You've Got Mail is a 1998 American
romantic comedy film directed by
Nora Ephron, starring
Tom Hanks and
Meg Ryan. It was written by Nora and
Delia Ephron based on the play
Parfumerie by
Miklós László. The film is about two
e-mailing lovers who are completely unaware that their sweetheart is, in fact, a person with whom they share a degree of animosity. An adaptation of Parfumerie was previously made as
The Shop Around the Corner, a 1940 film by
Ernst Lubitsch and also a 1949 musical remake,
In the Good Old Summertime by
Robert Z. Leonard starring
Judy Garland. You've Got Mail updates that concept with the use of e-mail. Influences from
Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice can also be seen in the relationship between Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly — a reference pointed out by these characters actually discussing Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennet in the film. Ephron insists that You've Got Mail was as much about the
Upper West Side itself as the characters, highlighting the "small town community" feel that pervades the Upper West Side.