You’ve Got Mail just may do more to promote America Online than all those millions of floppy disks they've distributed over the past five years. The film's protagonists Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) log on to the network at least a half-dozen times – and in each session they are connected in three seconds flat. Only in Hollywood...

Like the predecessor Ryan-Hanks vehicle, 1993's Sleepless in Seattle, this year's You’ve Got Mail is about two people falling in love who don't really know each other. This time, however, the story adopts a techno twist. The movie takes some of the late 20th century's most prominent trends – the anonymity created by email and chat rooms, the rise of coffee bars and superstores, the slow disappearance of the mom-and-pop corner shops – and magically weaves them into an entertaining romantic comedy. (Chances are you'll find yourself getting choked up more than once during the movie. That goes for you macho guys too.) With the proven combo of Ryan and Hanks on the screen, Warner Bros. has a sure-fire hit on its hands.

Ryan is You’ve Got Mail’s main attraction. She's the girl next door. Women identify with her; men swoon over her perky fun-in-the-sand looks. This is not to take away from Tom Hanks. He's appealing as ever… well, almost as appealing (Tom's putting on some pudge, these days). Furthermore, there are some heavy names in the remainder of the cast that add decidedly to the film's charm including the delectable Parker Posey and the superb Jean Stapleton. (Greg Kinnear and David Chappelle are also very good – I'm just running low on superlatives.)

Tom Hanks and Parker Posey

Director Nora Ephron (who collaborated with Hanks and Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle) and sister Delia Ephron do a deft job of updating the James Stewart-Margaret Sullavan comedy for the internet age. The movie is full of modem squeals, clicking keyboards, coffee bars and, my personal favorite, plenty of jokes about cybersex.

In the end, the film's two protagonists come happily together (don't tell me I gave that away – you knew it was gonna happen), and the Goliath (the superstore Fox Books) slays David (Kelly's little bookstore named The Shop Around the Corner). You’ve Got Mail makes no judgement about this turn of events. And while not being judgmental may have a nice ring to it, I longed for a social commentary or two on this sad trend in our culture. "Them that's got shall get; them that don't shall lose…" What can I say, I've always been a sucker for the underdog.

What also irked me slightly was the demeaning depiction of the film's female lead. She does nothing savvy during the course of the movie. When told she must fight for the survival of her business, she shadow boxes like a clown. Throughout the story, she's made a fool by Fox since he has the advantage of learning her identity before she learns his. What can I say, I've become a feminist! Mama would be proud.

Such were the thoughts that nagged me as I left the screening of You’ve Got Mail. Nevertheless, I'm a '90s sort of guy – I quickly left my misgivings behind and went home to check my own email, but all I found were 23 junk messages from the latest "best sex sites" on the Web. Fortunately, I don't use AOL, so I was able to log on in three seconds flat, just like in the movie.