I'll have what she's having : how Nora Ephron's three iconic films saved the romantic comedy /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A backstage look at the making of Nora Ephron's revered trilogy-- When Harry Met Sally , You've Got Mail , and Sleepless in Seattle --which brought romantic comedies back to the fore, and an intimate portrait of the beloved writer/director who inspired a generation of Hollywood women, from Mindy Kaling to Lena Dunham.

In I'll Have What She's Having entertainment journalist Erin Carlson tells the story of the real Nora Ephron and how she reinvented the romcom through her trio of instant classics. With a cast of famous faces including Rob Reiner, Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, and Billy Crystal, Carlson takes readers on a rollicking, revelatory trip to Ephron's New York City, where reality took a backseat to romance and Ephron--who always knew what she wanted and how she wanted it--ruled the set with an attention to detail that made her actors feel safe but sometimes exasperated crew members.

Along the way, Carlson examines how Ephron explored in the cinema answers to the questions that plagued her own romantic life and how she regained faith in love after one broken engagement and two failed marriages. Carlson also explores countless other questions Ephron's fans have wondered about: What sparked Reiner to snap out of his bachelor blues during the making of When Harry Met Sally ? Why was Ryan, a gifted comedian trapped in the body of a fairytale princess, not the first choice for the role? After she and Hanks each separatel balked at playing Mail' s Kathleen Kelly and Sleepless ' Sam Baldwin, what changed their minds? And perhaps most importantly: What was Dave Chappelle doing . . . in a turtleneck ? An intimate portrait of a one of America's most iconic filmmakers and a look behind the scenes of her crowning achievements, I'll Have What She's Having is a vivid account of the days and nights when Ephron, along with assorted cynical collaborators, learned to show her heart on the screen.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Ephron, who died in 2012, was an unlikely inventor of the iconic romantic comedies When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail. Though insecure about her looks, Nora grew up tough as nails, and her early unhappy romantic life (second husband Carl Bernstein broke her heart) was hardly fodder for the sweet and sentimental beloved rom-coms that would follow. -Carlson paints a warts-and-all portrait of -Ephron but focuses mostly on how these three films came to be. For example, -Carlson reveals that actress Meg Ryan was not the first choice for Sleepless's Sally, that nice guy Tom Hanks and Ephron butted heads on the set, and who uttered that famous line "I'll have what she's having." She also weaves in portraits of Ryan, Hanks, director Rob Reiner, and others. Carlson's prose style is perky and approachable, but her use of words such as waspy, lefty, and voice-y as well as liberal parenthetical asides, sometimes distract. -VERDICT Movie fans, film students, and those who miss funny romantic comedies will enjoy this detailed behind-the-scenes look at three of the best.-Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

Journalist Carlson doesn't definitively prove her thesis-that Nora Ephron's efforts as a screenwriter and film director saved the rom-com genre from history's proverbial dustbin-but her debut book is nonetheless an enjoyable and informative romp that will please industry insiders and movie fans alike. Carlson details Ephron's beginnings as a journalist who used her "fierce wit and nimble social maneuvering" to thrive in the male-dominated film industry. The author then walks the reader through the conception, filming, and release of Ephron's three major hits: When Harry Met Sally (which Ephron scripted but didn't direct), Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail. While the book offers little in the way of a larger social context, it includes plenty of power lunches and fan-pleasing trivia about not only Ephron but also two stars she often worked with: Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, who was "forever struggling to earn the respect Tom came by effortlessly." Descriptions of the on-again-off-again negotiations to use the Empire State Building as a location in Sleepless add to the fun. Carlson's breezy Hollywood chronicle also has a serious point to make: that the gender-based barriers Ephron overcame throughout her career remain very much in place in the film industry. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Hollywood Reporter journalist Carlson's first book pays affectionate and clear-eyed tribute to the three most popular movies associated with screenwriter and director Nora Ephron. Going behind the scenes to explore the making of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail, she dispenses insider information that fans of the movies will find hard to resist, whether she's talking about Meg Ryan's iconic restaurant scene or Tom Hanks' many quibbles about character choices. Carlson's deep knowledge of pop culture and the entertainment industry never tempts her to take herself too seriously; her breezy, frisky tone makes reading the book like sharing a gossipy lunch with an old friend. Although she keeps the focus on the three films, she also allows herself to go off on fascinating tangents about the lives and other movies of the director and her stars. As sweet and bubbly a treat as the movies it covers, this book does what it does impeccably, and readers will love it.--Quamme, Margaret Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

A veteran entertainment journalist offers a breezy, detailed rehearsal of three successful romantic comedies from the 1980s and '90s.Carlsonwho has written for the Hollywood Reporter and the Associated Pressdug deeply and interviewed widely to inform this guilty-pleasure romp through the histories of When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You've Got Mail (1998). For each film, the author discusses the writing, actors, crew, shooting, editing and post-production, release, and response. As the subtitle reveals, Nora Ephron, who died in 2012, is the focus, and although Carlson is generally admiring, she doesn't hesitate to zing her occasionally about her troubles with cast and crewincluding a child she cut from Sleepless and a disagreement with a celebrated cinematographer. Still, the author's approach remains steadfastly pro-Ephron. Carlson weaves other stories throughoute.g., the careers of actors Meg Ryan (who emerged as a star in these films), Tom Hanks, and Ephron's sister and co-writer, Delia. We also learn that the woman who spoke the title words in When Harry Met Sally was Ephron's mother, and we find out details about the man who actually said, "You've got mail" (and other things) on AOL. The author informs us about the personal lives of her principals, noting sadly, for example, how Ryan, America's sweetheart, became involved in an extramarital affair with Russell Crowe and became "Hester Prynne overnight." The text is suffused with dialoguesome from the films themselvesa technique that helps readers consume all the more quickly this long buffet line of snack food. On a more serious note, Carlson continually reminds readers of the difficulties women face in Hollywood as both directors and as performers whose aging often slows and then terminates their careers. A large bag of buttery popcorn that goes down oh so pleasantly. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Erin Carlson is the author of I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy and has covered the entertainment industry for the Hollywood Reporter and the Associated Press. Her work has appeared in Glamour, Fortune , and the Los Angeles Times , and she holds a master's in journalism from Northwestern.