Nora Ephron, the talented writer behind some of the most iconic romantic comedies, passed away Tuesday at the age of 71.
To honor her legacy, we’ve put together five of our favorite quotes from her films.
Here’s to you, Nora.
1. “I’ll have what she’s having!” – Woman in the restaurant in “When Harry Met Sally.”
In this classic scene, Sally (played by Meg Ryan) illustrates how skilled she is in faking an orgasm in the middle of their favorite diner. When every patron in the joint is staring open mouthed at her, Harry utters this unforgettable line.
2. “It was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together.” – Tom Hanks as Sam in “Sleepless in Seattle.”
This is the one pick up line we’d ever fall for. No matter how many times you watch Sleepless, you can’t help but feel like your legs are turning to spaghetti when Sam says this to Annie… which, now that we think about it, is probably why our husbands hate watching it with us.
3. “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.” – Meg Ryan as Kathleen Kelly in “You’ve Got Mail.”
We love remembering all our favorite children’s books and how they made us feel. We also love the vulnerability of Meg Ryan’s character in this film as she gives it all to save her book shop and falls in love with Tom Hanks… again.
4. “I know about you and Thelma Rice. I know everything, it’s all here. You didn’t even have the decency to hide the evidence, you just threw it in a drawer. Hotels, motels. You couldn’t even pay cash like a normal philanderer. You charged everything. I mean look at this -flowers, look at all these flowers that you bought her! And you occasionally brought me home a bunch of wilted zinnias.” – Meryl Streep as Rachel in “Heartburn.”
This was the movie Nora wrote after she found out her husband was cheating on her, and we love her for bringing humor to this line. We know this is exactly what she wanted to say when she discovered what was going on, but her personality shows through in the vision of a very pregnant Meryl Streep bawling out Jack Nicholson.
5. “What do you really like to do?”
“EAT!”
“And you’re so good at it!” – Stanley Tucci as Paul Child and Meryl Streep as Julia Child in “Julie and Julia.”
Meryl Streep as Julia Child has to be the most endearing empersonation we’ve seen. We fell in love with her all over again when Meryl pronounced her love of eating with a full mouth. Nora wrote the character as a quirky, imperfect woman who wasn’t afraid to handle lobster or geese… or really anything. Julia’s (and Julie’s, for that matter) optimism and energy were a reflection on Nora’s own personality.
What are some of your favorite Ephron lines?
