“You’ve Got Mail” really should have been a sharp and savvy romantic comedy.

It has writer/director Nora Ephron (“When Harry Met Sally” and “Heartburn”) re-teaming her “Sleepless in Seattle” co-stars Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Hanks’ and Ryan’s chemistry was highly touted in that 1993 hit (even though they only shared one scene together), and so the idea of their reunion is appealing to moviegoers.

Plus, “Mail” plays with a topic (love on the Internet) that isn’t examined in movies very often — at least not in an intelligent way.

The idea of strangers isolated in their own rooms, using a machine to reach out and touch someone, is interesting and desperately needs a good film to examine the issues surrounding it.

“You’ve Got Mail” is not that movie. In fact, “You’ve Got Mail” is a very, very bad movie.

Kathleen Kelley (Ryan) is the owner of a children’s bookstore called The Shop Around The Corner (one of the only clever touches in the movie — it’s a nod to the title of the 1940 film “Mail” is based on).

Kathleen is seemingly happy with her journalist boyfriend Frank (Greg Kinnear, “As Good As It Gets”), but she’s anonymously romancing Joe Fox (Hanks) as “Shopgirl” via e-mail.

The clever little twist is that Kathleen and Joe already know each other. Joe’s family owns a chain of discount bookstores, one of which is scheduled to be built right next to Kathleen’s shop, and it threatens to throw poor Kathleen out of business with her overpriced vintage children’s books.

So, Kathleen and Joe hate each other in the real world while Shopgirl and NY152 woo each other in the cyberworld. The whole damn thing is really irritating.

It’s not that the viewer can figure out the entire plot before the opening credits stop rolling. Most romantic comedies are predictable.

The problem is that the process of Kathleen and Joe’s falling in love is not remotely interesting, touching or witty. Their discussions over e-mail are exceedingly stupid, as is their personal dialogue (Kathleen says “Daisies are my favorite flowers. They’re so friendly. Don’t you think they’re friendly?”).

Their supposedly sharp banter when they’re arguing just grates on the nerves. It’s like watching two elementary school kids push each other around in the lunchline.

Hanks, who was so brilliant in last summer’s “Saving Private Ryan,” is reduced to doing a lot of mugging and posturing. One particularly obnoxious sequence involves him taking his little relatives around New York City, and doing cutesy things like riding in go-carts. The scenario would not have looked out of place in an episode of “Full House.”

But the lowest part of the movie (and there are many to choose from) is Ryan, who is usually a very capable comedienne. She milks her whole cute act 100 percent dry.

Every shot of her drips with syrupy-sweetness. Ryan buys flowers. Ryan hangs up “twinkle lights.” Ryan reads to children in her bookstore. Yeah, Ryan’s adorable, but this viewer felt tempted to smash her adorable little face into her laptop.

Ephron, who is usually hilariously astute in her writing, gives her leads and the supporting cast absolutely nothing to work with.

Kinnear’s talents are absolutely wasted in his role, and Parker Posey (“The Daytrippers”), as Hanks’ bitch-on-wheels girlfriend, is more grating than entertaining.

Maybe Ephron should take a hint from “Sleepless,” and next time keep her leads apart.

0 stars out of five.

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Kate Kompas is a sophomore in journalism and mass communication from LeClaire.