You've Got Mail (1998)
Someone you pass on the street may already be the love of your life.
Book superstore magnate Joe Fox and independent book shop owner Kathleen Kelly fall in love in the anonymity of the Internet—both blissfully unaware that he's trying to put her out of business.
Rent on Plex $2.99 (opens in a new tab) Buy on Prime Video $4.99 (opens in a new tab)
| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 18 December 1998 |
| Genre | Comedy, Romance |
| Director | Nora Ephron |
| Starring | Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks and Greg Kinnear |
| Runtime | 119 min |
| Rated | PG |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 6.3/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 70% · Metacritic 58/100 · TMDB users 6.7/10 |
| Budget | $65 million |
| Box office | $251 million worldwide |
Where to watch You've Got Mail
You've Got Mail is streaming on Fubo in the US. It is also on Paramount+ ($13.99 a month). If that is the only reason to subscribe, one month of Paramount+ is $13.99 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 1 November 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Rent or buy
You can rent You've Got Mail on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home and Spectrum On Demand. It is also for sale on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch You've Got Mail in 13 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Andorra | Prime Video |
| Australia | Binge $19.00 AUD, Foxtel, Max $15.99 AUD |
| Belgium | Max €10.99 |
| Brazil | Globoplay R$24.90 |
| France | Max €10.99 |
| Ireland | Skygo, Max |
| Italy | Skygo, Now TV |
| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Monaco | Max |
| New Zealand | Max |
| Portugal | Prime Video €4.99 |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99 |
| United Kingdom | Max £9.99 GBP, Skygo |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Nora Ephron directs a 119-minute romantic comedy where business rivalry and digital intimacy collide. Tom Hanks plays Joe Fox, a book superstore magnate, while Meg Ryan is Kathleen Kelly, who runs an independent book shop he is actively trying to crush. They bond online without realizing they are each other’s main competitor. The film thrives on that specific 1998 tension, where the internet feels like a strange, quiet confessional. It is a dry look at how two people can be close and strangers in the same breath.
What the critics said
Rotten Tomatoes sits at 70% as of August 2024, with an average rating of 6.3/10. Metacritic is less generous, landing on 58 out of 100 as of July 2025, which signals mixed or average reception. The consensus leans warm. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the main characters "immensely lovable." Janet Maslin of The New York Times noted the leads possess "a lot of fond chemistry."
Not everyone was charmed. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club found the film "almost unwatchably saccharine." Michael O’Sullivan of The Washington Post felt the whimsy cloyed before the romantic payoff arrived.
How it did with audiences
It cost $65 million and took in $251 million worldwide, a ratio that keeps accounting departments warm. In the United States, it earned $116 million. On TMDB, users rate it 6.7 out of 10. That number sits comfortably.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched You've Got Mail.
Sources
- You've Got Mail on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q284229 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “You've Got Mail” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
Watch it without paying for the whole year
Binge Boss tracks the movie you are on and tells you which services you need this month, and which you can cancel.
Add You've Got Mail to your list