Tom Hanks Fans Grow Restless as His 33-Year-Old Rom-Com Preps Streaming Departure on March 31

1 week ago 10

Published Mar 22, 2026, 10:21 AM EDT

Chris is a Senior News Writer for Collider. He can be found in an IMAX screen, with his eyes watering and his ears bleeding for his own pleasure. He joined the news team in 2022 and accidentally fell upwards into a senior position despite his best efforts.

For reasons unknown, he enjoys analyzing box office receipts, giant sharks, and has become known as the go-to man for all things Bosch, Mission: Impossible and Christopher Nolan in Collider's news division. Recently, he found himself yeehawing along to the Dutton saga on the Yellowstone Ranch.

He is proficient in sarcasm, wit, Photoshop and working unfeasibly long hours. Amongst his passions sit the likes of the history of the Walt Disney Company, the construction of theme parks, steam trains and binge-watching Gilmore Girls with a coffee that is just hot enough to scald him.

His obsession with the Apple TV+ series Silo is the subject of mockery within the Senior News channel, where his feelings about Taylor Sheridan's work are enough to make his fellow writers roll their eyes.

Some romantic comedies age into cozy comfort watches. Others stay so beloved that they never really leave the conversation at all. Sleepless in Seattle is firmly in that second category. Decades after it first made audiences swoon, Nora Ephron’s classic still feels like the blueprint for the big-hearted studio rom-com. But for Prime viewers, this latest revisit comes with an expiration date.

Sleepless in Seattle is currently having another streaming moment, but it is also set to leave Prime on March 31. Released in 1993, the film stars Tom Hanks as Sam, a widower whose young son calls into a radio show in the hope of finding his father a new partner. That broadcast is heard by Annie, a Baltimore journalist played by Meg Ryan, who becomes unexpectedly drawn to a man she has never met.

A fine conceit, particularly when you consider how relevant this concept is today when it comes to dating online, anonymously. The movie truly is one of the defining romantic comedies of the 1990s for a reason, and it still lands all these years later. The cast also includes Ross Malinger as Jonah Baldwin, Bill Pullman as Walter, Rosie O’Donnell as Becky, Rita Wilson as Suzy, Victor Garber as Greg, and Carey Lowell as Maggie.

Bruce Almighty — The Collider Movie Quiz!

From small indies to major blockbusters, Bruce Willis has been a staple of American cinema for decades. Here are eight of his memorable films & roles.

Is 'Sleepless in Seattle' Worth Watching?

Meg Ryan as Annie Reed meeting Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin on top of the Empire State Building in Sleepless in Seattle

The legendary critic Roger Ebert wrote that Sleepless in Seattle leans fully into the idea that love can spark without ever meeting in person — and somehow makes that feel believable, even in a story built on coincidence and long-distance connection. There’s no irony or attempt to undercut the romance. Instead, it fully commits to the idea that these two people are meant to find each other, even if the story keeps them apart for most of the runtime.

"The actors are well-suited to this material. Tom Hanks keeps a certain detached edge to his character, which keeps him from being simply a fall guy. Meg Ryan, who is one of the most likable actresses around and has a certain ineffable Doris Day innocence, is able to convince us of the magical quality of her sudden love for a radio voice, without letting the device seem like the gimmick is assuredly is. Sleepless in Seattle is as ephemeral as a talk show, as contrived as the late show, and yet so warm and gentle I smiled the whole way through."

Sleepless in Seattle leaves Prime Video on March 31.