When Harry Met Sally: What Time is It?

The film jumps back and forth between the main plot involving Harry/Sally and old couples retelling their love stories. The film also jumps forward in time with two "5 Years Later" as well as some fade outs. But the question I have about this film is: What time is it?

Because during the New Years scene and especially by the Pictionary scene I was beginning to wonder how much time had passed. It was enough of a stretch for me to get over the "5 Years Later" scenario - but I did get over it - it was a movie and it was cute and I enjoyed seeing how they grew older and the way they interacted with each other.

But by the time I reached the Pictionary scene it was more than obvious that they were into each other and I am wondering the very thing Harry proposed at the beginning: "Can a man and a woman just be friends?" Now I know defenders of the film will argue that it is made all the better by reflecting the theme - but I'm not saying the plot development is poor. In all honesty I loved this film. The characters were real to me and dialogue was hysterical.

But at a certain point I wonder how it took so long for them to kiss passionately. Apparently it took Joe to get married, but regardless of that I just cannot believe - by any stretch of my imagination - that it took them as long as I feel it did. The reason I say feel is because film and relative time go hand in hand. A fade out means different things to different people and a 5 year time span means different things to different people.

All I know is that I am with Harry's original standings in which I am unconvinced they held off as long as I perceive they did. It takes more imagination by the view to believe they were best-friends-forever for as long as they were than it does to believe that Frodo Baggins from The Shire threw an all-powerful Ring forged by the evil dark lord Sauron into the fiery pits of Mount Doom in the hellish region of Middle Earth known as Mordor.

I just don't have the imagination for the former, but I do for the latter.

The romantic comedy lover in me enjoys how the plot develops. Really, I think its very understandable and strong. But the story should have taken place (besides the 10 years at the beginning - which should have been shortened in its own right) in no more than a few months. No two adults can spend as much time with each other as they have, doing the things they do, and not - after a few weeks - have legitimate questions in the back of their mind about a romantic relationship forming.

It's inhuman for them to have held out as long as they had.

If the story was shortened in its relative time, I would have believed it.

But because it was expanded as much as it was. I guess I just have to love it for what it is - a damn funny movie.

But my contrarian side just needed some clarification because I'm still not buying the chronology.