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Review of You've Got Mail (George Fenton)

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:

Buy it... if a lightweight version of Randy Newman-style jazz rhythms would serve as a safe and non-offensive souvenir from an equally lightweight film.

Avoid it... if there was anything even remotely aggravating about the film for you, because this short score helped define its peppy cuteness.

FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:

You've Got Mail: (George Fenton) If there was ever a safe bet for a studio in the late 1990's, it would be a romantic comedy by Nora Ephron starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. You've Got Mail was exactly that, reuniting the leads for the third time and once again featuring a family safe script from Ephron. It delved into the new realm of online romance, however, proposing the possibility that two people who dislike each other in real life could actually be the same two engaged in a friendly, anonymous romance online. The film was a breathing advertisement for AOL, that now defunct giant of e-mail in the 1990's that made the phrase "You've Got Mail" famous. Hanks and Ryan play the exact roles you expect them to, redefining the word "lovable" and once again earning a decent return for the studio. Ephron would seek a score for You've Got Mail as safe as Marc Shaiman's emotionally delicate piece for Sleepless in Seattle, and that score would be hand-wrapped and delivered with a bow by George Fenton. For the British composer, the year of 1998 would be one of exceptional production, ranging from the lush dramatic heights of Dangerous Beauty and Ever After to the low key, romantic fluff of The Object of my Affection and You've Got Mail. Fenton redefines the world "harmlessly cute" with his music for You've Got Mail, even moreso than in his already snazzy little The Object of my Affection. Not many collectors associate Fenton with these comedy scores, but they have been numerous and somewhat absent the normal attention from album producers. You get the feeling that Fenton may have been the second composer in Ephron's mind; so thorough is Fenton's imitation of Randy Newman's style in You've Got Mail that you can't help but wonder if the Ephron's instructions about the music were indeed that specific.

Indeed, You've Got Mail is a Randy Newman score on a diet. The smaller ensemble is led by piano, electric bass, percussion, tuba, and individual woodwinds, with occasional ventures with a small string section lending a hand to the scenes of grander contemplation. While Michael Lang's piano performances will leave the most lasting memory, the tuba most specifically defines this score with its comical blurps amongst Fenton's comedy rhythms. These rhythms bounce and frolic with ease, staying consistent, for the most part, to the jazzy theme established in the title track. A secondary romance motif uses wishy-washy strings much like Rachel Portman usually did, with the more ambitious moments using the tap of a snare in a fashion familiar to her Addicted to Love. Unlike some romantic comedy scores, You've Got Mail doesn't jump around excessively in style or theme. Only two funny adaptations of genre are employed by Fenton. In "Books are Cocktails," Fenton briefly references a Henry Mancini style of sleuth jazz from yesteryear. In the following cue, "To the Mattresses," he plays off the many references to The Godfather in the story with a Nino Rota style of staccato rhythm and string drama, complete with mandolin effect. Some listeners will fall in love with the fuller ensemble cues like "Empty Store," which swells into a beautiful and melancholy performance of the secondary theme. Overall, the score is a lightweight, with only two or three singularly noteworthy tracks. Like the film, it is completely non-offensive, but it also risks causing boredom for those not inclined to appreciate this type of film. It achieves its purposes without a lot of flash, and consequently makes for an average listening experience. The two Harry Nilsson songs fit well with the feel of the album, and the final track has a nice mix of Fenton's music and "Over the Rainbow." Fenton's contribution to You've Got Mail might have been, in all honesty, sufficient in its suite on the previously released song album.  ***

TRACK LISTINGS:

Total Time: 31:09

• 1. Butterflies in the Subway (2:09) • 2. Kathleen Computer Sneak (1:22) • 3. What a Beautiful Day! (1:15) • 4. Goodnight Dear Void (1:07) • 5. Books are Cocktails (1:10) • 6. To the Mattresses (1:58) • 7. Meet Me at Cafe Lalo (1:52) • 8. You Weren't There (1:40) • 9. I Was in Vancouver (1:44) • 10. Dear Friend (1:26)

• 11. To the Movies and Back (1:11) • 12. Remember - performed by Harry Nilsson (3:02) • 13. Empty Store (2:51) • 14. For Years to Come (0:38) • 15. Are You Married? (0:30) • 16. NY 152 (1:25) • 17. I'll be Waiting (0:37) • 18. If Only (1:06) • 19. Over the Rainbow - performed by Harry Nilsson (3:57)

NOTES & QUOTES:

The insert includes no extra information about the score or film.

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