The Most Memorable Movie Emails—And What We Can Learn From Them
Assorted Flavors features listicles and other movie-related goodies.
Ann Handley is a bestselling author, marketer, speaker whose Total Annarchy biweekly newsletter has over 51,000 subscribers. Given her bona fides as an email expert, we thought she’d be the perfect person to ask for a Top 5 list of the most memorable movie emails—and she delivered! Here’s what she wrote about them and why they matter.
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
The most obvious one, and with good reason: email is practically a character in the movie. The anonymous email exchange between the characters played by Tom/Meg captures something that still feels true: writing can reveal hidden parts of ourselves we don’t show in person. Also — shoutout to how exciting email was! SO EXCITING to hear that ping! It was an EVENT. What a time to be alive.
The Intern (2015)
My favorite movie to watch on an airplane. There’s a small moment where Anne’s character dictates an apology email and then rethinks it and rethinks it and rethinks it. Is this tone right? What about this phrase? Such a relatable moment and one that shows how we often agonize over how our words land. Or should.
Her (2013)
Soooooo technically ghostwritten correspondence rather than emails, but the premise is the same. Theodore writes emotionally intelligent letters on behalf of other people (printed to look handwritten, as if the feeling were theirs). The hardest part of communication is understanding what one person truly wants to say and how it’s heard. So fundamental to being human, yet so hard.
The Social Network (2010)
Another one that’s messages not technically email... but still every time I see it I think how the exchanges underscore something fundamental to all digital communication: tone travels very poorly in the written word. Whether in a message or in an email. Be careful out there.
The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Miranda’s emails are a masterclass in the power play. A one-line reply — or sometimes no reply at all — is used as almost a weapon. Andy’s relationship to her inbox tracks her entire character arc: first overwhelmed, then consumed, then finally the moment she stops responding altogether. It’ll be interesting to see how The Devil Wears Prada 2 either extends email or switches to something else entirely.