Saving Ms Ryan

According to People magazine: quot;Meg8217;s mother Susan attributed the rift to her concern about Quaid8217;s drug use, which she expressed to her daughter in 1990.quot; Though Ryan no longer speaks about it publicly, she has denied that the drug confrontation was a factor. quot;It8217;s a very long story,quot; she told Vanity Fair in 1995. quot;It8217;s thirty two years of stuff with this woman.quot;

Professionally speaking, things have been brighter for this 39-year-old star. While other candidates for the sweetheart crown such as, say, Julia Roberts or Drew Barrymore have had their golden-girl images denigrated by bad career moves, or succumbed to tabloid fodder, the perky Ryan has maintained her revered girl-next-door appeal by her fetching personality onscreen. Embracing feel-good romantic flicks like You8217;ve Got Mail or French Kiss, with the same amount of felicity as say, towards a different genre of movies like Courage Under Fire. When asked if she did the latter to stay away from being perceived as trite, she said, quot;Well, it8217;s all about rendering your acting chops. There8217;s nothing I can do about stereotyping, and I know that I8217;m a sucker when I do these types of movies such as Sleepless in Seattle and You8217;ve Got Mail. And I am really grateful that I8217;m allowed to do all those great roles, but if I didn8217;t do those other roles, I don8217;t think I8217; be able to dothese romantic comedies because as an actor, you want new and different things to do all the time.quot;

Ryan currently stars in a touching comedy titled Hanging Up, a film that also stars Lisa Kudrow and actress-director Diane Keaton. The plot is simple: Dad played by the late Walter Matthau is in the hospital and threatening to die. The crisis brings the three sisters back together as they deal with their cantankerous father8217;s uncertain future 8212; and most importantly, the unfinished business of their past.

Although the movie got mediocre reviews, Meg8217;s role as a responsible middle child who works as an event planner; was well appreciated. Says Cinemasense.com: quot;Meg Ryan expertly enacts Eve through a difficult balance of overwhelming agitation and life-saving reflection.quot;

Need we say any more?

8212; Aditya Mehta