appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Kavita Daswani

Some time around the turn of the millennium, Ilana Kaplan stumbled across a romantic comedy marathon on TV. Watching in her New Jersey home, she found herself mesmerised by You’ve Got Mail (1998), the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan vehicle that is considered one of best romcoms of all time.
“I was completely enamoured by their chemistry. It made me feel like I wanted to live in a romcom and have that meet-cute experience,” says Kaplan.

It was also Kaplan’s first encounter with Nora Ephron, who directed and co-wrote the iconic film. Eventually, this led to another – and very different – kind of love story: the one between a fan and a filmmaker. After that first viewing of You’ve Got Mail, Kaplan says she’s watched the film dozens of times, alongside other Ephron staples, chiefly Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and When Harry Met Sally (1989).
And in one of those serendipitous turns of event usually found only in romantic comedies, Kaplan – a long-time writer and editor (New York Times, Rolling Stone) – was approached by Abrams Books a few years ago, and asked to write a book on Nora Ephron. The result, Nora Ephron at the Movies, was published last year.

“We wanted the films and her directorial work to be the central focus of the book,” says Kaplan, who now lives in Brooklyn, New York. “We segmented her films by theme, and looked at themes that resonated in her work.”
The book is more than just a comprehensive history of Ephron’s life and work. It is also unabashedly a love letter to the writer – to her spirit and creativity, and the subtle optimism that ran through her work – even though her own life was marred by disappointments in love. It is written in a chatty, conversational tone – and with a very clear affection for the subject.

“Nora was her words,” Kaplan writes. “Copy was her currency – whether consumed on the page or on the screen. Every sharp, witty line is delivered with the brutal honesty of a best friend. It’s what made her writing so relatable, so human. Even if you didn’t know Nora, she knew you.”
Considering Ephron’s lineage, there was almost no way she could have not entered the entertainment industry. Her parents were Henry and Phoebe Ephron, both playwrights, screenwriters and directors. Her sisters Amy and Hallie are novelists, while another sister, Delia – who co-scripted You’ve Got Mail with Nora – also wrote films such as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and Hanging Up (2000).
“A lot of her drive and passion, as well as her ability to observe life, came from growing up with two screenwriter parents,” says Kaplan. “It was a chaotic life – both her parents were alcoholics. There were always people at her house. So from a young age, she became an observer of that Hollywood-esque lifestyle.”

Ephron died in 2012 at the age of 71. She had been married three times, and divorced twice. (She is survived by her third husband, author Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Goodfellas.) Her turbulent personal life provided fodder for her creativity: her 1983 novel Heartburn – and its subsequent film of the same name – is semi-autobiographical. It is based on Ephron’s failed marriage to acclaimed journalist Carl Bernstein and her discovery of his extramarital affair while she was pregnant with their second child.
“Her movie Heartburn was a reflection of her experience with marriage,” says Kaplan. “That divorce really impacted the way she saw relationships, and especially how she saw herself.” In Heartburn, the protagonist Rachel Samstat (played in the 1986 film by Meryl Streep) ends up starting over as a single mother in New York, underscoring trademark Ephron themes such as resilience, and the ability to carve out a second act.

“She found value in showing that even if your romantic life didn’t go exactly as planned, you could still have a beautiful story, and success in a career and personal life.”
Kaplan also wanted to float the idea of Ephron being, essentially, “the first influencer”.
“One of the things that hadn’t been explored in quite this way was her impact as a cultural figure. It was important to talk about her lasting legacy in style, culture, fashion, food. She was one of the best food writers ever. These are all the reasons she’s still with us.”

In her own way, Ephron was considered quite the fashion icon: certainly, it is possible to identify a specific Ephron-esque aesthetic in her films.
“Cardigans, sure. Boxy blazers, definitely. Nora’s films have played a pivotal role in nostalgic fashion by both continuing and resurfacing trends adored in bygone eras,” Kaplan writes. “And each year, the sartorial legacy that Nora cemented through her work is memorialised with odes to her characters’ style in think pieces and Halloween costumes. The emotional relationship we all have with clothing is precious, and Nora knew that – it’s why we still get wistful about Meg Ryan in a chunky jumper from 1998.”

In researching the book, Kaplan discovered some surprises: including that there is apparently an unproduced Nora Ephron movie script floating around. Also, Ephron allegedly wrote a very personal cookbook that she only gave out to a few select people.
While Kaplan may never be able to find either the script or the cookbook, she contents herself with the knowledge that she will always have Ephron’s films.
“Especially in the fall and winter – those romcoms are like my unofficial Christmas movies. I gravitate towards them when the weather is cold. Or when I am in need of some comfort, and something familiar.”


Meet Sombr’s parents, Bennah Serfaty and Andy Boose, as the ‘12 to 12’ singer claps back at nepo baby claims

How 91-year-old Helena Law Lan became Hong Kong cinema’s grand dame of horror

How to Style like Off Campus star Belmont Cameli, with Brunello Cucinelli and Cartier

Actors, politicians among 100 arrested in New York anti-Netanyahu protest

Fame and celebrity

Nora Ephron, queen of romcoms: a new book recalls the magic of iconic films like You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and When Harry Met Sally

Director Nora Ephron on set in 2000. Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Director Nora Ephron on set in 2000; she’s behind such hits as You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the classic 1998 romcom You’ve Got Mail. Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Nora Ephron at the Movies by Ilana Kaplan. Photo: Handout

Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks with child actor Ross Malinger in Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Ilana Kaplan, author of Nora Ephron at the Movies. Photo: Handout

Director Nora Ephron is remembered as the queen of the romcom. Photo: Handout

Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in Nora Ephron’s Bewitched (2005). Photo: SCMP

Meryl Streep as Julia Child in 2009’s Julie & Julia. Photo: Courtesy of the Everett Collection

Who is Julianne Nicholson? The veteran actress plays Sinatra in Hulu’s Paradise and has starred in Law & Order: True Crime, Mare of Easttown and I, Tonya – off camera, she’s a married mother of 2

Actress Julianne Nicholson, now starring in Paradise. Photo: @dopegirlstv/Instagram

Julianne Nicholson plays Sinatra in post-apocalyptic series Paradise. Photo: @juliannenicholsonofficial/Instagram

Julianne Nicholson at the London premiere of Paradise. Photo: @juliannenicholsonofficial/Instagram

Julianne Nicholson and Kate Winslet won Emmys for their work on Mare of Easttown. Photo: @juliannenicholsonofficial/Instagram

Julianne Nicholson and Jonathan Cake on their wedding day in 2004. Photo: @juliannenicholsonofficial/Instagram

Meet Eva Mendes’ brother Carlo Mendez, who plays Hector Estrada in Dexter: Original Sin – the hunky 46-year-old actor loves being an uncle and says his sister and Ryan Gosling are ‘amazing’ parents

Eva Mendes and her younger brother Carlo Mendez are both actors. Photos: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Actress Eva Mendes is a retired actress who has starred in films such as Hitch and 2 Fast 2 Furious. Photo: WireImage

Carlo Mendez is currently starring as a recurring character in Dexter: Original Sin. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez playing a firefighter for one of his acting roles. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez grew up in Miami. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram

Carlo Mendez with his father Juan Carlos Mendez Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez was inspired to act by Harrison Ford. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

“Every time I book an acting job I feel like a kid at Disneyland,” Carlo Mendez captioned this post. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez has acted in over 70 productions. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez is the son of Cuban parents. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez is in great shape for his age thanks to his frequent gym visits. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez is 46 years old. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Carlo Mendez admires the way his sister Eva Mendes and her husband Ryan Gosling raise their children. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram

Carlo Mendez says he’s happy being a fun uncle for now. Photo: @cmendez78/Instagram 

Meet Mia Swier, wife of Glee star Darren Criss: The producer-director has credits on Dexter, Homeland and Scream Queens, and co-owns a bar in Hollywood with him called Tramp Stamp Granny’s

Actor Darren Criss and his wife Mia Swier met through mutual friends. Photo: Getty Images

Mia Swier and Darren Criss dated for more than seven years before getting engaged. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Mia Swier and Darren Criss welcomed daughter Bluesy Belle in 2022. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Mia Swier, seen here with Darren Criss, grew up in New York. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Mutual friends brought Darren Criss and Mia Swier together. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Mia Swier and Darren Criss co-own a bar in Los Angeles. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Darren Criss and Mia Swier announced their first baby as their ‘ultimate collab’. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Brother László is the second child of Mia Swier and Darren Criss. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Mia Swier has worked in film and television. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Mia Swier has her own film production company. Photo: @darrencriss/Instagram

Meet Mette-Marie Kongsved, who Elijah Wood secretly married on New Year’s Eve: the Danish film producer, who has 2 children with The Lord of the Rings star, is the ex-wife of director E.L. Katz

Elijah Wood may have tied the knot with long time partner Mette-Marie Kongsved on New Year’s Eve. Photo: @Crumpemag/X

Elijah Wood is calling his long-time partner Mette-Marie Kongsved his “wife” amid rumours that they made their vows last year. Photo: @gala/X

Elijah Wood has collaborated with wife Mette-Marie Kongsved on a couple of well-known films. Photo: @ScreenUKInd/X

Elijah Wood and Mette-Marie Kongsved have two children together. Photo: @innerbeautycha/X

Mette-Marie Kongsved and Elijah Wood attend the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles last February. Photo: Getty Images/TNS

Director Audrey Diwan on filming Emmanuelle in Hong Kong, how her love affair with Chanel began at the Venice Film Festival, and working with Poor Things producer Ed Guiney

Actress Angela Yuen and director Audrey Diwan at the Chanel cruise 2024-25 show in Hong Kong, in November. Photos: Handout

Audrey Diwan at the Chanel cruise 2024-25 show in Hong Kong, in November. Photo: Handout

Angela Yuen in Modern Flirt, a short directed by Audrey Diwan for the restaging of the Chanel cruise 2024-25 show in Hong Kong, in November. Photo: Handout

A poster of Emmanuelle, directed by Audrey Diwan. Photo: Handout

Magazines

Style

People

Celebrities

Nora Ephron at the Movies has us falling in love all over again with the writer/director’s hit films of the 1980s and 90s, starring the likes of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan


Nora Ephron at the Movies has us falling in love all over again with the writer/director’s hit films of the 1980s and 90s, starring the likes of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.


Hollywood

American cinema

Books and literature

United States