as i write the review for the new hanks/ryan romantic comedy you've got mail , i am acutely aware that i am typing it on a computer and sending it a billion miles away on the internet . 
i am also aware that i have just spent the last 2 hours watching the world's biggest paid commercial for america online . 
and i wonder : is that so bad ? 
well , the commercial part is . 
as for the movie , well , as long as i can watch tom hanks and meg ryan , i think i'll be okay . 
to paraphrase james berardinelli , whose reviews i admire very much , tom hanks and meg ryan can act . 
they are both wonderful , but for all of hanks' glorious work in serious films , such as his magnificent performance in saving private ryan , and his glorious triumph in philadelphia , i like him best when he's suitably obnoxious . 
tom hanks is wonderful when he is obnoxious in a romantic comedy when he's going to get the girl : the only question is how ? 
meg ryan , america's high school sweetheart , can act . 
she's had a handful of memorable performances , including the great scene in the diner in when harry met sally ( i must not mention what she does , due to the , well , um , you get the idea , and if you don't , get the movie-- fantastic ) . 
but , i like her best when she's , well , perky . 
she is so adorably perky/cute that together with hanks , they are the most amazing onscreen duo in my short lifetime . 
some people have them going back to really old classic romantic couples , but i don't really know . 
all i know is that i just like them both . 
they have such wonderfully kinetic chemistry that's really hard to resist , and i'm not going to even try . 
they're just really , really cute , sweet , and charming . 
hanks and ryan collaborate once again with nora ephron , who directed them in the megahit sleepless in seattle . 
here , the setup is a little different . 
kathleen kelly ( ryan ) owns a small children's bookstore which her mother founded 42 years ago and passed down to her . 
she is successful , beautiful , and dates a well-known columnist with very radical idea ( kinnear ) . 
she is also having an affair , of sorts . 
you see , kathleen , with the handle shopgirl , is secretly emailing ny152 . 
they have a strictly un-detailed relationship : there are no specifics , and they have no idea who each other is . 
ny152 happens to be joe fox ( hanks ) , a multimillionaire bookseller who is the heir to the fortune of the fox chain of mega-bookstores , run by his father ( coleman ) . 
fox books has decided to open a store on the west side , right across from a little children's bookseller named " shop around the corner " , run by a perky girl named kathleen kelly . 
every morning , these two email each other silly , and every day , they fight " to the death ! ! " . 
it's a charming premise , and one that works nicely , balancing the immense troubles kathleen is in with the romance she wants to have . 
it also has the great sense of being a classic romance : there is no " let's have sex tonight " mantra , if you'll excuse my bluntness . 
this is a solid romance built around that vague concept of love . 
hmm . well , the movie goes through twists and turns , having some sad moments and happy ones , until at one moment tom hanks and meg ryan " hook up " , to use modern terminology , and kiss their way into happiness . 
you know it's going to happen , the question is now ? 
thankfully , ephron has a wonderful supporting cast with posey , kinnear , chappelle , and a host of others , including a great scene involving brothers , aunts , and two sweet kids . 
it's all cute and wonderful , and for all of the idealism , it makes me feel good . 
hanks is as obnoxious as ever on the outside and as warm on the inside as he always is . 
he is , i believe , america's greatest actor . 
does he show it here ? 
nah . 
but he's still tom hanks , and she's still meg ryan . 
which is what this movie boils down to . 
it's pure confection . 
all the bits about the godfather , the jokes , the superb script , it's all really sweet . 
there are some immense flaws , like pacing . 
the last third of the movie really doesn't work as well as i would have liked , and for a romantic comedy , it's slow . 
once hanks knows the secret , it gets really slow . 
i even looked at my watch a couple times , to make sure ephron was going to deliver the big onscreen kiss i was waiting for , so that i could get home at a reasonable hour . 
the other problem is that this movie is shaping up to be really dated . 
e-mail ? 
when my kids are my age , i don't know what we'll be using . 
but hanks can do more with one eyeroll than anybody , and meg ryan just loves to dive into a pillow better than anyone in movie history . 
they just work together , and it's nice to see . 
it gives you , well , a smile . 
the script helps with some great lines that are absolutely hilarious , and that always come at the exact right time to keep the audience awake . 
i was arguing with my father on the drive back home on what the purpose of movies was . 
i've always believed that movies are very powerful , very powerful indeed . 
you see , mankind has three abilities he needs to survive : the ability to think , entertain , and procreate . 
movies can definitely do the first two , and as for the third , well , i'd rather not think about that . 
i always thought films that made you think enlightened you and made you see something from another viewpoint , and that films that entertained you were good , because you forgot about your troubles and thought about something nice for a night . 
and i was thinking about how incredible a year tom hanks has had . 
hanks was the driving force behind one of the year's best films in saving private ryan , which is one of those thinking films that truly made someone wonder about the world . 
he's also half of the glue behind the year's best example of pure entertainment . 
tom hanks and meg ryan are magical , as is this movie . 
it's a sweet , lovely affair with a technology twist . 
it may be a long commercial , but it gave me a pretty big smile on my face . 
