When Harry Met Sally... (1989)

Film

Meta takes4

Figures

Form & technique

The Katz's Deli "fake orgasm" scene
Meg Ryan's performance style, particularly physical comedy and vocal inflections → The Star Persona
The New Year's Eve party scene where Harry confesses his love → The Pleasures of Looking

Tropes

The use of inter-titles marking the passage of time (e.g., "5 Years Later")
Harry Burns's characterization (cynicism, verbal humor, anxiety)
The film's overall generic framework → Genre Revisionism
Sally Albright's character arc as a successful career woman who desires marriage → The Postfeminist Sensibility
The secondary couple, Jess and Marie, and their role as confidants