The Advice From Michele Reiner That Changed When Harry Met Sally’s Ending
When Harry Met Sally nearly had a very different ending—until Rob Reiner fell for Michele Singer and rewrote the finale to mirror his own happy turn.
Sometimes a movie nails the landing because real life barges into the edit bay. Case in point: When Harry Met Sally only gets its big New Year's Eve confession because Rob Reiner fell in love while making it.
The ending we almost got
Back when cameras were still rolling, Reiner wasn't planning a happily-ever-after for Harry and Sally. As he told PEOPLE in July 2019, the original ending had the two leads bump into each other in New York, chat for a minute, and then head off in opposite directions. No grand gesture, no big kiss, just two people moving on.
Why that first draft made sense to him
In a 2024 sit-down with CNN, Reiner explained where his head was at: he'd spent about ten years married, then about ten years single, and genuinely couldn't see how he'd end up with anyone again. That uncertainty basically sparked the whole idea for When Harry Met Sally in the first place.
Then real life crashed the party
"I met my wife Michele... and I changed the ending."
Midway through making the film, Reiner met Michele Singer. They fell for each other, and suddenly the movie's finale shifted into the iconic New Year's Eve sprint and speech we all know. By the time he talked about it in 2024, Reiner noted they'd been married for 35 years.
How it unfolded, at a glance
- Early plan: Harry and Sally reconnect years later, talk briefly, then walk away separately.
- July 2019: Reiner tells PEOPLE that was the intended ending during production.
- 2024: Reiner tells CNN his decade married/decade single mindset inspired the movie's premise and that he couldn't picture a lasting relationship back then.
- During the shoot: He meets Michele Singer, they fall in love, and he rewrites to the New Year's Eve confession ending.
- By 2024: He says he and Michele have been married 35 years, which neatly explains why Harry and Sally do, in fact, end up together.
So yeah, one of rom-com's most replayed finales exists because the director's life pivoted mid-production. Art didn't just imitate life here; life grabbed the pen.