Sleepless In Seattle MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +3 1/2 Content: -1/2

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE is an enormously pleasing breath of fresh air in today's harsh, polluted movie atmosphere. Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) has just lost his wife to illness, and he and his eight year old son, Jonah (Ross Malinger), are struggling to overcome their grief and get back to normal. In a maneuver to find his dad a new wife, Jonah gets Sam to discuss his loving feelings about his deceased wife on a radio call-in talk show. Women all over the country are deeply moved, including Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), a newspaper writer in Baltimore. Although Annie is engaged to be married, she can't get Sam off her mind. She finally succumbs to her feelings and writes a letter to Sam. Sam doesn't read it, but Jonah does and is convinced that Annie is meant for them. How Jonah goes about uniting them is immensely touching and delightful. Several golden-oldie songs interspersed throughout the story add a charming romantic flair to the film. In SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, director/ writer Nora Ephron has created one of the most uniquely appealing films in recent years.

Sam and Jonah have a close, caring relationship and enjoy boating and playing on the beach near Sam's beach house. Sam is a genuine, sensitive father and does what he can to help Jonah deal with the loss of his mother. Annie is sentimental and sensitive also, and comes from a loving family. Unfortunately, she lives with her fiancee and they are shown in bed together a few times. Sam plans to have a weekend affair with a woman he is dating, but an emergency out of town trip prevents it. Their promiscuity is portrayed in a rather neutral fashion, but is still disappointing. In a moment of anger, Sam blurts out two obscenities and on one occasion he and a friend discuss women and dating in mildly explicit terms. On another occasion, Jonah discusses a sex scene on TV with his dad. If only these few unfortunate elements had been left out, we could give a full recommendation to this otherwise marvelous romantic comedy.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: Tristar Pictures, 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232