You've Got Mail review

A virtual Sleepless In Seattle reunion. So you know what to expect. In a reworking of sweet 1940 comedy The Shop Around The Corner, Meg is the owner of a small, cosy family bookshop whose livelihood is threatened when nationwide chain Fox Books opens a superstore on the next street, and who begins a very public feud with Tom, son of Fox and managing director. But here's the twist: both are Internet buffs and unwittingly wooing each other every night by anonymous e-mail.

It should be fairly obvious where this one is heading, and although cloyingly sentimental at times there are some nice sparky scenes and there's a lot to be said for the charm of both leads. Sure, Meg's ditzy blonde thing can get a bit wearing, but it's toned down significantly and works well against Hanks' decent, but in this case often rather cynical, everyman. It's not badly written and Nora Ephron makes the most of the village feel to New York's Upper West Side. Apart from one appalling Judy Garland aberration towards the end, this a mostly bearable rom-com, bursting with soppy, date-movie credentials.