When mentioningMeg Ryan, one cannot help but think of her as one of themost successful rom-com actressesof all time,starring in blockbuster moviesthat are still relevant to this day. Ryan’s beginnings date back to 1981, when she made her screen debut in the movieRich and Famous, but she gained further recognition one year later when she wascast in the soap operaAs the World Turns, in a role she initially took to support her career in journalism, but ended up launching her to stardom. Following supporting roles in films such asTop Gun,Promise Land, andInnerspace, by the late-80s, Ryan landed the role that would turn her into one of the top-grossing actresses of the time: the rom-comWhen Harry Met Sally.
Since then, Ryan went on to headline films that were mostly in the romantic comedy genre, although she also starred in other types of productions, such as the animated filmAnastasiaand the war filmCourage Under Fire. Towards the end of the 2000s, Ryan co-starred in her latest romantic comedy to date,Serious Moonlight, alongside Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell, and Justin Long, followed by her directorial debut in 2015 with the filmIthaca, in which she additionally starred. Recently, Ryan made headlines by announcing that, perVariety, over a decade after her last rom-com outing, she will be returning to the genre directing and co-starring inWhat Happens Later, due forrelease in 2023. As we eagerly await this new feature, here’s a look back at Meg Ryan’s best romantic comedies, ranked.
8French Kiss
In this 1995 film, Ryan stars as Kate, a young woman madly in love with her fiancé Charlie (Timothy Hutton), whose world crumbles when he calls her halfway through a trip to inform her that he’s fallen in love with another woman and isn’t coming back. So, Kate decides to fly to France and fight for his love, but, on the way, she meets Luc (Kevin Kline), a thief who uses her to smuggle a stolen diamond necklace, with whom she seems to share more things in common than she realizes.French Kisswas directed by Lawrence Kasdan and shot in Southeastern France and Cannes.
Related:Best Movie Couples in Romantic Comedy History, Ranked
7Kate & Leopold
James Mangold helms this 2001 movie that proves that, many times, there are no limitations when it comes to love stories. Ryan and Hugh Jackman areKate & Leopold, two entirely different individuals with one thing in common: they do not believe in love. Kate is a fast-growing businesswoman living in 2001. Leopold, for his part, is the Duke of Albany in 1876. When amateur physicist Stuart (Liev Schreiber), Kate’s ex-partner, opens a portal from 19th-Century New York into the present, both Kate and Leopold cross paths, sparking an unforeseen romance across distance and time.
6Addicted to Love
Inspired by the Robert Palmer song, 1997’sAddicted to Lovedelves into the boundaries of romantic obsession, featuring Ryan, Matthew Broderick, Tchéky Karyo, and Kelly Preston. Directed by Griffin Dunne, the film centers on Sam (Broderick), who lives happily with his girlfriend Linda (Preston), until she leaves him and moves to New York with a new lover. Determined to win her back, Sam relocates and starts monitoring his sweetheart and her new partner, Anton (Karyo), very closely. However, someone sneaks up on his surveillance operation: Maggie (Ryan), Anton’s ex-fiancée who is willing to go to any lengths to get revenge.
5Prelude to a Kiss
Alec Baldwin, Ryan, and Sydney Walker star in the 1992 filmPrelude to a Kiss, with a subject matter that has been widely explored in the film industry, but with a more romantic feel that reflects on love’s limitations. The movie is based on the play of the same name written by Craig Lucas and directed by Norman René, the team that also heads the cinematographic production. It revolves around Rita (Ryan) and Peter (Baldwin), a completely opposite pair who fall in love at first sight. Upon their wedding day, a peculiar visit turns their lives upside down: when an elderly man named Julius (Walker) kisses the bride, their souls unexpectedly swap bodies.
Related:Best Romantic Comedies of the 2000s, Ranked
4Joe Versus the Volcano
This 1990 film became the first of many productions that co-starred Ryan and Tom Hanks, a couple that proved to be quite successful on the silver screen. Directed and written by John Patrick Shanley,Joe Versus the Volcanointroduces Joe, an ordinary man with a perfectly ordinary life, who suddenly discovers he has only a few months left to live due to a rare disease. Because of this, he decides to change his life, resigning from his job and volunteering for a human sacrifice on a South Pacific island. However, there is one thing that Joe is not expecting in this new phase: to find a new love that ends up turning his life around.
3You’ve Got Mail
You’ve Got Mailwas the third film co-starring Ryan and Hanks, and the second under the direction of Nora Ephron. This production, inspired by the playParfumerieby Miklós László and its subsequent adaptations, narrates the story of Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox, two strangers involved in an online relationship without knowing that, in reality, they are rival business owners who hate each other. It gets even worse: Joe’s business threatens to put Kathleen’s family bookstore out of business.TheYou’ve Got Mailcastis rounded out by Parker Posey, Jean Stapleton, Dave Chappelle, Steve Zahn, Dabney Coleman, and Greg Kinnear.
2Sleepless in Seattle
Sleepless in Seattleis a 1993 film directed by Ephron that follows Sam Baldwin (Hanks), a widowed architect who is left in charge of his young son Jonah. However, losing his loved one was a big blow for this man, and his little boy knows it, which is why he decides to take matters into his own hands: he calls a radio show seeking to find a lover for his father. This message resonates with many women, but it strikes a chord with one particular lady: Annie Reed (Meg Ryan), an engaged and soon-to-be-married journalist, who feels such a connection to Sam that she’s willing to leave everything behind for him.
1When Harry Met Sally
When Harry Met Sallyis probably one of the most iconic rom-coms in the history of cinema, and also one of Ryan’s most memorable productions. Is there such a thing as friendship between men and women? This is the question that the 1989 film written by Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner attempts to answer. Billy Crystal and Ryan are Harry and Sally, who meet while sharing a road trip from Chicago to New York and then encounter each other under different circumstances over the course of 12 years. Harry and Sally hold very different opinions regarding male-female friendship: he doesn’t think it’s possible, while she is convinced of the opposite. Only time can tell which one of them proves to be right.
