The first illustrated monograph on writer journalist and director Nora Ephron the visionary
behind When Harry Met Sally Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. “A visual celebration
of the writer-director’s distinctive approach to world-building.” (Vanity Fair) Nora Ephron
at the Movies offers an unfiltered look at Ephron as a champion of the rom-com and as a
feminist Hollywood trailblazer. It explores her life and work by pairing detailed criticism
with exclusive interviews with Ephron’s key collaborators including Andie MacDowell and Jenn
Kaytin Robinson to add color and nuance to her life and legacy. With her singular voice
Nora Ephron flourished as a dominant force in the entertainment industry focusing on the
idiosyncrasies of romance that were universally relatable. The women in her stories
paralleled reality—the veil was lifted the glossy sheen removed. Her protagonists share an
unwavering sense of humor about life’s mishaps and they never take themselves too
seriously—like Julie trying to master the art of cooking lobsters in Julie & Julia Sally’s
theatrical fake orgasm in Katz’s deli in When Harry Met Sally or Rachel perfecting a key lime
pie only to throw it in her cheating husband’s face in Heartburn . Through her keenly
self-aware humor and semi-autobiographical stories Ephron left behind a groundbreaking legacy
as a beloved journalist essayist screenwriter author producer director and feminist who
delivered stories of resilience embedded in sharp wit and upper-crust landscapes. Through that
lens she became emblematic of rom-coms shifting and redefining conversations around the
complexities of relationships and the women who have them.
