You’ve Got Mail, by Nora Ephron

Talking points

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecclesiastes 3:1

1. What is your favourite season and why? Has this changed over the years or have you always been committed to one in particular?
2. How have the seasons been different for you in 2020-2021?
3. Who is your favourite character in the film and why?
4. Pathetic Fallacy might be a GCSE English throwback, but it’s used a lot in this film. How do the physical seasons reflect the emotional seasons of the characters?
5. Reflect on Christmas 2020. Was it different this year? Did you learn something? Did you start a new tradition that you would like to continue?
6. In the Fox family we see generations of men in failed relationships. Do you believe that things will be different for Joe Fox? Do you believe that generational habits can be broken? Are there any generational habits that you would like to break?
7. How did you feel when ‘Shop Around the Corner’ went into administration? Do you think about where you buy your books from? Are you a bookshop fan? Have you thought about how you might support bookshops in the age of Amazon? For those who are looking for an online alternative uk.bookshop.org lets you buy online whilst still supporting small businesses.
8. Kathleen says: ‘When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.’ Do you agree with this sentiment? Talk about the books you read as a child and how they might have influenced you

Podcast

We’re putting together a podcast where we discuss these questions and the film in more detail. If you’d like to share your thoughts with the rest of Film Club, please send them to eleanorfaithjackson@gmail.com