The beloved romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, featuring two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, is set to tug at heartstrings on Film 4 tonight.

The film narrates the poignant tale of widower Sam Baldwin, portrayed by Tom Hanks, who relocates to Seattle with his young son Jonah after losing his wife.

In a desperate bid to find a new partner for his grieving father, Jonah calls into a late-night radio show.

A reluctant Sam is coaxed into sharing his feelings about his wife’s loss and his apprehensions about the future on air.

Meanwhile, in Baltimore, journalist Annie Reed, played by Meg Ryan, tunes into the emotional broadcast and finds herself falling for Sam, despite being engaged to her long-term boyfriend.

Enamoured, Annie writes a letter to Sam, imploring him to meet her atop the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.

Directed by the acclaimed Nora Ephron, Sleepless in Seattle was a phenomenal success, grossing $227.9 million worldwide against a modest budget of $21 million.

It marked the first time Hanks and Ryan were cast as romantic leads, setting the stage for their subsequent collaborations in blockbuster hits over the next decade, including You’ve Got Mail, reports the Mirror.

The film garnered glowing reviews upon its release and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song, alongside three Golden Globe nods for Best Actor for Hanks, Best Actress for Ryan and Best Picture. Sleepless in Seattle maintains a stellar 75 per cent approval rating on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

One review said: “Sleepless in Seattle fully embraces romantic melodrama and Ephron cleverly exploits the insane chemistry that Hanks and Ryan share. Its greatness is undisputed and the list just wouldn’t be complete without it.”

Another added: “The emotional weight of the drama rests on Hanks, and you appreciate how skilfully Ephron structures the film so that the two principals are bound by song and sentiment rather than physical proximity.”

A third reviewer wrote: “Substantially better, funnier, smarter, and more impeccably-controlled than almost everything that came in its wake.”

Fans continue to cherish the romantic comedy, with one saying: “One of my all time favorite Rom Coms! Watching it again for probably the fourth time.”

Another viewer said: “A classic romantic comedy. Nostalgic. I found particularly moving the tale of a grieving father processing and working through the stages of grief after the loss of his much loved wife. Being a single parent raising his son, together wading through the grief. It was interesting the way this was depicted especially how rather than focusing on the love/ the new relationship.”

A third added: “This is one of those films I could watch over and over again and never get bored. The other is Beaches. It’s so touching, funny and sad. The performances drove the story and you care about every single character.”

Sleepless In Seattle is on Film 4 at 6.55pm on December 31.

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