothing yet? The Movie Podcast, where I'll chat to a movie lover about a classic or beloved movie they haven't quite got around to watching until now. And today's guests from Mister Shif Australia, Melissa Leon Ever Dance with the Devil on the vail Line. I'm walking ahead. I'm walking ahead of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world. She walks into mine. Haven't
any right, No, you ain't seen nothing yet. It's hard to imagine a TV gig that had more pressure than replacing much loved Marster Chef, judges Matt, George and Gary on the Culinary TV Juggernaut. It was the talk of the town who would be the chosen ones? Big names Curtis Stone, Nigella Laws and Gordon Ramsay were bandied around. You would need big names, surely, Well, a rare thing happened. Marster Chef rolled the dice and hired three names most
Australians were unfamiliar with. They just happened to be the three best people for the job. Alongside former contestant Andy Allen, Scottish Italian Ozzie Chef Jopson Frillo and food writer broadcaster Melissa Leong, and what a roll of the dice it was. Marster Chef All Stars became one of the most successful seasons of Marster Chef ever, with Ozzie's taking the newbie judges into their hearts and more importantly, into their lounde rooms.
All three bloody fantastic, But I don't think I'm being particularly outrageous in stating that the standout was today's guest Melissa Lyon. Melissa exudes warmth, intelligence and empathy. Her ability to connect with the contestant's journey and to recognize in the moment what this moment means in the life of the person trembling in front of her with a slightly
over piece of lamb is a joy to watch. Melissa Lyng is one of the brightest and joyous people to emerge on Australian TV in recent years, and I'm bloody stoked to be hanging with her today.
Hello, my name's Melissa Leong, and my three favorite movies are Killed Bill, Bad.
Woman deserves Revenge, Mean Girls.
I mean, that's just like the rules of feminism.
And Russia to eat nothing less than the finest chef in front.
And until this week, I had never seen when Harry yet Sally.
Yes, Harry Connick Junior sets the mood in rob rynders nineteen eighty nine watershed romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, written by legend Nora Ephron. We meet Harry Burns, Billy Crystal, and Sally or Bright Meg Ryan in nineteen seventy nine, just as they meet at the University of Chicago, and they're about to spend eighteen hours in a car as they drive towards their futures in New York City. They don't exactly hate each other, but they don't exactly get
along either. Harry's abrupt nature he's spitting pips out into the passenger seats window grind Sally's gears well had naivety and optimism rubs up against Harry straight shooting, slightly world weary way. It's along this trip that Harry shares his theory that frames this movie that men and women can never really be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. On arrival in New York, Harry and Sally go their separate ways until meeting five years down
the track. Both their circumstances have changed, so have they as people, but not quite enough. They go their separate ways once again, only to meet up five years later, and this time something has shifted, something has changed. Their friendship becomes real, it's genuine. But can they ever really truly be just friends? Melissa Leong, my first question to you, you're a fashionable woman. Have you ever or would you have ever kept a wagon wheel coffee table?
Oh? My god, that thing is horrific. I loved it. That was so funny. It's just there are so many moments in that. But yeah, that that wagon wheel coffee table. Any wagon bill coffee table, even in a place I think is a bit.
I looked at a coffee table and thought, is this ahead of its time? Perhaps maybe that's the problem. It's too fashion forward up cycling.
You know, we are in we are in a phase of life where we need to do with what we have, you know, So you know, who am I to knock it? I'm open mind. Someone presented me with a really attractive wagon reel coffee table. Look, I'd like to think that I could meet it with fresh eyes then, but in the context of the of the nineties, I think, yeah, maybe not, maybe not in my home.
Maybe I like that to someone else's you are you are team Carrie Fisher on this on this one. So why did you welcome? First of all, it's it's such a I'm so excited to have you on the show. Why did you choose When Harry Met Sally?
Well, because it sort of laid the blueprint for modern, you know, sort of comedic romance films. So many came after that that sort of referenced it in some way, and it really, in my mind, was one of those movies that whenever you speak to someone who loves film, it really set the bar for that sort of format of film. And you know, I love films from all
kinds of genres. But I thought, well, you need I think, if you want to understand something or appreciate it, it's always good to go back to the beginning and go back to something that really sets the bars so you can kind of, you know, understand it in a slightly more complex fashion. And I thought, well, I've never seen it, and you know I do love a good rom com from time to time, so I thought, well, here we go.
This is an opportunity to kind of tick some you know, tick some off the list of the bucket list of movies. You know, do you ever have do you have a have a notepad on my phone of whenever anybody mentions a show or a book or a movie, and that list keeps growing. So this is a really great one just to be able to remove at least one from that list.
Well, this is what I've loved about doing this podcast. Sometimes it's a movie and I've seen When Harry Met Sally. I think I saw it when I first came out, and I've seen it many times since. I haven't seen it for a few years, so it was great to revisit it. But it's equally great for me to watch a movie that I love and have somebody watch it for the first time and watch it through almost their eyes. But also there are films that in this podcast that
I've never seen. It was part of the reason I wanted to do it, you know, I've never seen film and Luise and they've seen that, and Butch Cassidy in The Sundance Kid. And there are so many films two thousand and one recently, you know, so that's exciting for me. And I've even learned a lot more about When Harry Met Sally than I knew just through watching it on the couch in my Trasi pants over the years. So
there's a lot to talk about. And you make a very good point about what When Harry Met Sally means to romantic comedies, the modern romantic comedy. It's absolutely a landmark movie.
Well, Noura from the name comes up in so many different references, and I remember watching Brooklyn ninety nine and you know, it's it sort of comes up as sort of this little shameful secret that noaur Efron movies or were one of the characters, main character is sort of favorite little things because it's sort of just this beautiful, you know, beautifully complex, sort of very New York sort of set of set of films and books and screenplays and all of the rest of it.
So yeah, yeah, and we should we'll talk about where this fits in with all that stuff later on and even within the careers of Billy Crystla Meg Ryan, but I will just port out there's the frame Nora Efron. So she wrote like Heartburn, which is a huge novel, and then wrote the screenplay silk Wood, and then she writes she forms a relationship with Rob Ryan and they kind of consult and more. Everyone writes this while Rob Ryan is making other films, and we'll get to these
other films. Rob Eriner has an extraordinary run in the Ages. Yeah, Ef, I went on to do Sleepers in Seattle. You've got Male, Julie and Juliet amongst others. So she is an absolute legend. So we'll come back to all of that. I want to know about your three favorite films. Okay, fascinatingly fascinating kill Bill.
Let's start with that kill Bill Tarantino. I mean, whenever I think about how much Printon Parentine and Must go about music and film especially, it just blows my mind because I don't think I'll ever know anything about anything as much as he knows about cinema. It's crazy. But what I love about Chimal Bill is but I mean, I love Quentin Tarantino's filmmaking style. It's that sort of mash up of so many different genre as that come together in a way that just feels completely seamless and
signature and visceral. And you know, there's there's violence and humor, and you know, references to spaghetti westerns and all kinds of things, and the soundtracks are the best soundtracks. I think they're really some of the best in that in the history of film, I think. And so I really just love how sort of intensely, you know, they make
you feel about things. And so just the the story of kill Bill, you know, strong female lead and so many strong female characters in general, but it's just it's fun, and you know, everybody loves a little bit of indication as well.
I think, yeah, yeah, And you make a great point. I love that Tarantino takes music is score is soundtrack, so seriously you know that, you know it really I might be wrong, but for I understand he thinks it's almost the first things he starts thinking about when he's writing, you know, and that's you know, I think that's so smart to do.
Yeah, I think that a film score can really, you know, contributes to something that you're not necessarily thinking about, but
you definitely feel and it really completes the picture. So thinking about like, I studied music a long time ago, and I remember back in school and we were sort of talking about like in your Morotony and his contributions to sort of that Spaghetti western style of film and it's classic and anytime you hear it, you don't necessarily have to know it, but you hear it and then you feel it and you can see the images sort
of come to life for you. So I think it is a really intelligent sort of way of considering film. Is how it also scores and so that's and it's just, you know, music is just such a fun thing and it's a big part of my life as well. So yeah, I really really love Kill Bill and just the the styling of it, the you know, the just the I don't know, it's just really fun, good glory fun.
It is extremely violent, is it. Do you think He's most violent film?
Ah? Look, they're all violent in their way. I mean, look, you know when there's this then you know in the in the the in Tokyo when they're killing the Crazy eighty eight and there's just the limbs pissing blood everywhere, and just you know, it's just it takes violence to a comedic place, I think in that regard, and that's
that's pretty great. But yeah, I mean they're all I like that violence is used as a mechanism in Tarantinose films, and you know, I love pulp fiction was definitely up there as well for me in terms of putting that on my list. But you know that's also pretty weird and violent in its own way too, So.
Yeah about me. Nor there's a pixil film coming up, so there's a good balance.
To bring some balance.
Well, let's let's talk about Ratatoy. Really, it came up recently. Is somebody's favorite film Tommy Gashlo comedian. Yeah, and there's there's obviously a connection with with what you do with at a toy, So tell us, tell us about your love for rata to look.
I came to ratistory quite late. I'm a little bit adverse to food films. I know that sounds like a very strange thing because people would assume, oh, you know, you're working food, you would love to consume every movie that sort of has a really strong food reference. But I'm generally quite averse to it because usually it's really bad or you know. I just food is my work and my world, but I kind of don't necessarily want to chase that in my fin and the going life.
So I don't tend to kind of err on the side of those things. But I do like good Pixar film, and a couple of years ago, I was introduced to Ratatuy and I it was one of those movies that I watched and I wondered why I had held off for so long, because it is one of the most charming, adorably beautiful, emotional films. And now whenever I'm having like a shit day, that's something that I might put on. It's like a you know, it's like a safety blanket
in a way. It's sort of a really lovely, lovely thing. And I think that there's room in the world, especially in the world right now, for creations that are soothing. Yeah, yeah, I love it.
I think I made the point that Tommy when he brought up Ratatuy, that he it's also looks like the world of the critic, and it doesn't, you know. And I always find it's a hard balance for a film to get right too, because it's almost like they've got they've got game in talking about criticism, because that film's going to be critiques, and all the work everyone's ever done making that film has been critiqued in you know, their past projects. I think does a really good job of getting it right.
Absolutely, And I just I think you know, it's setting up the world of food in such a beautiful way, because you know, food is the common denominator for all of us, every living every living thing on this planet requires food. And so you take something so granular, so simple, and so humble, like a dish of ratatuy, and then you sort of cast it into this world of elitism. And food is such an elite sport in so many ways.
I know friends that prior to pandemic would fly around the world to collect restaurants and you know, and meals just to say they've done them. You know, like I know people that have flown to front for lat like it's insane. And so looking at that world of how you can take something so humble and make it so elite and it's perverse because it's really such a perverse thing. But then to sort of bust it back down to what really what is the what's the thing that we
all love? There is something very simple, very accessible about that, that one thing, and and sharing that love of something humble, that that sustenance, that nourishment, I think is just such a beautiful universe about.
The film Absolutely Mean Girls. We've also covered on It's a great film written by Tina Fey. You know she's she's the goat, I think, you know, and obviously Lindsay Lowen in her best performance ever, maybe her one truly great performance. Absolutely Amy Paula like, there's so much to love about this film. We covered it with Sam Mack, who really enjoyed it. Tell us that your love of mean girls.
Look, I think as a as a any girl, like any woman, you know, you've gone through high school, you understand the clickiness of your own human existence, and so there's just something about firstly, just any kind of high school setup is just I love it because I think we're all you know, well, I'm definitely far up away from it to be able to laugh at it.
Screen just being invaded by her one of her cats.
My cats own my life and become that guy. Yeah, So mean girls, high school construct and just sort of watching, you know, watching things, you know, sort of play out the way that they do. You kind of you know, you're always routing for the underdog in that situation. But just looking I love that sort of the comparison to all the clicks in the high school to animals at the watering hole.
Yeah, and just that.
Very bag instinct that we have, you know, not just as high school as because I really have a theory that no matter how far you get away from high school, you stay in some kind of you know, personality or sort of click within that high school kind of thing. And there are people that were the you know, the bullied kid at school who is now winning at life but still carries some you know, little chip on their shoulder about being that person. So it's very very interesting.
But it's just so beautifully written. It's it's so amazingly you know, performed as well. You think about Amanda say Freed, Rachel McAdam, who shot Little Bit of Film, Trivia, The Notebook, and Mean Girls in the same year, which is insane. I mean, what a year, like, what a career year. But it's just it's equal amounts of fun and snarkiness and come up and and all of those things. And just Amy Poehler, I mean.
The cool mom, cool mom, the concrete fake boobs when she's holding the chihuaha and it's like fighting fighting her and she can't feel it because everything's just completely you know, completely plastic.
Yeah, the the the what's so great about that scripts? And that's what Tina Faye does all the time in
her in her TV shows or her films. There are so many jokes in there, Like like Tim Meadows as the principal is so funny that assembly speech they do where Tina Fay's character gives the really you know, the really great kind of speech about you know, I guess it's a it's a it's a kind of feminist kind of rally crying away, but it's she doesn't forget the jokes and it doesn't take away, it doesn't completely undercut
what we've said. We still take all that on board. Yeah, but t Meadows talking about canceling the DJ and it's so funny. It's so funny, and it's you know, it's hard to do. And I think it's what the film we're about to talk about does really well, where it doesn't get what it is and you can't.
You can't forget humor. I think sort of the thing that you know, while these three movies seem quite you know, disparate, is there is an underpinning as finding the humor and the heart in things. And I think that that's something that I always try to do in life and to
do and work as well. And I think that that's something that as humans we gravitate towards, is sort of something, you know, something with substance and with meaning, and if it's communicated with humor, you know, it's that spoonful of sugar, isn't it.
Absolutely Let's take a quick break and we're going to come back and talk about I really want to know what you thought about Rob Ryan as nine and eighty nine classics. Sorry, quickly, Crystal of Meg Ryan. When Harry met Sally go we're back with militaly On who has never seen up until this week when Harry met Sally, and I'm you know, we spoke about it very briefly at the start of the show, But what did you think about What.
Did I think about it? I have mixed feelings about it, and I know that that Contravene's most critical reviews, because everybody in the history of you know, since nineteen eighty nine when it came out, loved it. From what I can see, I thought it was beautifully written, amazingly acted.
And I also just I don't know if it's just because we're in quarantine and all of the rest of it, but just seeing New York that way was just it made me really miss New York and I've only ever been there a small handful of times, but it just is one of those cities that has such an act and in such a cliche when people sort of say, oh, you know, the New York is like the additional character
in that movie, but it really is. It's such an amazing backdrop for the entire film to take place, so that in and of itself, and we can talk about cat Cictelli and all of that in a minute, but yeah, it was just really nice to be able to see New York in that way. And I, yeah, why do I have mixed feelings about it? I have mixed feelings about it looking back.
In a movie that was made in nineteen eighty nine about ostensibly a straight white couple or you know, two friends sort of you know, navigating how they feel about the opposite sex and whether or.
Not, you know, can men and women be friends, and all of the rest of it. So yeah, I mean it for what it is a moment in time. I thought it was really great. Does it stand the test of time in many ways yes, and in some ways no. I think that's sort of where I sort of come unstuck a little bit with that.
If you are a progressive person who thinks about the world and where we are and where we've been, it is impossible not the watcher when Harry matt Salein have that thought of going, what does this mean? I've wrestle with it a little bit, you know, and even from a well I was wondering, Okay, well, if if gender is binary is the question they're asking, can people be friends? I'm not.
I guess, and I don't want to ruin it obviously, No. You know, a movie is a movie. It was a certain place in a certain time, and a writer's certain outlook on life. And if you think about Nora Efron growing up, you know, sort of in a Jewish family and Beverly Hills and New York and leading sort of quite a charmed existence, quite a privileged existence. That's her world, and it's beautiful and it's neurotic and it's amazing, and
so there's nothing to be taken away from that. But like I sort of felt, you know, there's there's that question. Can I guess then, in today's parlence, two people who find each other attractive, can they be friends? If you were to remake it for today's audience, I suppose.
But there's nothing, there's nothing that wouldn't work if this was a gay couple, you know, like it is really just what you said is absolutely right, It's perfect. Like can two people be attracted together to each other and he'll be friends? I think that works really well because I yes, that's what gives it a leave part, you know,
a tick for me. And you know, it comes up a bit on this podcast of how we feel about films that were made, and there's there's a little bit of sometimes parking that it's worth noting absolutely and people can absolutely make their own their own judges. There are far worse examples. I think that, yeah, because that central question that frames the movie is you know, men and women be friends? It is it is a hard one to eat completely ignore.
So yeah, absolutely, But I mean I think in terms of like the tension between the two main characters. I mean, when you mentioned the spitting the the great seeds at the window at the beginning of the movie, I was like I started watching and I was like, really, this
is how it's starting. He's fitting like when he's when he spits the first great seed and the window of the car is up and he's like spat at the window and she's driving, and I you know, I'm nowhere near it Eurotic as as the characters as Meg Ryan's character in that movie. But my god, if someone just hopped in my car and I know that I'm going to be hanging out with them for eighteen hours and they just spat seeds, like firstly just spitting seeds out
the window, like why are you even doing that? But the fact that the window was up, I'm just.
Like, oh man, they really dialed the obnoxious level on Harry really high.
Really yeah, I think, well, I think they did for both of them, and that really that's the whole setup of the movie, isn't it as sort of really showing you know that the character flaws very very early on ast why they why they really irritate each other, and
both characters irritate the audience. I think you know her that you know, like, I am not friends with someone who will order the salad deconstructed with the dressing on the side, and what was it the She'll have the slice of pie, but she'll have it warm with strawberry ice cream instead of vanilla ice scope. See I can always remember the food elements strawberry ice giving seat of vanilla ice cream, and then the source on the side, but only if they had a particular kind of sort.
But if there's no strawberry ice cream, then she'll have vanilla, but she won't have it warmed. And I'm just like, who's like, I just I hats off to the writing team to be someone is writing this so beautifully nuanced, fucking irritating dialogue and it was amazing, Like it did exactly what it was meant to do, which is set this, you know, set her up, set set Sally up to be this very controlling high like's. It was the introduction of high maintenance into sort of the whole dating world
as a way to describe someone. I think I believe that was one of the first sort of times it was used. And then obviously haven't we haven't we taken
that fallen run with it over the high maintenance. So yeah, she's really high maintenance and he's really irritating, but you can't help but notice that tension really fuels, you know, the fire, and then go off and don't see each other for a few years and come back and you can see how that's been tempered, but it's a it's a beautiful and very irritating set.
Up and and great writing. And it comes up a bit with this podcast. Nothing there's no waste, it's it's everything's you know, there's an economy to it and that and also bits of dialogue will serve multi purposes, so that that idea is absolutely right, that Sally is high maintenance and that greats Harry, and it greats to the
audience as well. But what but what it also does It sets up later on when we're seeing when these two are having a breakthrough and they're starting to think of each other as maybe maybe more than friends or at least, you know, best friends. Harry gives that great compliment when they're at that date of going you know, Sally, you know orders in a way that the chef doesn't even know how.
Yeah, I absolutely I love it. And it's that that thing right when you fall in love with someone, you love that person for all of their little peccadillos, and that's what makes them your person is you love them not in spite of those things, but because of those things. And as their relationships sort of progresses over that twelve
years of them sort of dancing around each other. You know, what starts off offers being so irritating just becomes the thing that makes each other, you know, makes Harry and Sally love each other so much and makes them know that they're meant to be together, which is a really
beautiful symmetry. And there's so much, so much of that through the movie, even just the visuals of all the split screens, and they're on the phone to each other watching Casablanca, or they're calling you know, they're calling their friends and sort of relaying the what just happened to each other's friends, you know, and everything's in that that
split screen kind of format. Just that visual, the physical visual of putting them next to each other, even though they don't want to be together, I thought was really lovely.
So yeah, absolutely, and we'll get to those scenes because they shot those scenes in quite a remarkable way. Did you love how quickly this film started, like the economy of getting into this story. We basically start with Harry kissing his girlfriend Meg Ryan, arriving deep in the hall, and ninety seconds later they're in the car together and they are basically doing what they do for the rest of the movie.
Yeah, yeah, it is. I sort of I'm not one for small talk, so I really like when people just get on with it. And this is a movie for people that hate small talk, because it just gets into the guts of what the movie is about straight from the get go. And you know, when they're just in the car and they're already so familiar with one another, I'm like, how is this going to go on for an entire however long the movie goes for, Because they're already in you know, they're already in it. They're already
sort of like loving and hating each other. I thought, wow, But it's really testament to how beautifully written it is that you see it then grow and evolve and you go, okay, I see why, you know why this is the way that it is. And it's sort of you know, I love that very neurotic New York kind of you know writing and sense of humor that really sustains and gives it, gives it light and shade throughout the film.
And what a great device it is. And I think Nora Referen's well aware of it to have a character who does is a straight shooter who puts the other one like it disarms the other one. In the I think Sally would be driving these conversations, but one character to overset the mark and to drive this.
Yeah. Absolutely.
What I also love is is that I think they evolve in a really natural way. And one of the big things that I've learned about this movie, which I've never really picked up on, is and this makes it a really unique movie in this genre, is there are
no external forces driving this relationship. Usually in a romantic comedy, you will have something else happening, as in one of the couples is in a relationship already, so they can't be together, or there's a class division that they can't quite get over, there's a job that's keeping apart that they.
Work on, obstacles each other, their.
Own neurosis, the vaga this sort this ship out. But I think it's the message being that sometimes the timing is just not right, and I think it's a beautiful message. You know, to evolve as a person first before maybe you know, or set settling down with somebody you know, Yeah, and that mean settles in, you know, settle for someone I just mean, ye, building, yeah.
Building a life with someone like I mean, there's that whole sort of you know cliche that gets bandied about, which is, you know, you can't really beat with someone else until you good with who you are, and so it is really and you don't see in this film.
What I like is sort of seeing how each of these characters sort of go evolve through heartbreak and evolve through the all of the things that happen when you're you know, if you find yourself single in your thirties, you know, just all all of the different themes of failure, you know, a failure over a relationship. What am I doing now that I'm thirty something and single? And I just I love there's a scene where she says, I'm nearly forty and she's character's characters like you're thirty two.
She goes, yeah, that's really tawny, and you know, I'm thirty nine years old and I'm currently single, and it's like, I just it's it's just hilarious because there are so many there are so many things about you know, in my human experience being a woman, that the expectations of society are placed upon you to sort of have ticked off certain things at certain ages, and when you don't meet them, and so many people don't meet them. You know,
how do you respond to that? And these days it's so much easier to just be like, fuck it, I'm living my life. I'm happy, that's the main thing. Whereas you know, in that sort of eighties nineties construct of you know, I've got to be married by this age and having kids by this age, and buying the Brownstone in New York at this age or whatever it is that they've set up for themselves, you know, the humor
and the fear of not meeting those those milestones. That's part of the obstacles that they're sort of trying to overcome because really they just want to be happy and they want to find their person. But yeah, the obstacles societal and more mental than they are sort of something happening in the movie.
Yeah, I think they did. They're evolving on their own terms. I feel like they're not. You know, Jack Nicholson in as good as It gets when he says the hell on Hunt, you know, you make me want to be a better person. And in Pretty Woman, Richard gear becomes a more well rounded person because he's met the sex worker Julia Robertson and and this just doesn't feel like that it feels like they are evolving in their own time.
They meet at a time. I think that the film is better and I find the whole thing entertaining, But I think it gets more interesting and more enjoyable in the when they meet at the bookshop and they've both gone through their their relationships, you know, and they come out and they kind of it's two friends who don't know initially that they're becoming friends, but it's it's they're helping each other, they're trying to lift each other up.
I think what they're doing, which I think is really love what's quote?
I love it? And you know he's staring at her in the you know from the self help.
Section person Personal Person, there's.
A man in personal Growth. And it's just those those little genius moments where you're just like just what just it's just.
Perfect and it seems like nothing, but bet your bottom dollar Nora Efron would have considered what section is standing in. She would have gone to the door and looked at every kind of okay person it is? How perfect is that? Yeah?
Absolutely, It's just it's it's those tiny details I think that make this movie so, you know, so sort of famous and loved in that way is. Yeah, it's a sum of all of those little, tiny, tiny parts that make it beautiful.
And then and the relationship is so streamlined, like the as far as the time shifts and all that. But we get told what their jobs are, you know, I think the second when they meet up, or they they want to be and.
Then they end up becoming you know, more or less you know, within those those genres of what they what they thought they'd be.
So yeah, and we never hear about it. Again, we don't hear about how easy. There's a version of this movie where they do get kept apart because Billy has to go on a road during an election campaign Harry, or that Sally has to go cover a big story, or they try to tie that into maybe they end up in Washington together.
Yeah.
I love that they ignored all of that. Yeah, I love that there's no talk about parents, about siblings. This is and it doesn't feel weird at all, like we're not thinking that these Harry and Sealey don't have full lives at any point in the movie.
It's just just still get down to the interpersonal relationship between the two of them. But I will say, you know, in terms of like dating and all of the things
that you encounter when you're dating and meeting people. Is this movie works on the assumption that these two people, while neurotic, are more or less pretty balanced nor more people when Harry met Sally doesn't work if one of them is a narcissist or the other person is, you know, has a lot of emotional baggage that they haven't dealt with. Like they're more or less healthy humans going through life.
And yes, they're going through the trials and tribulations of being single or not finding their one, but they're more or less fine. But I think that in itself that is also sort of fine, because you know, there are so many, so many distractions in life. When you meet so many people of different characters throughout life, sometimes it's nice to imagine that life is a little more normal.
But I mean, yeah, you know, it would be really nice to just assume the next person that I end up dating is fine.
You never know, you never you never know. And yeah, the sequel to this could be very interesting. Who knows what they found out down the track exactly?
What introduce the therapist?
What did you make of the chemistry between Billy crystial and Meg Ryan.
Well that's just what makes everything work exactly, like from the get go when she pulls up in the car and she's looking at Harry kissing the college girlfriend, and it's already there. It's like they're already in a relationship, like in terms of just the energy exchange between like towards them and then with each other when they're in the car together, and every scene, you know, it's just there is just something natural that works there and it's
really really lovely to watch. And you know, I've you know, you read so many different stories about leading couples in films, and it works if they hated each other in real life or they really like each other in real life, because the tension is captured in a very similar way
where there is something of an exchange between them. But yeah, I loved watching that, and there's just there's not one moment in that movie that you don't believe that that connection is real, which is testament to the performance.
I want to play a scene which is the question that frames the movie, which is there, we can't be friends, basically, but before I do, they had met before Meg ran. We should point out this is her debut lead role.
Which this is the movie that started everything.
First, right, Yeah, So it's like when you watch Top Gun and you see basically the creation of Tom Cruise,
this feels like watching the creation of Meg Ryan. And fundly though she was in Top Guns she played Goose's Anthony Edwards's wife is a small robb Wish is great in that she had made a a couple of films Armed and Dangers with John Candy in a space of Dennis Quaid, who went on to become her real husband, and then not eighty nine she makes this film, but she's she auditioned for Throwing Mama Off the Train, which Billy Crystal had just made before. When Harry met Sally.
She didn't get the role, but Billy Crystal tested with her and thought they had the great chemistry. So when her name came up, he was like supportive, Yeah of this, So let's let's play and listen to some of the chemistry between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. In this pivotal scene, you realize, of course that we can never be friends.
Why not.
What I'm saying is, and this is not a come on in any way, shape or form, is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved. Yes I do, Yes, I do.
Well, I think you do.
You're saying I'm having sex with his memb without my knowledge. You no.
What I'm saying is they want to have sex with you.
They do not do too. They do not do too. How do you know?
Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with him.
So you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive.
No, you pretty much want to nail them too.
What if they don't want to have sex with you doesn't.
Matter because the sex thing is already out there. So the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Well, I guess we're not going to be friends, then I guess not. It's too bad. You were the only person that I knew in New York.
I mean, it's it's I mean the question aside, the chemistry is undeniable. It's it's a great Billy. Crystal is older. He's forty one, the thirty nine I think when they make this film and make Ryan it's forty one. Actually, yah, make Ryan's twenty eight. So it's a bit of a night.
He loves it at the beginning with the week to make him make kids just come out of college, and it's like and then you see the hairline receding and the grays for treating, and it's just I mean, you know that it's all been made within a few months. But yeah, he's I think there's something about Billy Crystal's character though, that you you there's something very useful and cheeky about it that makes him a believable college graduate. Yeah,
as well as an adult. You know. I think he's just a brilliant a brilliant actor.
But because when I saw this, I was fourteen when it came out, so I it didn't those things didn't. I didn't register as much as far as like, hang on, he looks too old to be in college because yeah, so watching it, watching make face value, Yeah yeah, yeah, And I always wondered why I always thought American kids always looked older than Australian kids because you see him in movies, not knowing that Phonsie was probably thirty five.
Yeah, exactly you take for It's like in Mean Girls, It's like all those girls are like in the mid twenties playing sixteen or seventeen year old kids, and you're just like, yeah, that's that's just the way it is a popular culture. But yeah, anyway, so back to the chemistry thing.
Yeah, I like the Billy Crystal. I think it's Billy Crystal's best performance. And he'll go through some of his films. So he done spinal Tat with Rob Reiner in nine and eighty four, very small role he played at Let's We played a mime. Yeah, Princess Bride in eighty seven, which comes up so many times on this podcast.
That would also Yeah, I was very tempted to put that into my favorites as well, because it is just all time. I mean anyway, Robin right, Penn brilliant.
It's all the brilliant. Yeah, throw from the Train in eighty seven, and he makes this in eighty nine, so this was also like a very big role for him. He He's done a lot of TV SNL, a show called Soap, which is huge even State's bigger over there than he has been here. And then he kind of made Sidney Slickers in ninety one, and he makes me a Saturday Night ninety two, and then he kind of
doesn't make a lot of great films after that. Analyzed this was probably the next big film he has with The Hero in ninety nine, and there's a few sequels here and there. He does the Monsters University or Monster Zinc voice, but God moreso becomes like a Broadway guy or like a host of the Oscars. He obviously became more famous for his hosting the Oscars in any of his movies. But he's really he's really great in this.
He's really he's really believable. Even though I'll watch it now and I kind of go, I wonder, you know, and I don't think this is a good thing, but I wonder if this movie gets made, you know, like with do they find a hotter guy, you know, to be the part. I don't know, maybe maybe, maybe not, Maybe we have come.
I I hope not, because he's just perfect for that role and I couldn't imagine anyone else in it. But I hope not. I mean, I hope that even though we're in a very esthetically uniform place in the world right now, especially with things like Instagram that you could have, you know, you need that there's really something to be said in life and in film for character and for individualism.
And I think that that's something that yeah, he brings is like could someone else have played it, Yes, sure, but would they have played it as well as he did? I don't want to imagine what that would have been like, because it was perfect the way that it is.
Absolutely, and I think there's something to be said for these These are two new faces on the scene really when this is made relatively and I think, yeah, maybe we are seeing more of this on maybe through Netflix and the streaming services. Eli Wong you know, has had I think a show, you know, and it's like and it's just yeah, I mean that's exploded and it is great seeing new faces, and I think we should always keep that in mind.
Yeah. Absolutely. I mean, Look, the discussion about diversity is something that I've been very much drawn into this with this Master Chef job and all the rest of it. I don't, you know, like, I don't know that I thought about it that much going into the job because I've been freelanced for so long. It's like someone's offering you an amazing opportunity to do what you do in
whatever format, I'm going to say yes to that. But you know, having that discussion about representation and about diversity on all levels, whether or not that's in film or whether or not that's in here or television and entertainment, it's important to be able to see, you know, to see people, to see not just the same faces but
lots of different bases and so it is. You know, it's definitely something that I've become more aware and passionate about, is vacating to be able to see that, you know, for people of not just different cultures, but also you know, abilities and perspectives and the way that they know the way that people want to represent themselves and see themselves.
So yeah, yeah, it's come up a few times on this podcast, you know, diversity representation and how important of these We had Wili talking about Muslim representation. It's not great at the moment, you know, and you know, and you said, then you maybe you hadn't thought about a whole bunch until you became one of the you know, a stunning part of one of the biggest shows in the world, and then you you had to, I guess think about it, But how do you balance that weight
of kind of going. I feel like I need to, you know, talk about it like your community maybe wants you to talk about it, like keeping your own heads straight.
Well, I think, first and foremost, it's all about doing the best possible job that I can I can do because if I don't do that, then I'm not representing myself. Well, I'm not representing other people well as well. And then I guess the other part of it is just the way that I carry myself, both inside the Mastershire kitchen and outside of it as well, and the conversations that I partake in and then I bring to the four wherever I can, is to consider how that might be
representing someone other than myself. And that's a weird thing because I've been alone wolf and for a really long time in my career, and I've only ever had to be responsible for myself, and to think about the way that I speak and the way that I represent affects other people is a really reasonably new concept to me.
But I think it's something that no matter what you do in your life, we should all be considering a little bit more as well, because you don't know who's seeing you and who sees something of themselves in you. So I think it's always good to be mindful, to do the best job that you can, to be a good human because that matters to people that you don't even know.
And I mentioned this in the intro, but I think it's it's good to say in front of you that, like when those who you know might be listening overseas who may not watch Musch of Australia, you may watch My Chief in your regions, Bangladesh or wherever you are listening from. But the you know you guys took over from three much loved, you know, hugely successful judges and it was like all eyes you know on the project.
I was often like talking about who's it going to be, and like, you know, and I assumed it was going to be someone like a Curtis Stone, you know, you know, like you know, a big name in the industry. So when Channel ten and the producers of Marster Chef announced three, you know, three new judges who weren't household names. In fact, if you weren't paying attention you know to that that industry and that you know, they were new names and for you guys to pull off was one of the
most stunning seasons, you know, last year. Back to that with another stunning season, I mean, is extraordinary and and pats on the back to do you who I think and no offense to Jock and Andy have has been the absolute breakout start and Andy, we love you. But in the same way, I think, in the same way Matt I think was you know, the breakout.
It's a dynamic, right, It's a group dynamic. I think with with those things, yes, some I think I think we all take terms at you know, rotating in that in that sort of lead position. You know. We we love to sort of make a joke about like a flying Chefron sort of thing, like it's just different stages. Whatever we know and whatever we bring comes to the
fore and that person sort of becomes the focus. And I think it's been beautiful this season seeing Jock really be there in terms of the conversation around mental health and men's mental health, especially, you know, talking about his worry beads and talking you know, when Brent left the show, just sort of why being able to put your hand up and say you're not okay is the right thing to do and is absolutely okay. You know, moments like
that are really special. And you know, and the same thing with Andy as well, Like there are moments where we each step up and we all need to be able to do that. And I think that's what makes it really special, is is seeing that person really rise and to be there to support that person doing it.
It's beautiful to be in both sort of both dynamics and that in that So I feel very lucky to be with those those guys because they are such sensitive, aware human beings and we couldn't do what any of us do without each other.
So it's a really it's a really good point because I mean, I work in a team, you know, on the project, and I know that exactly that and it's a completely different show, you know as a live news show with a little bit of comedy in there. You know,
yours a cooking show. But you know the amount of times I just know that Jalid and Carrie, we you need to have each other's back, you know, And the times when one of these is a bit off one night there's for whatever reason, the words aren't coming out, their mind's not working as clearly as it did the night before, and you know, and and the ability to those guys to recognize that in me or for me to recognize that in them is is really important.
I think what I've learned about the group dynamic is and I'm sure it translates back into sort of what we're talking about in movies and performs, as well as the word generosity. You value so deeply being in an ensemble with generous people because they have you when you are having an off day, they celebrate you when you're on fire. You do the same for them. And that's what makes a successful group dynamic, you know, That's what really makes it seeing and makes it last, hopefully is generosity.
So yeah, well, just waiting to your two co hosts Wing God logis that's when it gets really tough and it's really challenging. Melissa, got it, Let's go. I've got a feeling you might be the one who is the god. Anyway, let's go back to the film we're talking about. Okay, there is a scene we obviously need.
To talk about the elephant in the room.
I don't want to make this any more awkward than it needs, but with that said, we do need to play it. This is one of the most famous scenes in the history of movie ca and there's a lot to talk about how this scene came about. Let's let's have listen to the famous uh Meg Ryan in the New York Deli having a frankal gasm.
Question. Nothing, It's just that all men are shirt never happened to them, and most women, at one time or another have done it.
So you do the math.
You don't think that I can tell a difference.
No, get out him?
Oh oh okay, oh oh god, oh oh god, oh oh oh oh god.
Oh you're right there, oh oh oh oh oh god. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Yes, oh yes, yes, yes.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes yes, oh oh oh god.
Oh.
I'll have what she's having.
That when I'm longer than I remember themrazing. Listening to it is even more awkward than watching it that I maybe maybe dragged in the channel ten hr. We're making you listen to that scene with my apologies, but it is such what I say, psychonic. Yeah, yeah, did you You must have known about this scene going and this is one of the things you knew about this movie.
Yeah, absolutely, I mean that sounds that little sound clip or snippets of that that sound clip have been used in every film reference or you know, you know movie movie shows or whatever. It's always brought up, and you know it's it's iconic, right, It's it's just something that you know, you had, you had to talk, we have to talk about it. It's like it's like one of the most enduring scenes in modern cinema, I think, in many many ways, and I think she does a very good job.
Great job she she it was her idea. It was Meg Ryan's idea, which I love. I love that. And this is the power of of empowering your the people around you to you know, consult and collaborate. And yeah, Meg Ryan said do this, and Billy Crystal adds the line that ends up going to Rob Ryaner's mum, yes, which is incredible.
How is it that, yeah, the director's mum ends up being one, I'll have what she's having. And it's so you know, when you watch Billy Crystal and you see his sense of humor, of course it came. Yes, it had to be that that snappy one liner that brings this kind of awkward you know, you sort of seeing back down to earth and in such a snappy, smart, funny, lighthearted way. It was. It's beautiful it's it would have been funny to have it in there as a scene without it, but it's perfect with it.
Yes, absolutely, And apparently on the day Meg Ryan you know, started to do that scene and the first couple of takes were a bit timid, you know, she was was and I think I've spoken about this before. I think people when we watch movies and we shouldn't be thinking
about this stuff. But you know, when an actor is on set, and it's one thing to be on set and doing a you know, a one hander with an actor or you know, with the cast that you're comfortable with, but when you are put in the situation where there are extras who you don't know, you know, who are real people who were all know that you know, you're the star of the movie and this is a you know, this is a scene and to do that, to be that vulnerable is takes a lot of bravery, you know,
it takes courage. So she was a bit timid. And then Rob Ryaner said okay, and I love that Rob Ryaner did this. He goes, okay, I will this is how I think is how far I think you should go. And he sat there in her seat and like did a fool. This is Rob Ryaner, He's a big guy. Bed did a full light orgasm, you know. And that's how it's.
Self vulnerable to allow her to feel comfortable enough to be just as vulnerable. And I think that's really testament to a good directorship, is leading from leading from the top and sort of saying, hey, I'm creating a space for you to be the best that you can possibly be, and that's what makes a successful you know, a success in the end.
So yeah, and I love that. It's mate, Ryan, It's you could see this as just a it's a set play in a romantic comedy, but she is defending. It's like a defense of for women, for all women. You you like, you think you're getting away with this, but fuck you you're not.
Yeah, absolutely, it's it's it's possibly the best sort of illustration of proving ever. But yeah, it's I love how and I think again speaking of generosity of of people that are in the scene, like the billy Crystal's character to sort of be as cocky, to fire her up to sort of to actually prove it, you know, oh well, it's never happened to me, you know, like I would know. It's like I would know. It's like, do you though really?
And you know, women forever more will watch that scene and just be like, it's it's it's really giving every every man who thinks that they are the ship the bird really because you know women it's again, it's it comes back down to that interpersonal relationship between between people, and I guess sort of that whole how much do we know about the in this in this particular case, how much do we know about the opposite sex?
Yeah? I want to a shout out to Carrie Fisher, who have mentioned before a place Kirby who plays jess One. Obviously, I'm a massive Star Wars fan, so I bow at the altar and we always carry fish and Deally, yes, she's so great in this and Bruno Kirby, I'm a massive who also is in my favort film of all time, which is The god Father Part two. Yeah, and is also there's such an I'm not sure if he's underrated. I don't know. He's Sadly he's not with us anymore.
But he was also worked with Billy Crystal in City Slickers. He was great, but he's one of the funniest performances I think I've ever seen he's his performance in Good Morning Vietnam, Who Robin Williams. He's so good in that, and he's so good he's like effortlessly funny in this. But I love that these characters are in there because not only does a give Harry and Sally a sounding board too, you know, but that date they go on so great, It's so great for our whole Bundy, did you love the date?
Absolutely brilliant, just the you know, because anybody, like when you sit around the table, whether or not that's four people or six people, there's inevitably the breakaway conversations that happen, but they're so clearly, you know, at the beginning, two very awkward things, two very awkward dates happening, and then when the configuration turns and you see the real date happen, and then you know, Harry and Sally just kind of have to step back and realize what's going on there.
It's just it's so beautifully done. And I think that there's everybody can relate to sort of being and being in a position like that where you can see, you know, undeniable chemistry happening in front of you, and you just kind of have to step back and let it happen. But just the whole Oh you know, it's the stopping the two girls walking and stopping, Oh, I've wanted to buy a pair of shoes like that? Do you think
do you think that? Do you like him? Because if you don't like him, like would I be able to? And then that also happening with the men as well, like that just you know, that just happens. It happens in life with friends when you sort of go on these those weird sort of you know, dates or whatever.
So yeah, it was it was really really beautifully done, and just the whole I guess we don't hear much about, you know, all of the all of the backstory sort of stuff with the with the supporting couple, but apart from sort of ther her ponch on for being with a married man and not being and wondering why it's not working but how how is that? You know she's never going to leave him and so he's never going
to leave her, and that whole sort of thing. But yeah, it's it's really beautifully done and sort of it's very illustrative of good supporting, great supporting roles.
I think absolutely and it shows Harry and Sally what chemistry looks like. It shows the audience what chemistry looks like. When I mean they're trying their best, they're you know, Sally saying, know, oh, Harry, Marie is also from Brooklyn maybe I think it was, and they just say where they're from and then there's no, there's no continuation to that conversation. But also what bringing up his writing.
Yes, I've never said, I've never I've never quoted, I've never quoted a line from a magazine before. And he's like, I've got to say, I really like hearing my lines being read back to me. Yeah, yeah, beautiful.
It's so good. And so it also shows once you're out of the street that these are two best friends, how they react when they find the person who they want to be with, which foreshadows the line at the end of the movie, which is when you when you find somebody you want to spend the rest of your life with, you wanted to begin straight away. And Mary and Jess aren't waiting. They are, Yeah, they despite what they've just said, they're in.
The cab and they're they're going home with each other straight away, and they absolutely know Yeah, it's it's it's beautifully done.
Absolutely, So we get towards the end of the one thing I want to ask you about was, which I think is a beautifully constructed scene, is the museum scene when Harry or Sally to go to the movies, you know, they're doing the voices yea, and Sally has to tell him I can't, I'm going on a date.
Yeah.
It's such a beautifully observed kind of kind of a bit of a heartaching kind of scene them the way, because because you know, she's she didn't want to tell him. It's a very real scene. She didn't want to tell him, and then when he's okay with it, she's also upset with that.
Yeah. Absolutely, Well, I guess it's sort of it brings it back down to the whole crux of the movie, which is, you know, if you're attracted to someone, can you actually just be friends? And I think they could just be friends when neither of them are seeing anyone
else because the focus is on each other. And then you know, her not wanting to say that she had a date, and her not feeling comfortable with his being okay with it, are you know, really sort of testament to the fact that, like that's the pantomime part in the movie where you just kind of like, you can't you see that you are you know, you are meant to be together, and that's why this feels that, this
feels funny. But I think there have definitely been, you know, moments in many people's lives where you kind of, you know, you're not aware of the fact that the person in front of you is the person you want to actually be with, and that's why there's tension there.
Yeah, and I Love I Love You alluded to them earlier when they're on the phone almost a pillow talk and they're talking about Casablanca. Yeah, it's overlaid with these shots of them just hanging out, both being alone and but also hanging out and becoming friends. She's putting the mail in really slowly, she's going through each letter, yeah, and he eventually just takes all the letters and which
is it's so great and it's so beautifully done. And then there's the scene, of course, which you also a little too earlier, the four way phone call scene, which I think is extraordinary and I think it's so beautifully executed. So the way they did that was they actually they all did them. They were on separate the same studio, but on separate kind of sets if you like. So it was all done at the same time. It wasn't.
It was all shot at the same time, so the timing had to be absolutely They did sixty three takes.
Oh my god.
And so it's like it's like if you listen to it, it's it's like a dancing fact. Let's have a listen to it right now.
Okay, yours Hello, I'm sorry to castle early.
Are you all right? No, I know would call it the I did something terrible I wanted to do and I know would call it so awful.
I need to talk what happened over the last night last night because I was upset that Joe was getting there and before I.
Knew we were kissing.
Make a long story. We did it.
They did it. That's great, Sally. We've been praying for it. I should have done it in the first place. The once we've been saying you should do it. You guys belong together. It's like killing two birds with one stone. It's like two wrongs make a right how The during part was good, it was good, but then I felt suffocate. Then I guess it wasn't Jesus.
I'm sorry. How to get at he just disappeared.
I feel so bad. I'm so embarrassed.
I don't blame you.
That's hard. I think I'm coming down with I think I'm catching a cold. Look. Look, it would have been great if it worked out, but it didn't.
I should never go to bed with anyone when you found out your last boyfriend is getting married.
Who is that talking? Who is that just on the phone? Fun on? It's Brian Compbell.
You want to come over for breakfast?
No, I feel too awful. Good, I mean it's so early. Call me later if you want, I'll call you later.
Okay, okay, bye bye, bye bye. It's so good, you can say, how when you listen to it, knowing that they're all doing at the same time, it almost has to be done like that, Yeah, to get that that rhythm.
Yeah, it's it's like verbal choreography. Yeah, you know, it's really interesting. Actually just listening to it instead of just instead of watching it, it takes everything else away and it makes that just made me much more appreciative of that scene because it is just so you couldn't slide a piece of paper in between, you know, each of the parts that just all just sort of works so seamlessly together. So, yeah, sixty three takes My god, I can you imagine doing that sixty three times?
At least they were lying in bed, Yeah, at least, I think. So, let's let's get to the end of the film and we might play the clip where they finally I mean, did you before we get to it, did you? I assume you did? You want them to get together?
You were you. Look, there's a very there's a small part of me that was didn't want them to get together because that's so predicted. That's what the that's what sort of the foregone conclusion is. But I suppose if you think about it as being this is one of the original rom coms, it had to happen. You know, now films that have been made that sort of take these cues, it's better when they don't end up together
because then there's a sense of longing or whatever. But this was the one that set the bar, so it had to be that way that they ended up together. But I love how resistant she was to it right to the very last. You know, she was just sort of like in doing this because there's no one else and all of the rest of it, and then he wins her over and so there is this Yeah, there's a very small amount in need it. It's like, I wonder what would happen if she, you know, didn't didn't sort
of lent and allow this thing to happen. But she, you know, it's a choice for the both of them. And so I think in the same way that they've always been defiantly themselves the entirely they in their own way and choosing to be together, which is kind of great.
And Rob ryaner by the way, he originally they weren't going to They're going to have that ending where they didn't get together. He was a bit divorced at that time from Penny Marshall, and he was, you know, a bit like I'm never going to meet anyone again anyone.
How does anyone meet anyone? And so he was going to have him not get together, and then he finally enough met somebody during the making of this film who he's now went on the marriage and they are still married, three kids, and so he's live perspective change and of course they have to get together. So and I think
you're absolutely right, like this, this is the movie. It's like, this is obviously there are romantic comedies as you know, Roman Holiday if you go back, you know, for the you know, for the story, but this was you know, the re emergence.
Like yeah, like it's the modern romantic comedy format. It's very Yeah, it was. It was the obviously there have been romance films, you know, since the beginning of film, but in terms of this sort of this format that were used to that we may never have seen when Hae Met Sala or You've Got Mail or any of those, but they're accused from this genre, the echo forward you know, through every you know, through every rom com we've ever seen, and so yeah, it kind of had to kind of
had to go that way. But isn't it interesting about life perspective about oh no, they shouldn't get together, and then when you feel a love and you're like, of course it's a real together, and it's just how that influences work. Yeah, it's very interesting.
I think it's fascinating, and I think when you're writing something like this, everyone kind of likes the idea of giving the ending that is not necessarily.
The predictable one or the perfect ending.
Yeah, but it's it's really hard to really commit to that, you know, because the execution needs to be more spot on than when you are giving the crowd pleasing ending.
It needs to be a very clever, justifiable reason as to why. Yeah, and I guess in a way, you know, sometimes it's okay to have the happy ending. Yes, sometimes it's okay to sort of have things end neatly. So much of life is messy, So it's actually so satisfying sometimes to be able to watch something like this and go, yeah, they ended up together whatever, happily. Ever afternoons in real life versus movies, it's sometimes really nice to be able to see it.
So Harry decides he wants to be with Sally. He races to a New Year's Eve party, and therefore laying the blueprint for the next thirty years of romantic comedies. Just ever listen, I've been doing a lot of things I love.
What How do you expect me to respond to this?
How bad? You love me too?
All that I'm.
Leaving doesn't when I said mean anything to you.
I'm sorry, Harry.
I know it's New Year's Eve, I know you're feeling lonely, but you just can't show up here, tell me you love me, and expect that to make everything all right. It doesn't work this way.
Well how does it work?
I don't know, But not this way. How about this way.
I love that you get cold when it's seventy one degrees. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts. I love that after I spend a day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes.
And I love that you are the last.
Person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because.
It's New Year's Eve.
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.
You see, that is just like you, Harry. You say things like that, and you make it impossible.
For me to hate you. And I hate you, Harry, I really hate you.
I mean it's pretty great. I mean, if you take this as an island of the film and kind of go this exists and there's been no other films made. You know, it's great, And yeah, the film I made I Love You Too back in twenty ten, you know, like we went exactly to this when Harry met Sally played but we had Brendan Kwe delivered this speech to Evonstrahovsky and you know it's their fun speeches are right, but that's I think that's the goat as far as that that that kind of scene.
Yeah, absolutely, yeah, it's it's I don't think he could. I don't think he could make it any better than that. It's just absolutely lovely and you'd have to have a heart of stone not feel something in that moment for those two and just every knowing that the twelve years or whatever it is that passes from when they meet to when that happens, and everything that's happened in between to lead to that moment is beautifully, beautifully done.
So yeah, I think you're right. I think it's they've earned that speech. I think sometimes people make the mistake and I've probably made it as well with my film where he gives a similar speech, but we haven't seen with Harry and Sally it's they are. They've rubbed against each other for so much of the movie when they first met. Yeah, so for him to kind of to announce that all the things that he has kind of said annoys him, that they don't annoy him anymore. Yeah,
in fact, in fact, he's grown. The love them is perfect.
And it's so he's so earnest in that moment because so much of the movie he's spent being you know, clever and a little bit cynical in his humor, but in that moment, he's very you know, very serious about it. And I think that that's why you take it seriously, is you know that for all the kidding and the falling, he's revealed that he, just like anybody else, wants to be happy. And I think that that's that's the universal truth of love.
Right absolutely. And one more thing that they do, which Reburina does before we wrap up, and I'll just quickly take you through Roberina's extraordinary run is most most films come up with conceits to keep the characters together. This does the opposite. This separates them. You know, for the first half hour the film that they're being separated and coming back together, which is a really lovely device and it's quite a unique device. All right, before I let
you go and thank you so much. This as this this podcast comes with homework, and I do appreciate you taking the time.
I absolutely loved it. It's you know, it's it was an invitation for me to just ship. And there have been I've been so busy lately that I haven't had I haven't had the time. I haven't been able to justify just being able to sit down and watch something. So it's really lovely just to be able to watch something and not have devices nearby, but just immerse yourself in it. And I think that that's a lovely invitation that you give your guests to be able to do that.
So thank you, oh thank you. And your your ability on Martyschef to to articulate something you have just seen is like and in a compassionate manner, but also you know it's it's a critique, so you're giving feedback. I think it's extraordinary and you were such a bout of fresh air on a strange television and more will be seeing you for many many years to come, absolutely no doubt. But to go back to Rob Ryiner, so This is if you're looking for films to also check out if
you haven't seen them. He so. Rob Ryaner is an American child actor in All of the Family Showed. It was much bigger in the States than it was here in Australia. But his father's Carl Reiner, who is a legend, works a lot with mel Brooks, an absolute legend like one seventeen Emmys, heaps of awards. Rob Ryaner kind of adored his father, Laudaaliz's father. Kind of even being you know, an actor in one of the big biggest TV shows at the time wasn't enough. He kind of wanted to
impress his dad and make him proud of him. So he decides to go into directing and this is how he does it. His debut film is one of the quintessential comedy is one of the most groundbreaking comedies a comedy. This is in This is Spinal Tap in nine and eighty four. There'll be in that No, There'll be no Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show without Spinal Tap. The influence of that film is extraordinary. It follows up with a lovely film which I watched when it came out,
called The Sure Thing with John Cusack. It's a lovely little film. Check that out stand by Me in nineteen eighty six, extraordinary, The Princess Bride in eighty seven, and then when Harry met Sally in eighty nine. Now that's an extraordinary run of comedy films. Then it decides to diversify a bit. He makes Misery in nineteen ninety with Kathy Bates and James Kahn, an extraordinary film from that genius. I love that film of Stephen King book makes it
changes again. In ninety two he makes a Few Good Men with Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson off an Aaron Sorkin screenplay, and that is a great courtroom drama. I watch it. I've watched that film many many times, and it's a very easy film to watch. Then he makes a film Good North, which doesn't go as well. It's got Bruce willis a big ensemble cast. He makes a film which I just wanted to give a shout out to because it gets played in our house a lot.
If you look for a romance film with some comedy and written by Aaron sork And, it's almost like a precursor to the West Wing. The American President is Michael Douglas. And The net Bear is really smart. It's got some weird things in it, like talking about fossil fuels and gun control like way back in nineteen.
Ninety four, very foreshadowy stuff.
It really is and it's worth a look at. But Rob Ryan I think deserves I'm not sure again, it's hard sometimes to know if anyone's underrated, but he deserves. Sometimes when people make commercial hits, they don't get the same kulos as a director that maybe you know the Cauren Brothers or Wes Anderson, but Rob Ryaner that is right at the top of directors for me.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you think about that, if you'd made, if any everyone would have made one of those films, you'd be able to live your life knowing you made something really awesome. But to you know, to listen to it back like that and think about all of that work and how much it's you know, there are infinite quotes from those movies that if you'd never seen the film, you would have heard. You know, you want the truth, you can't handle the truth, or you know, whatever it
happens to be. It's that contribution to popular culture into the zeitgeist is. It's pretty exceptional stuff.
Yeah, absolutely, Rob Ryana, if you're listening, we love you. Come on the show one day, why not listen. Thank you so much once again. I know again it takes homework and we can't wait to see you again. Hopefully get a little break and then you again on mauch Chef this celebrity edition, Celebrity mass Chief coming up.
Yes, yeah, absolutely, I think October.
Thank you so much, Thank you.
What does the song mean my whole life?
I don't know what the song means. I mean, should all the acquaintance be forgotten?
Does that mean that we should forget.
All the acquaintances?
Doesn't mean that if we haven't to forget them, we should remember them, which is not possible because we've already forgot them.
Well, maybe it just means that we should remember that we forgot them or something.
Anyway, it's about old friends.
Odd Lang sign. We hear it again. We spoke about it in an early episode. It's a Wonderful life with Brodan Kelly. It makes me emotionally every time I hear it. I think I love it. I love that movie. Rob Ryaner, well done and well done to everyone involved. A lot of point at that. Barry Sononfield was a dop on this movie. The director of photography you might know that name. So Barry Stenfield had doped the Coen Brothers early films
Blood Simple, Raising Arizona. Then he did Throw Number off the Train where he met Billy Crystal, did big with Penny Marshall, Rob Briner's ex wife. Then he did when when Harry met Sally. Then he makes Miller's Crossing a Misery, another co Brothers film, and another rob Riyana film, and then he goes into the miseries. At the last film he d ops. He goes on to the direct Adam's Family and Adam Adam Family Values, which are highly regarded films, Get Shorty. The one he's known for, though, is the
Many Black series. He directs the Many Black series and more recently, in fact, right now he's directing episodes of Schmiger Dooon, which you can see on Apple TV. But a great contribution to this film, as did, of course, Harry Knick Jr. Who was Blood. He was huge around his time. Wasn't he direct You remember Harry Cokonck Jr.
Yeah, big time? Didn't We all just love him. All the ladies loved him.
He was really big because he was like Michael Bublay before Boublay, and it was was you know, it was, it was huge. Probably the last thing he was really known for, probably here in Australia, was appearing on Red Faces and Hey Hayes Saturday when he caught out the Jackson the Jackson give for their pretty horrendous black face sketch on on Red Faces. But yeah, I always seemed like a really cool guy. Harry Conck Jr. I'm not really sure what he's up to now. He got into
some acting. He made a movie called Copycat where he played a serial killer and I'm not sure how that went, but yeah, obviously plays a big part in this movie. There's one other fun fact I wanted to point out. Tom Hanks was scoff for the role of Harry in this film. I thought it was too lightweight. Funnily enough, he wouldn't go on and make slips in Seattle and You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan arguably two films that are more lightweight than Where Harry Met Sally. And also
one more quick fast fact. Joe, who Sally hooks up with at the Airport's going out with He's played by Stephen Ford, who is the son of former US President Gerard Ford. There you goo. Actually a lot of the fun facts were thrown into the discussion. How good is Melissily Young by the way, Derek, how good? I mean? She has been such a breath of fresh air on Austraine television last the most that job had so much pressure on it. It was a massive franchise, you know.
It meant a lot the network and that production company to keep that show going, you know, to walk in and to not only do a great job, I think, to elevate the job, to be honest, and I think she's been just stunning in it.
I think she's amazing. I think they all are. I had another look at Master Chef, you know, I got word that they had a new set of judges on and I had a look and I was absolutely blown away by the just that warm feeling, like the other one was when I first started. Everyone watched it, didn't they Everyone in the country watched it, but people like me that don't really cook much. It really just adds anxiety.
Oh god, why would you cook? It looked frightening, you know, But the support I really really really been enjoying it, and I think they're doing it. It reminds me of Akadaca in a way, you know, with Bond Scott and then yes they replaced him and came out with Back in Black, which to me is one of the best Australian albums ever made.
I I you said this round your Acadaca, I was like, where are you going with this? The Bond Scott into Brian Johnson is a very good comparison. So well played, well played. Derek Yasny podcast at gmail dot com is where we would love you to send all your emails questions that you have. I'm going to or so ask you to if you can. If you love the show the podcast, we it's just Derek and myself running the show,
so any help we're really grateful for. So you can do that by one subscribing to the podcast, telling your friends about it, but also getting on iTunes leaving a review on iTunes, rating it we recommend five stars. That helps us keep us keep our algorithm nice and busy and yeah, just just keeping the word out. Become feel free to become an ambassador for the show. The bigger the show gets and it's you know, we're stunted at the amount of people who are listening. But even you know,
the guests. You know we can look at you know, international guests and stuff like that doing live shows. You know, had the confidence of doing that kind of stuff. So yeah, but thank you for listening. We'd love everyone when we hear from you at Yesney podcast at gmail dot com. Okay, I really enjoyed that episode. Got a lot of time from Melissa and a lot of time for that movie. So next week on the show, we have a we have a great made of mind. I'm really excited to
have Justin Hamilton. He is a comedian who was raised and lived in Adelaide, moved to Melbourne as as an adult when his comedy career was taking off, and now lives in Sydney's He's a journeyman, but he is one of my favorite people. He's not my favorite person to speak about movies with and all pop cultural things. He has a great podcast called The Big Squid Podcast all kinds of podcasts, music, movies, TV shows, comic graphic comics.
So it's check that out and next week we'll be discussing we've had been in the eighties to the last few weeks. We're going to go back a little bit further. We're going back to nineteen seventy one for the Gene Hackman Roy Scheider cop classic from William Freakin. It is the French Connection. It is a riveting ride. That'll be next week and you ain't seen nothing yet with my
great mate Justin Hamblon until then. Bive an out and so we leave all Pete save fan sal and to our friends of the radio audience, we've been a pleasant a time.