Nora Ephron's best films

A tribute to the late lady writer-director

First published on 27 Jun 2012. Updated on 28 Jun 2012.

We at Time Out were as saddened as everyone else to hear about the death of writer-director Nora Ephron, the maestro of the 'meet-cute'. Here are our picks for her most bewitching films:

5. Silkwood

Ephron co-wrote this based-on-a-true-story drama starring Meryl Streep as plutonium plant worker Karen Silkwood, whose suspicious death in a car accident came as she was about to blow the whistle on dodgy dealings in her workplace. Ephron's first screenplay earned her an Oscar nod, and kicked off a long and fruitful professional relationship with Streep.

4. Julie & Julia

Another Streeper, and sadly, Ephron's last film. The story of celebrity chef Julia Child is set against a young woman's attempt to cook every recipe in Childs' first book (and to blog about it). By mixing two movies into one, it should be a recipe for disaster and yet... it works. Bon appetit!

3. Heartburn

Ephron adapted her own novel, which was loosely based on her failed marriage to journo Carl Bernstein. Jack Nicholson's the husband, and – you guessed it – Meryl Streep stars as the surrogate Nora. Heartbreaking.

2. When Harry Met Sally...

For her revealing and very funny examination of whether or not men and women can ever truly be 'just friends', Ephron scored her second Oscar nomination. The film that put fake orgasms on the map, it was Ephron's greatest success until...

1. Sleepless in Seattle

A third Oscar nomination and squillions of dollars at the box office greeted Ephron's masterpiece, which cemented Meg Ryan as America's Sweetheart, boosted Tom Hanks' rising star even further and defined the term 'chick flick'.