In In The Land Of Women, Meg Ryan plays a unhappy mother of two living in suburban Detroit. The role is a departure from the typical Meg Ryan character. For 15 years, Meg played the adorable girl-next-door that you loved to root for. Now that Meg is playing the grown-woman-next-door, Tango has decided to trace her on-screen evolution…

1.Top Gun
Character: Carole
Year: 1986
Description: This role was Meg’s breakout from television (Charles In Charge). She played the young wife of Goose (Anthony Edwards), a naval fighter pilot. Her character, Carole, is a blonde fireball and this is the first inkling that Meg could be America’s sweetheart.

2.When Harry Met Sally
Character: Sally Albright
Year: 1989
Description: THE definitive Meg Ryan role. As far as anyone knows, she is Sally Albright. She taught men that women can (and do) fake it. She provided great commentary on the nature of male-female friendship. And a nutshell, we’ll have what she’s having.

3. Joe Versus the Volcano
Character: DeDe, Angelica Graynamore & Patricia Graynamore
Year: 1990
Description: Meg takes on three roles in this one and teams up with Tom Hanks for the first time. Her character, Patricia, is the archetypical Meg Ryan character. She’s spunky, smiley and surprisingly deep. Her loyalty leads her to leap into the mouth of the volcano with her lover only to be spared by karma.

4. Sleepless in Seattle
Character: Annie Reed
Year: 1993
Description: Meg teams up again with Nora Ephron (When Harry Met Sally scribe) and Tom Hanks. Her compassion, hope and optimism make Annie a classic Meg Ryan character. And in the end, she gets the right guy.

5. French Kiss
Character: Kate
Year: 1995
Description: Meg is directed by Lawrence Kasdan, father of Jon Kasdan (writer and director of In The Land Of Women), in this one. She plays Kate, a women determined to save her future marriage from a philandering fiancé (Timothy Hutton). She’s a ‘little girl who still believes in fairy tales.’ In the end, she learns a little more about grownup love from a French huckster played by Kevin Kline. Technically, her character is a Canadian but who can really tell the difference, eh?

6. Anastasia
Character: Anya (Anastasia Romanov)
Year: 1997
Description: OK, this character is both animated and Russian, but she still represents the same plucky, can do, American attitude that Meg is known for. Bonus points for opposing Communists and dancing with a prince; what’s more American?

7. You’ve Got Mail
Character: Kathleen Kelly
Year: 1998
Description: This one re-teams Meg with Nora Ephron and Tom Hanks. It’s neither a commercial for an approaching-critical-mass AOL or a remake of Sleepless in Seattle, but something in between. Meg plays the owner of a small bookstore in Manhattan’s Upper West Side. In the end, she gets the guy but loses her store. Maybe a preview of a less-than-perfect world for the Meg Ryan character.

8. In The Cut
Character: Frannie
Year: 2003
Description: This is a departure for Miss Sunshine. She plays a lonely English teacher (OK so far) that becomes involved with a police detective (OK, OK). She meets him because she witnesses a murder (getting away from OK) and has a torrid and graphic affair with him (not OK). Later her sister is decapitated (really not OK) and she suspects the detective but continues her sexy liaison with him (as far from OK as possible). Her role was originally for Nicole Kidman, so go figure. Bonus points for corrupting Mark Ruffalo (nice mustache) too.