There are romantic comedies, and then there are romantic comedies written and produced by Nora Ephron. These pieces of magic are funny, sweet, charming, and above all, incredibly smart. They’re the kind of movies that make you believe in romance again and that you’re never ashamed to profess your love for. Here is the best love advice from Nora Ephron movies. She may not be with us anymore (sob) but her wisdom lives on.
- You never know who you’re going to fall in love with. This piece of wisdom comes from the greatest Nora Ephron movie ever, You’ve Got Mail. Meg Ryan’s Kathleen absolutely loathes Tom Hanks’ Joe – in person. Online, they’re the perfect match. She’s super surprised and yet not all that shocked at all when the two finally realize they’ve been chatting, and although they’re polar opposites, they end up together.
- Pretentious BFs aren’t the best idea. Remember Kathleen’s super annoying writer boyfriend Frank? He was the worst. If you ever find yourself on a first date with a pretentious guy, feel free to run the other way.
- Men and women can’t be friends. The brilliant film When Harry Met Sally started the never-ending debate about platonic friendship between the sexes. In the end, of the course, the characters found love. So if you’re crushing on your closest guy friend and have always wondered if there was more to your bond, there probably is.
- Magic exists. The iconic Sleepless in Seattle scene is, of course, when Meg Ryan’s Annie and Tom Hanks’ Sam finally meet at the top of the Empire State Building. Talk about swoon-worthy. According to Nora, magic still exists in this crazy world, and it’s totally okay to wish for it.
- You don’t need to settle. Before Annie took a risk to meet Sam, she was engaged. But she didn’t think he was the right person for her and she wasn’t afraid to call it off. Even if it’s scary, you have to listen to your heart and make sure you’re not settling.
- There’s no love without support. While Nora’s final film, Julie and Julia, may not seem like a romantic movie – the focus is more about having a love of cooking – the movie does show both women’s husbands supporting their culinary dreams. After all, you can’t be with someone who doesn’t believe in you.
- Cheating sucks. Nora wrote the screenplay for Heartburn based on her novel of the same name, and Meryl Streep starred as a food journalist who struggled with her husband Jack Nicholson’s cheating ways. The story was pretty true-to-life for Nora and just goes to show that there’s really no place for wandering eyes when you’re committed to someone.
- Your career is crucial. So at this point we’ve figured out that Meg Ryan is basically in every single Nora Ephron movie. And in every single movie, Meg’s characters are career women. They own a charming bookstore or are reporters. They’re not ashamed to work a lot and they would never give up their glorious career for a guy.
- Smart women are cool. The best part about Nora’s female characters? They’re not afraid to seem super intelligent. After all, smart will never go out of style.
