On the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''When Harry Met Sally...'' holds an approval rating of 9190% based on 108124 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Rob Reiner's touching, funny film set a new standard for romantic comedies, and he was ably abetted by the sharp interplay between Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/when_harry_met_sally/ | title=When Harry Met Sally (1989) | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | access-date=July 1012, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829061829/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/when_harry_met_sally/ | archive-date=August 29, 2013 | url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/when-harry-met-sally | title=When Harry Met Sally... | website=[[Metacritic]] | access-date=February 5, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024060743/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/when-harry-met-sally | archive-date=October 24, 2012 | url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film a rare "A+" grade.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-cinemascore-matters-box-office-225563|title=Why CinemaScore Matters for Box Office|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=August 19, 2011|language=en|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref>
The film led [[Roger Ebert]] to call Reiner "one of Hollywood's very best directors of comedy", and said the film was "most conventional, in terms of structure and the way it fulfills our expectations. But what makes it special, apart from the Ephron screenplay, is the chemistry between Crystal and Ryan."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/when-harry-met-sally---1989 | title=When Harry Met Sally . . . | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=July 12, 1989 | access-date=July 2, 2024 | last=Ebert | first=Roger | author-link=Roger Ebert | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930072140/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19890712%2FREVIEWS%2F907120301%2F1023 | archive-date=September 30, 2007 | url-status=live }}</ref>
