Social media has changed the world—so why not look at how it would’ve changed classic movies? Here’s a look at 10 iconic films of the 80s and 90s and how they might be different if they took place today.
1. When Harry Met Sally
The first Saturday night Sally was single and feeling lonely, she would have browsed Facebook, noticed that Harry’s engagement had recently ended, and sent him a message inviting him for a drink. No drawn-out angst required, and the movie would’ve been over in five minutes.
2. Say Anything
Sure, John Cusack could stand outside Ione Skye’s window blaring “In Your Eyes” but today, to really get her attention, he would have organized a giant flash mob and put the video on YouTube (where it would go viral and receive 15 million views, of course). Now that’s romance!
3. Never Been Kissed
Drew Barrymore would never have stood on the pitcher’s mound, heartbroken, when Michael Vartan was late to kiss her. She would have checked the Foursquare app on her iPhone and noticed that he had just made a quick pit stop—to check in at his local coffee shop so he didn’t lose the title of mayor, of course.
4. Dirty Dancing
Learning to dance would be so much easier if Baby had a YouTube tutorial that broke all the steps down. (Of course, then she wouldn’t have gotten to swim in the lake with Patrick Swayze…)
5. Empire Records
Plain and simple, this film would never happen today. Or if it did, it would be about 30 seconds long. Thanks to the collapse of the record industry and the rise of iTunes, everyone at Empire Records got laid off and is currently unemployed. The end.
6. You've Got Mail
The good news here is that Fox Books, like Borders, has also probably gone out of business. Thanks, Amazon!
7. Memento
If only Leonard Shelby had Instagram and a Facebook timeline to keep his life straight.
8. Clueless
Sure, we all loved Cher’s impassioned speech about how Americans can “totally party with the Haitians.” But thanks to Wikipedia, even a poorly informed California teenager can sound like a international relations expert these days.
9. Pretty Woman
Seriously, think how much grief Vivian would have saved if she could use Rue La La or Gilt Groupe.
10. Sleepless in Seattle
Meg Ryan wouldn’t have to hop a plane to Seattle to lay eyes on Tom Hanks. All she would need is some thorough Facebook stalking and a Google Street View to verify that he’s the one she wants.