You've Got Mail is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Nora Ephron. It stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, along with Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, and Greg Kinnear. The film was inspired by the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László. This play was previously adapted into films in 1940 as The Shop Around the Corner and in 1949 as In the Good Old Summertime. The screenplay was written together by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron. The story follows two people who fall in love online but do not know they are also competing in business. This was the third time Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan appeared together in a film. They previously worked together in Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and Sleepless in Seattle (1993), the latter directed by Nora Ephron. The film's title comes from the message AOL users see when they receive a new email.

Main filming took place on New York City's Upper West Side from February to June 1998. You've Got Mail was released in the United States by Warner Bros. on December 18, 1998. Critics had mixed opinions about the film. It earned $250.8 million worldwide, which was more than its $65 million budget. This made it Nora Ephron's most successful film financially.

Plot

Kathleen Kelly owns The Shop Around the Corner, an independent children’s bookstore on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. She inherited the store from her mother. Kathleen’s romantic partner is Frank Navasky, a writer for The New York Observer who supports progressive ideas.

Frank uses a typewriter, while Kathleen prefers a laptop and an AOL email account. She uses the screen name “Shopgirl” to communicate with someone named “NY152,” whom she met online. They agreed not to share personal details, though their messages are detailed and emotional. Kathleen often writes about missing her mother.

“NY152” is Joe Fox, whose family owns Fox Books, a large bookstore chain. Joe is dating Patricia Eden, a publisher known for being difficult. Joe is managing the opening of a new Fox Books store near Kathleen’s shop. Kathleen’s three employees—George, Birdie, and Christina—are worried the new store will hurt business, but Kathleen does not believe their concerns.

During a visit to Kathleen’s store, Joe brings his 11-year-old cousin Annabel and his 4-year-old half-brother Matthew. They attend a storytime event. Kathleen and Joe meet, but she criticizes the new Fox Books store, and Joe does not tell her his name.

Later, Kathleen learns Joe’s identity at a book party. She accuses him of lying and spying, while he mocks her store. They become angry with each other.

“Shopgirl” emails “NY152” for advice, and he encourages her to fight back. Frank writes an article supporting Kathleen’s store, which gains attention. This leads to media coverage and protests outside Fox Books. Joe is upset by the negative attention, but his father says the situation will improve after the store opens.

“Shopgirl” and “NY152” plan to meet at a café. Joe arrives with Kevin, his Fox Books manager. Kevin sees Kathleen and tells Joe that his online friend is his rival. Joe walks away but later joins Kathleen at the table. They argue again, and Kathleen insults him, mentioning her mother, which makes Joe sad and causes him to leave.

Kathleen believes “NY152” did not come. That night, she emails him, saying she stood up to someone but now feels guilty. “NY152” apologizes and says her words were likely deserved.

Despite efforts to save the store, business declines, and Fox Books succeeds. Kathleen closes her shop and decides to write children’s books. She and Frank end their relationship peacefully, laughing about how they were a good match on paper. Joe ends his relationship with Patricia and realizes he has feelings for Kathleen. He slowly builds a relationship with her while continuing their online conversations, without revealing his identity.

Eventually, “NY152” arranges another meeting. Before it happens, Joe sees Kathleen and confesses his feelings, asking for forgiveness. Kathleen becomes emotional, hinting she feels the same but cannot forget her connection with “NY152.”

At the meeting, Kathleen hears a voice calling for Brinkley, “NY152’s” dog. She realizes it is Joe. She admits she hoped it was him, and they kiss.

Production

You've Got Mail is inspired by a 1937 Hungarian play called Parfumerie by Miklós László and its later versions. Parfumerie was rewritten as a 1940 film called The Shop Around the Corner by Ernst Lubitsch. This film was adapted in 1949 as a musical called In the Good Old Summertime, directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson. In 1963, it became a Broadway musical titled She Loves Me, written by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick, who also created Fiddler on the Roof. You've Got Mail updates this story by using email instead of letters, and the main character’s workplace is named "The Shop Around the Corner" to honor the 1940 film. The relationship between Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly is influenced by Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, as the characters mention Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet in the film. A joke about Tom Hanks explaining that a little girl is his aunt comes from a story called "A New Matrimonial Relation" by Israel Zangwill, published in The Bachelors' Club in 1891.

Julia Roberts said no to the role of Kathleen Kelly because she was unsure about the quality of romantic comedy scripts at that time.

Main filming for the movie took place on New York City’s Upper West Side. Filming began on February 25, 1998, and ended on June 8, 1998.

Delia Ephron explained that the bookstore in the movie was a children’s store because the filmmakers wanted to include personal experiences. She said, “We grew up loving children’s books more than anything.” Nora Ephron added that having first editions of old children’s books made the bookstore seem serious and meaningful. Before filming, the actors practiced at Books of Wonder, an independent children’s bookstore in New York City. The actual filming location for the bookstore was at 106 West 69th Street, which was then a cheese and antique shop owned by Maya Shaper.

Michael Palin was first cast as a reclusive novelist based on Thomas Pynchon, but his scenes were removed from the film.

The movie’s original website stayed online until at least May 10, 2018. It has been used as an example of poor web design from the 1990s.

Soundtrack

A music collection was released on December 1, 1998. It includes old songs from the 1950s and 1970s, especially those by Harry Nilsson, along with new songs and new versions of old songs. The music for the movie was composed by George Fenton, an English composer.

Reception

The movie You've Got Mail earned $115.8 million in the United States and Canada and $135 million in other countries, totaling $250.8 million worldwide. It is the most successful film directed by Nora Ephron. The movie opened at number one in North American theaters, outperforming The Prince of Egypt, and made $18.4 million during its first weekend.

On the website Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 70% approval rating from 89 critics, with an average score of 6.3 out of 10. The site’s summary states, "The chemistry between the main actors made the movie warm and charming." Metacritic, which calculates scores based on different factors, gave the film a score of 58 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. Audiences who saw the movie rated it an A− on a scale from A to F.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, praising the "lovable" main characters. Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote that the actors, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, performed with "freshness" and "fond chemistry." Lael Loewenstein of Variety called it a "winning romantic comedy" and noted the strong connection between Hanks and Ryan. Gene Shalit of the Today Show described the film as "exciting and enchanting."

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club disliked the film, calling it "cringe-inducingly sentimental" and "almost unwatchably saccharine." Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post criticized the film’s use of product placement and its "adorable" characters, comparing the experience to feeling "like a Christmas goose being fattened for slaughter." Maitland McDonagh also pointed out the film’s use of logos from companies like IBM, Starbucks, and AOL, which seemed out of place in a story about small businesses. Rolling Stone later listed You've Got Mail as one of the movies with the "Most Egregious Product Placements" due to its frequent use of AOL trademarks. AOL later merged with Warner Bros’ parent company, Time Warner, to form AOL Time Warner in 2000.