The movie “You’ve Got Mail” shows the interactions between two people Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) both in the internet and real world. Often times the Internet is a way for people to create new identities of themselves, much different to the way they act in real life, in this movie I think that neither Kathleen nor Joe tried to hide who they were in real life. Neither one tries to disguise they type of person they are and if anything, they were much more open and honest with each other about their thoughts and feeling through their online identities then they probably would have if they had initially met face-to-face. Both characters talk to each other about the little things in life, whatever is on their minds, they “talk” about. These little things give each insight into the other person without revealing any personal details, details that probably would not be talked about in real life, but make interesting conversation online.
I find it interesting that the personality that each person finds wonderful online, is something they hate in each other in real life. Kathleen feels the online Joe is wonderful, caring and considerate, but thinks the real-life Joe is arrogant, mean and rude. Joe thinks the online Kathleen is sweet and innocent but, thinks the real life Kathleen is annoying and naive. Without revealing personal details, Kathleen tells Joe her wish that she could say what comes to mind and have witty comebacks to her “enemy”. In response, Joe gives her tips and tells her not to hold back and to remember it is just business, nothing personal…neither one realizing that Joe is the enemy bookstore owner and Kathleen is the “pesky” independent bookstore owner. Kathleen in turn, uses Joe’s advice against him which turns into a battle between the two.
Once Joe realizes that it is Kathleen he is chatting with, he initially dismisses the relationship with her due to their real-life dilemmas. After talking to her more online and seeing her in real life and combining the two identities, he comes to respect and love her as a person and then uses both of his identities to make her realize she feels the same way.
Early in the movie, it shows both Kathleen and Joe going about their daily routine, thinking about the other but, not knowing how closely they come into contact each day. The movies shows them stopping for coffee at the same Starbucks within seconds of each other, passing by each other multiple times and working right around the corner from each other…never knowing that the person next to them is the one. While I don’t think this is the most common thing to happen, especially in a city as huge as New York, it is something that can happen. By keeping real and internet identities separate and not revealing personal details, you could be chatting with virtually anyone…your neighbor, your best friend, or in this case...your worst enemy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
On the note of "there's nothing new under the sun", _You've Got Mail_ is a remake of a 1940 movie starring Jimmy Stewart (which was a adaptation of a earlier Polish play) in which the messages were passed through a mailbox. The man and woman work together in a shop and despise each other, but pass notes lovingly without realizing either's identity.
ReplyDeleteThis movie sounds like it confirms the "It's a small world" phenomena. You could be chatting with somebody and not find out that they may have been one to date one of your former friends, or something else odd of that sort. There may also come a time when you meet the person and decide you were putting up a front because you were afraid to express your true feelings for the person.
ReplyDelete