Family Dynamics and "You've Got Mail"

“You’ve Got Mail” with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan is probably one of my favorite movies that we have watched so far. There are so many differences from the other films that we have seen and it is interesting to see the changes in what society considers an acceptable life and behavior of an adult. The use of the young aunt and half brother is a smart way to show the absurdness of remarriage after a certain point. The numerous marriages of both Joe’s father and grandfather provides a way for Joe to know what he does not want in life. Joe has a good relationship with both children but the idea of their placement in the family order is unsettling to both him and viewers. Finding the ‘one’ is a major idea in the romantic comedy genre and it is implied that the characters will be happily together for the rest of their lives. While both Joe and Kathleen are living with someone else the filmmakers hint that a meaningful relationship is worth more than a simply sexual one. It promotes the need for an emotional connection over anything else and provides the fairytale that almost everyone wants in life.