NOTE: This 4K release is currently only available as part of Sony’s Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4. Since each film comes packaged in its own 4K keepcase, we will first review each film separately, followed by an overall review of the collection and its deluxe packaging.
It’s been 15 months since Sam Baldwin (Tom Hanks) lost his wife to cancer and moved from Chicago to Seattle in hopes of getting away from all the things that remind him of his lost love. But Sam is still sad and grieving, and hasn’t gotten back into dating. Sam’s 8-year-old son, Jonah (Ross Malinger) has noticed this, and on Christmas Eve, he calls into a radio chat show for advice, telling Dr. Marcia Fieldstone (Caroline Aaron) that his Christmas wish is for his father to find a new wife. Sam reluctantly gets on the line, and has a deep discussion with Dr. Marcia about how he has trouble sleeping, and how he still grieves for his wife. The radio host gives him the nickname “Sleepless in Seattle”, and many women start writing in, asking to go on a date with Sam. The radio station forwards these letters over to Sam, but he doesn’t want to read them, fearing these women could be psychos like in Fatal Attraction.
One of the people listening to the call is Annie Reed (Meg Ryan) in Baltimore. She’s driving to spend Christmas Eve with her fiancé Walter’s (Bill Pullman) family at the time, and is brought to tears by Sam’s story. She is engaged to a man who is very predictable and loving, but she never felt the magic both her mother and Sam speak of when they talk about finding the one. She finds herself drawn to Sam, and even writes her own letter, asking Sam to meet her on the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building at midnight on Valentine’s Day—like in her favorite romantic movie An Affair To Remember. She already has plans to spend Valentine’s Day with her fiancé in New York City, and perhaps she could get away to meet this man. While she doesn’t have the guts to mail the letter, her best friend Becky (Rosie O’Donnell) does. And when Jonah reads it, he knows that Annie is the one for his dad—but Sam refuses to go along, preferring to get back into dating the old fashioned way, by catching the eye of a stranger on the street. As Jonah continues to try to convince his father to go to NYC, Annie also continues to explore her own relationship and figure out if it’s what she really wants or if she’s just settling for something safe, and if the world is giving her signs to go after the “magic”, which may lie with Sleepless in Seattle. Will these two people who seem destined to meet ever do so?!
The 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle comes from one of the queens of the romantic comedy, Nora Ephron. It marks the second rom-com collaboration between Hanks and Ryan, though they don’t really have much screen time together. Instead, the film follows their characters’ separate journeys towards finding one another. One would think that a story about a grieving man trying to find love again, and an engaged woman thinking about leaving her stagnant relationship, would be more dramatic than humorous. However, the writing is quite witty and fun, adding a lot of comedy to this romantic story. Sam has this great relationship with his son Jonah, treating him like an adult, and never shying away from any topic. Tom Hanks and Ross Malinger have this amazing on-screen chemistry, and feel like they could be a real father and son. They often have this hilarious interplay, with Jonah serving more like Sam’s wingman to try to get him to find love again. While Jonah wants his father to find love again, he also has a vested interest in who his father dates, and who could become his new mother. Meg Ryan is also a delight as this woman at a crossroads, and this emotional crisis also brings a lot of humor. Annie has a lot of witty dialogue and some great moments of physical comedy—such as when she’s trying to hide in the cupboard to listen to the radio show and Walter discovers her. Despite not having much screen time together, there is this palpable connection between Sam and Annie, making the audience really want to see them get together.
The film is loaded with a talented and recognizable supporting cast. Bill Pullman is hilarious as this dry, predictable fiancé, who seems to have every ailment under the sun. He definitely loves Annie and is looking forward to getting married, but doesn’t realize just how boring and predictable he is. Rosie O’Donnell is also a lot of fun as Annie’s best friend who’s pushing her to pursue this relationship with “Sleepless in Seattle”. Gaby Hoffmann is a delight as Jonah’s friend Jessica, who encourages him to try to get his father to meet Annie. The rest of the cast also includes Rita Wilson, Victor Garber, David Hyde Pierce, Frances Conroy, Rob Reiner, and many more.
The 4K debut of Sleepless in Seattle looks quite nice, with a generally clean-looking picture with a pleasant and natural level of film grain. There is a solid level of detail, especially in closeups, but also in some of the darker scenes. The release features Dolby Vision. Blacks look great, especially in one scene where Sam looks out from his deck to watch the New Years’ fireworks over the water. The new Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes nice use of the surround and height channels to provide an immersive experience—whether it’s pouring rain overhead, or the ambiance of the busy city streets, or just the film’s wonderful score and soundtrack filling the room. Speaking of the soundtrack, some of the music choices are fun and spot on, such as “Back in the Saddle Again” when Sam decides he’ll try dating again, or “Stand By Your Man” as Annie contemplates staying with Walter.
The 4K and Blu-ray discs come packed on either side of a standard 4K keepcase. An insert provides instructions for redeeming a 4K Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. There are no bonus features on the 4K disc, but the Blu-ray disc contains a lot of material. New to this release are a short conversation between producer Gary Foster and star Meg Ryan (filmed in 2018), and a new commentary from a pair of film critics. Carried over from previous releases are a vintage featurette about Love in the Movies, 4 deleted scenes, a director/writer commentary, a music video, and the film’s trailer.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:45:06)
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4K UHD:
- 2160p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- Dolby Vision / HDR10
- English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French (Parisian) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French (Québécois) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, German 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, Italian 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Castilian) 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish (Latin American) Dolby Surround, Thai Mono DTS-HD Master Audio, Turkish Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Thai, Turkish
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
- English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, French (Parisian) Dolby Surround, French (Québécois) Dolby Surround, German Dolby Surround, Italian Dolby Surround, Korean Mono, Spanish Dolby Surround, Thai Mono, Turkish Mono
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish
Blu-ray:
Extras:
All bonus material can only be found on the Blu-ray disc.
- A Conversation on Sleepless in Seattle with Gary Foster and Meg Ryan (3:36)
In this new featurette, originally filmed in 2018, producer Gary Foster and star Meg Ryan (“Annie Reed”) sit own together in New York to discuss filming the last shot in New York City, working with Norah Ephron, working with Tom Hanks, and why the film still resonates with audiences 25 years later. - Love in the Movies (13:09)
In this vintage featurette, the cast and crew discuss how love is depicted in the movies, using movie references within the movie, their own experiences falling in love, and more. Includes interviews with associate producer/writer Delia Ephron, Empire State Building historian Lydia Ruth, director/writer Nora Ephron, Dr. Drew Pinsky & Adam Carolla (Loveline), producers Lydia Obst & Gary Foster, and stars Meg Ryan & Tom Hanks (“Sam”). Presented in 4:3 format. - Deleted Scenes (6:07)
Collection of 4 deleted scenes. Play All, or select from:- Opening Gifts (2:32)
Jonah and Sam open their Christmas gifts. - Guest at the Door (2:25)
Sam and Jonah are singing Christmas carols when some young radio show fans knock at their door. - Fishing (:53)
Sam and Jonah discuss the previous night’s radio show appearance while fishing. - Airport (:27)
Sam tries to get a plane ticket to NYC.
- Opening Gifts (2:32)
- 30th Anniversary Commentary with Karen Han and David Sims (1:45:06)
In this brand new commentary track, critics Karen Han (culture writer/screenwriter) & David Sims (staff writer/critic, The Atlantic) discuss the film on its 30th anniversary. They talk about the rom-com genre in general, the evolution of the film, the themes of the movie, the cast, and more. Overall it’s a lively and fun discussion. - Nora and Delia Ephron Commentary (1:45:06)
Originally recorded for the DVD release, director/writer Nora Ephron and her sister associate producer/writer Delia Ephron provide an informative commentary, talking about the evolution of the script, the music, the cast, and more. They share many behind-the-scenes stories and factoids about the production. - “When I Fall in Love” Music Video (4:21)
Clive Griffin and Celine Dion sing “When I Fall in Love”, along with clips from the film. Presented in 4:3 format. - Theatrical Trailer (2:31)
Final Thoughts:
Sleepless in Seattle holds up quite well 30 years later. It features an amazing cast, and is a really fun romantic comedy that will have you laughing throughout. Hanks and Ryan are great together, even when they’re not actually doing scenes together. Sony’s new 4K release features solid picture and sound, and the discs offer a couple new bonus features while also porting over some legacy material. Fans of the cast/film will want to pick this one up.
Columbia Classics 4K Ultra HD Collection Volume 4 (His Girl Friday/Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner/Kramer vs. Kramer/Starman/Sleepless in Seattle/Punch-Drunk Love) (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital) [4K UHD]
33% Off $215.99 $139.95 (as of April 26, 2024 10:30 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Sleepless in Seattle
$4.99 (as of April 26, 2024 10:30 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
