When Harry Met Sally (1989) Contains One of My All-Time Favorite Easter Eggs

Today’s issue of Dust On The VCR is another subscriber request! This film was chosen by Ashley Russell Dodson, one of my dear friends from way back in college who still puts up with my nonsense to this day. Even though she’s a St. Louis Cardinals fan, Ashley has taught me a lot over the years—about life in general, that is, not just baseball—and she’s been a part of some of my fondest memories. She’s also about to be a mother for the first time, and I have no doubt she will raise her boy to become a man who loves and respects classic romantic comedies. Anyway. Want to request a film for a future issue? Subscribe to the paid version!

As you’re aware, reader, we’re living in an era of cinema that’s been dominated by superhero movies, comic book adaptations, and other efforts to capitalize on intellectual property—and many of the blockbuster films we get these days are all three of those things.

With this in mind, one could say that we’re also living in the golden era of Easter eggs, a thought that will warm some of your hearts while driving some of you insane. Every big tentpole film seems to be full of small or hidden references to other things within the extended world that the film operates in. I myself am guilty of sometimes pointing at the screen like Leonardo DiCaprio whenever I spot an Easter egg.*

But this isn’t exactly new. In fact, the legendary Rob Reiner was dropping Easter eggs of a sort into his films decades ago.

Let’s first take a look at today’s film, When Harry Met Sally. I admittedly didn’t see this film until later in life, and by that time, it seemed that everything insightful that could be said about this excellent film had already been said. So instead, allow me to direct your attention to one brief clip within a montage.

As you can see from the header image, Harry (Billy Crystal) is reading a first edition of Stephen King’s Misery, which was released in 1987.** During the summer of 1989, theatergoers who went to see When Harry Met Sally probably wouldn’t have found this significant unless they were the kind of person who read about film production updates in magazines and newspapers. At best, it’s a nice thematic touch that Harry skips to the end of the book in this moment, eager to see how the story ends (just as he’s eager to know his fate with Sally). At worst, he’s just a guy reading a recent novel from a popular writer. But knowing what we know now, it’s a delightful wink from Reiner to the audience, letting them know that they’re in store for something completely different in just 16 months.

This is what I love about Rob Reiner. We don’t talk about him as one of the greatest American directors, because he isn’t really. But he nonetheless had one of the greatest runs of the 20th century by an American director. From 1984 through 1992, over the course of less than nine years, he made seven films that range from really good to iconic: This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, and A Few Good Men.*** Whew! Only a handful of the true greats can really compete with this run.

But what I really admire here is the range.**** Folks, the man stretched his wings and he soared. Among those seven films, you’ve got a mockumentary, a coming-of-age drama, two romantic comedies, a courtroom drama, a horror flick, and a family-friendly fantasy/adventure comedy/romance that exceeds and defies all of its genres.*****

The whiplash from When Harry Met Sally to Misery, and with less than a year and a half between them, is the best part about that list, I think. If you took the Pepsi Challenge with those two films, devoid of all context, you’d never guess they came from the same guy. Which means it’s all the more appropriate that Reiner included an Easter egg in both films.

That’s right, reader: He winked at us again in Misery! I never noticed this detail myself, because it is much more miniscule than Billy Crystal holding a hardcover book center frame for several seconds, but I came across a piece from Insider that drew the connection: There’s a scene in Misery that takes place in a general store of sorts, and yes, there’s a VHS copy of When Harry Met Sally on the rotating shelf. (It’s on sale too! Only $16.99!)

Anyway, wanna hear about the time I met Rob Reiner? It was going to end up in this newsletter eventually.

In 2016, I attended the New Orleans Film Festival and had a lovely time. I saw lots of great films. I ate lots of great food. I spent some quality time with the lady I was seeing that lived in L.A. I met my fraternity brother Woody Harrelson at a party and got to give him our not-so-secret handshake, which he seemed amused by.

And then I met Rob Reiner, who was there with Woody promoting LBJ, which was shot largely in New Orleans. I went to a screening that was in a big IMAX theater, and even though it was almost completely empty, the festival organizers asked us all to scoot closer toward the center. I did not realize until I sat down in my new seat that I was on the same row as Rob Reiner…and now only two seats away. As soon as we sat down, he turned to me and my ladyfriend and offered us some of his popcorn. I wasn’t even hungry, but you’re damn right I accepted a handful of popcorn from Rob Reiner. And then we proceeded to watch one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.******

That’s it. That’s the whole story. But I still shared popcorn with Rob Reiner.

*I most recently did this during Evil Dead Rise. Did you notice the name of the pizzeria in the first act? I sure did.

**He’s also wearing what appears to be the coziest outfit imaginable. Just look at that sweater! And he paired it with sweatpants and thick socks? And still made it a look? Bravo, sir.

***I have admittedly not seen The Sure Thing, which is the reputational outlier in this list. But its average Letterboxd score is 3.4 out of 5 stars, which leads me to assume “really good” isn’t a stretch.

****The filmography that most closely resembles Reiner’s, in my mind, is (former Birmingham resident!) Bob Clark’s. Like Reiner’s, Clark’s lowest tier is pretty dire, but at the top (at least in terms of popularity) you’ll find a bleak slasher film (Black Christmas), a teen sex comedy (Porky’s), a beloved holiday family film (A Christmas Story), and a film for children (Baby Geniuses). When the only common theme is Christmas, you’re doing something interesting.

*****Wikipedia lists Misery as a “psychological thriller” but that’s bullshit. In fact, a few years ago, I wrote about how horror films often cloak themselves with other genres in order to win awards for my friends at Modern Horrors. Misery is one of those cases. Also, speaking of The Princess Bride, I wrote about that one a couple years ago.

******To clarify, the terrible movie we watched together was not Rob’s movie. He was just in the audience for support. I have not seen LBJ but I bet it’s fine! (It was the opening night film at the festival that year!)

When Harry Met Sally is currently only available to rent, but I swear it was streaming somewhere last month when I committed to writing this piece. And I can’t turn back now because it was a subscriber request. Also, I mean, you’ve seen this film, right?