The Rom Com Hall of Fame – Nora Ephron

When it comes to romantic comedies, Nora Ephron is pretty much in a league of her own. As a writer, director, and producer, she shaped the genre in ways that still ripple through movies today. With her sharp wit, warmth, and deep understanding of relationships, she helped define an entire era of rom-coms—and continues to inspire a whole new generation of filmmakers.

Nora was born the eldest of four daughters on May 14, 1941, in Manhattan, New York. Her parents, Phoebe and Henry, were playwrights and screenwriters who frequently collaborated on their work. It wasn’t exactly a surprise when Nora, and her sisters, followed in her parents’ footsteps. She started as a journalist and essayist, and her first essay collection, Wallflower at the Orgy (1970), mixed humor with social commentary in a way that was unmistakably hers.

She followed it up with Crazy Salad (1975), and later Heartburn (1983), a novel inspired by her rocky marriage to journalist Carl Bernstein. After their divorce, she was known to casually tell people that Bernstein’s secret source—Deep Throat—was actually Mark Felt (which it was), but, as she joked, no one believed her except her kids.

Her early screenwriting projects, such as Silkwood (1983) and an adaptation of Heartburn (1986), demonstrated that she had a knack for weaving humor into life’s more complex and messy moments. But it was When Harry Met Sally in 1989 that really changed everything for her career, and for the romantic comedy genre as a whole. The movie was a massive hit and is often regarded as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. Her real-life friendship with director Rob Reiner even helped shape the film’s tone and charm.

Then came her collaborations with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Sleepless in Seattle (1993) and You’ve Got Mail (1998) are basically rom-com royalty at this point. Nora had a way of writing characters that felt real, charming, flawed, and relatable. And the chemistry between Ryan and Hanks, combined with her pitch-perfect dialogue, made magic. It’s somewhat heartbreaking that they never made another movie together before Nora’s passing in 2012, at the age of 71.

What truly set Nora Ephron apart was her unique approach to love and relationships. Her stories weren’t full of wild twists or unrealistic drama. She kept it grounded. Her characters weren’t perfect—they were funny, awkward, and full of quirks, just like real people. Instead of leaning on big plot twists to drive the story, she let the characters and their connections do the heavy lifting. That honesty is a big part of why her films still hold up today.

You can still see her fingerprints on modern rom-coms. Films like I Want You Back (2022), It’s Complicated (2009), and What If (2013) all carry that same blend of heart, humor, and genuine emotion. Nora set a new standard for the genre, one that many filmmakers still strive to live up to.

In the end, Nora Ephron’s legacy is about so much more than just great dialogue and feel-good endings. She changed the way we think about love on screen, making it funnier, messier, and way more human. She’ll always be remembered as one of the greats in romantic comedy, and her work continues to light the way for storytellers everywhere.