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When Harry Met Sally... · 1989 — 第 20 / 20 章 · 2'19" · B1

Harry's Answering Machine Message, Explained：consolation prize

Harry leaves a long, needy message on Sally's answering machine, then gets her on the line and apologizes. He asks about New Year's and reminds her of their old pact to be each other's fallback date. Sally refuses: "I am not your consolation prize." He has apologised for the fight, but not for the pattern behind it.

あらすじ

After a fight, Harry calls Sally and leaves a rambling message, sorting her silence into options A, B and C. She picks up, and he apologizes. He then asks what she is doing for New Year's and reminds her of their old agreement to spend it together if neither has a date. She tells him she will not be his consolation prize and hangs up.

Phone callsApologizingSaying noFriendsB1mediumamerican
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注目の表現

call you right backlead someone to believemake a schmuck out of myselfon my way out

00:00 / 02:19
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このシーンの表現

consolation prize

a second-best fallback

On the phone, Sally makes it clear she will not be his fallback choice.

Second place felt like a consolation prize.

このシーンの他の表現

  • call you right back

    phone you again shortly

  • lead someone to believe

    make me conclude

  • make a schmuck out of myself

    make a fool of oneself

  • on my way out

    about to leave

  • What's so bad about this

    a hollow, self-soothing question

このシーンのメモ一覧

33 行のセリフに 27 件のメモ

表現 · A2call someone back

phone you again shortly

This is the greeting on Harry's machine, which he then keeps calling himself.

Hi. I'm not home right now. I'll call you right back.
発音call you right back

Call you links into call-ya, with right back clipped short.

Hi. I'm not home right now. I'll call you right back.
表現 · A2pick up the phone

answer the phone

If you're there, pick up the phone. I really wanna talk to you.
スラング · A2wanna

want to (casual) — Everyday speech; avoid it in writing.

If you're there, pick up the phone. I really wanna talk to you.
表現 · B2lead someone to believe

make me conclude

Harry analyzes why Sally is not answering, listing possibilities like a detective.

The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe you're either...
文法 · B2The fact that you're not answering

appositive clause: The fact that ... is an appositive clause spelling out what the fact is.

The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe you're either...
表現 · B1be trapped under something

pinned under a heavy object

or C... home, desperately wanna talk to me, but trapped under something heavy.
文法 · B1but trapped under something heavy

past participial phrase: Trapped is a past participle describing an ongoing state, short for who is trapped.

or C... home, desperately wanna talk to me, but trapped under something heavy.
表現 · B2be hit over the head

be hit with an obvious clue

She doesn't wanna talk to me. What do I have to do, be hit over the head?
表現 · C1make a schmuck out of oneself

make a fool of oneself

I am through making a schmuck out of myself.
発音making a schmuck

Making a blurs into makin-na, with schmuck stressed.

I am through making a schmuck out of myself.
スラング · C1schmuck

a fool (slang) — A slangy insult; too casual for formal talk.

I am through making a schmuck out of myself.
スラング · B1moi

me (playful French) — A playful French touch for me; joking only.

be afraid to just phone moi Call me and I'll be around - Give
表現 · B1be on one's way out

about to leave

Sally picks up and places herself at the door, ready to end the call.

- What are you doing? - I was just on my way out.
表現 · A2call to say something

phone just to say something

I just called to say I'm sorry.
発音Wait a second

The t in wait a flaps, sounding like way-da.

- I gotta go. - Wait a second. Wait a second.
スラング · A2gotta

have got to (casual) — Spoken shorthand; too casual for writing.

- I gotta go. - Wait a second. Wait a second.
表現 · A2have a date

have someone to go out with

'Cause I don't have a date. And if you don't have a date...
表現 · B1neither one of us

not either of us

we always said that if neither one of us had a date...
文法 · B2if neither one of us had a date

unreal conditional: The past form had in the if-clause signals a hypothetical situation.

we always said that if neither one of us had a date...
表現 · A2be together for something

spend an occasion together

we could be together for New Year's.
表現 · B1can't do this anymore

cannot continue like this

I can't do this anymore. I am not your consolation prize. Good-bye.
表現 · B2consolation prize

a second-best fallback

On the phone, Sally makes it clear she will not be his fallback choice.

I can't do this anymore. I am not your consolation prize. Good-bye.
文法 · B1I am not your consolation prize

noun as complement: Be not plus a noun states plainly what she refuses to be.

I can't do this anymore. I am not your consolation prize. Good-bye.
発音I am not your

Your weakens to yer, and I am not often contracts to I'm not.

I can't do this anymore. I am not your consolation prize. Good-bye.
表現 · B2coming to you live

broadcast live to you

coming to you live...
表現 · B1the greatest ... of all time

ever, in history

You got Malomars, the greatest cookie of all time.

「Harry's Answering Machine Message」を読み解く

What's really going on

The answering machine lets Harry perform the apology he cannot quite make face to face: he jokes, he analyzes, and he leaves the door open for an easy reply. When Sally finally picks up, the real subject appears — New Year's — and his invitation to be each other's fallback dates sounds less like friendship than like using her. Her answer names it: "I am not your consolation prize." The line is the film's clearest boundary, and it stands even though Harry's apology was sincere. He is learning to want her honestly; she is refusing to be wanted conveniently.

Theme

RomanceHarry's apology and New Year's invitation reveal feelings he cannot name, and Sally refuses to be a convenient option.
FriendshipThe old pact to be each other's fallback date finally breaks the line between friends and something more.

このチャプターで学べること

  • Leaving messages can turn into a monologue.
  • Refusing to be a consolation prize is a clean boundary.
  • He tries to make the holiday sound fine, and fails.
  • Apology here is a bid for company, not just remorse.

発音のポイント

  • call you right back — Call you links into call-ya, with right back clipped short.
  • making a schmuck — Making a blurs into makin-na, with schmuck stressed.
  • Wait a second — The t in wait a flaps, sounding like way-da.
  • I am not your — Your weakens to yer, and I am not often contracts to I'm not.
I can't do this anymore. I am not your consolation prize. Good-bye.

Sally's refusal to keep being Harry's safe option: she ends the call rather than accept a role built on being the last choice.

I am through making a schmuck out of myself.

Harry vows to stop humiliating himself by chasing someone who will not answer, a resolve he immediately breaks by calling again.

If you're there, pick up the phone. I really wanna talk to you.

The plea at the center of the message: Harry admits he wants contact and asks her to make it easy for him.

You got Malomars, the greatest cookie of all time.

A later, joking line about staying in on New Year's, listing small comforts as if they could replace the company he wants.

このシーンについての質問

Why does Harry leave such a long message?

He is nervous and wants to control the situation, so he jokes and analyzes instead of simply saying he is sorry. The message is a performance that keeps him at a safe distance.

What does Sally mean by consolation prize?

She means she refuses to be the person Harry settles for when no one better is available, which is how his New Year's invitation sounds to her.

Was Harry's apology sincere?

It seems sincere, but it also asks for nothing to change between them, which is exactly what Sally cannot accept after the fight.

What is the old pact about New Year's?

Harry and Sally agreed that if neither had a date, they would spend New Year's together. He leans on it as a rule that hides the fact that he wants her company.

Does Sally hang up on Harry?

Yes, after telling him she will not be his consolation prize. It is one of the few times she ends a conversation with him on her own terms.

恋人たちの予感 · 全 20 章

すべて見る →
第 1 章in her right mindHarry and Sally Drive to New York第 2 章strong suitSally Explains the Weekday Underpants第 3 章get in the wayMen and Women Can't Be Friends第 4 章keep in touch withHarry and Sally Reunite on a Plane第 5 章grow apartHarry Amends the Friendship Rule第 6 章cushion the blowHarry Tells Jess About His Divorce第 7 章on a moment's noticeHarry and Sally Reunite in a Bookstore第 8 章as hard as nailsHarry and Sally Become Friends第 9 章high maintenanceHarry Calls Sally Late at Night第 10 章get out thereHarry and Sally Talk Like This第 11 章downshift into small talkSally Fakes an Orgasm第 12 章hit it offHarry and Sally Slip Out at Midnight第 13 章get over yourselfThe Double Date at the Restaurant第 14 章call off the dogsHarry and Sally Shop for a Gift第 15 章sooner or laterHarry Runs Into His Ex-Wife第 16 章take your anger outHarry and Sally Have a Fight第 17 章a dead endSally Calls Harry About Joe第 18 章one thing led to anotherHarry and Sally's Awkward Morning After第 19 章get past thisHarry and Sally Fight at the Wedding再生中 · 第 20 章consolation prizeHarry's Answering Machine Message
この作品の 20 章はここまでです