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 enlarge | Director: Richard Lagravenese
Actors: Gerard Butler, Hillary Swank, Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, James Marsters
Studio: Warner Bros.
Category: Movie
Buy New: $3.99
Rating:  162 reviews
Sales Rank: 175
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Video On Demand
Running Time: 127
ASIN: B00190OHD6
Theatrical Release Date: December 21, 2007
Release Date: October 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A great love story January 1, 2008
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
After forcing my girlfriend to sit through Walk Hard & Alien Vs. Preadtor 2 I was dragged to see P.S. I Love You and I have to say that I was pleasntly surpised. Unless she's playing a man Hilary Swank in my opinion always plays Hilary Swank in every from The Core to Freedom Writers. Mrs/ Swanks gave one of her better performances as Holly and earned a new respect from me. The chemistry between Swank and Butler is charming and heartbreaking when their love is lost. The emotions are geunine and the tears are earned and not forced unlike some romantic films. I want go into anymore deatil about the filn as the trailers pretty much give away the plot, but if your romantic at heart then this is a film you'll enjoy.
Previews were misleading--- December 31, 2007
22 out of 26 found this review helpful
So here is the thing. I don't watch many regular television programs so
have never seen some of the supporting cast and their trademark 'acts.'
I have never read the novel, P.S, I Love You. Or any other Ahern
writings. Never have seen any of the actors except Hilary Swank, Gerard
Butler and Kathy Bates. I don't know anything about walk-up apartments
in New York. (Seemed to bug some people.) I'm not an 'expert' on Irish
accents.
I caught the film for the second time 12/30 at the 10:35 a.m. showing;
there was an amazing crowd for a Sunday morning. The projection was
perfect. No microphones (complaints on some boards) on view. The sound
was great. That end song over the credits is a winner! And I loved it
more that I did the first time on the opening Friday morn, the 21st.
Holly is a real person, imperfect and annoying at times. Hilary Swank
is perfect. Those who want a 'babyface" child/woman to play Holly are
not living in the real world. There are more look-a-likes for Hilary
than the usual cookie-cutter cute young things Hollywood usually casts.
And Hilary has the chops to make us understand this childish woman and
how she starts the healing and growing up, with her Gerry's memory to
help.
I loved Lisa Kudrows questions to potentials. Very funny. I loved
Holly's quirky sister and thought she brought energy and sunshine to
her scenes. The boat scene is cliché' but funny all the same.
I still say the ballpark scene was not needed. They could have cut it
and the expense, and had the reading of the letter as voice-over.
Daniel and Holly 'were over' in the restaurant, and the audience knows
it. Daniel is an interesting "other man" and a new type. More
interesting than usual. But did anyone really think they would end up
together? Not me.
Bates is always good, but I just don't see that her part is 'wonderful'
as others keep saying. It's a part Bates can do in her sleep. The
Mother had never reconciled to the marriage and seemed waspish. Holly
had to overlook her disapproval while trying to find her way with her
husband.
I wonder how many scenes with James Marstars and Gina Gershon were left
on the cutting room floor. They were hardly in the film.
And Jeffrey Dean Morgan, although good looking in a grinny-goofy way,
hardly has any lines to say. And they are one-note. So not a great
impression.
The cinematography is gorgeous, from the streets of New York to the
Irish countryside.
Our audience today clapped when the 'Mustang Sally" scene started. More
energy and excitement there than in all the rest of the film. Gerry
Butler is Mr. Wonderful. Singing, flirting, great body language, and a
delicious deep kiss, at last. *sigh* I've upgraded my rating to a 9
from a 7.
Postcript: I didn't read this book and I have promised myself that I
will never buy a book thinking I will see it on film. Never happens. I
have promised myself I will not see every preview and teaser of a film
before I go to the theater.
The previews of PSILY were clips chopped up from 5 to 10 seconds and
did not show what the scenes they were from were about. I went thinking
I was seeing quite a different film, just from all the clips we were
able to see online and on TV. My first viewing was clouded by that
fact. I did not see what the preview seemed to say I should be seeing.
From now on I will go in like I did for "Phantom Of The Opera" -
knowing nothing, never having seen a preview. But I knew I loved the
music.
Or last years "The Departed." I had never even heard of it and went
because I wanted to see the "300" preview on a big screen. But I loved
it.
This has taught me a lesson. I've seen one preview of "Nims Island" -
the next Butler film, out in April, and love what I see. Don't want to
read the book. I'll not be watching or reading about the film. Don't
want any more information than I have right now. That way, it is just
me and what's on the screen - and that's what it's all about. One
person in the dark, reacting to what the director, crew and actors have
made for them. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. :) Jane
 A cute idea in need of severe editing"-P.S. I need to move along!" December 28, 2007
16 out of 24 found this review helpful
Oh well,I am not here to be popular.I am here to be honest,and if ever a film could have used a colon cleanser to get it moving,it would be "P.S. I Love You"!
I usually love films like this.I had seen the trailer enough times, and especially liking Gerard Butler (The Phantom of the Opera (Two-Disc Special Edition) and 300 (Widescreen Edition)) I was primed for an entertaining and heart touching film.Well,it did not work for me,not because of the story itself or the acting,but Good God this film needed some editing!!!!!!!!!! This film moved like my Grandmother used to say,like "Molasses creeping up hill on a cold January day!" For all of it's good intentions "P.S. I Love You" just droned like a wheezing bagpipe! Sorry folks!
Holiday Confection Falls Flat December 26, 2007
16 out of 25 found this review helpful
There's nothing like a good confection to go along with the holidays. And there's nothing more that I'd like to do than enjoy a film like `P.S. I Love You'. The previews show everything inviting: A widow woman on the mend, a mystery with chain letters sent posthumously, the comic return of Lisa Kudrow, a heart-warming story about learning to live and love again after a loved one's death. There's even a performance by Kathy Bates.
The movie starts with a likable premise: Gerry (Gerard Butler), a fun-loving pub singer and Irish immigrant dies of brain cancer and leaves his wife, Holly (Hillary Swank) to grieve immobile in her Brooklyn apartment. Sounds good so far. I came into the story thinking I might get the female flick (or male sensitive movie) version of `The Ultimate Gift'. There were some problems with that movie, but the aspect of mystery with a heart is a real draw.
Holly mourns for weeks, letting her apartment go. Her mother (Bates) and her best friend (Kudrow) try to snap her out of it. On her thirtieth birthday, balloons and a cake are delivered, complete with a tape recorder with Gerry's voice intact, telling her she's to follow the instructions from a series of letters meant to ease her grieving and move on in life.
At Irish Teddy's Bar where he used to sing, bartender, Daniel (Harry Connick, Jr.) is the kind of jerk women love to hate, but tries to make a move while Holly's on the mend. She goes out on the town and takes a trip to Ireland and connects with Gerry's family, but the film mostly falters. The trouble is time is needed for these wounds, and the movie almost makes the four seasons of her grieving in real time.
Unfortunately the movie didn't live up to the previews. Here's why: If the film were nearly as well edited as the trailor, it would flown better. There's one speed they know best and that's slow. Sometimes it's essential; at others it's deadly. The material is drawn out; it's spotty for mirth and warmth. There's a joke here, a letdown there. The movie lingers over every development. The flashbacks don't help the film much, either. The delivery mainly feels forced.
Swank gives a heartfelt performance that clearly identifies our sympathies for her plight, and Bates is as believable as ever as the hard-boiled mother, who underneath her exterior shines a true and loving heart. Lisa Kudrow still has a likable return, even if the movie's timing gives her short shrift. In comparison to his role in 'Bug,' Harry Connick, Jr. shows a real acting range. Similarly, Gerard Butler shows his repertoire from feisty sword and sandal king in '300' to a likable character, worthy of grieving about.
Despite good performances and a good premise, 'P.S. I Love You' fails to connect with the audience. Unlike movies such as 'The Notebook,' and `Ghost' it fails to deliver the emotional depth one would expect from the subject matter with a script and direction that need to be lively at the times the characters and audience need it most.
She Gets Letters, She Gets Letters December 25, 2007
30 out of 33 found this review helpful
As hopelessly contrived and predictable as "P.S. I Love You" is, it's still a charming, touching romantic comedy. The most surprising thing about it is Hilary Swank, whose resume of serious films has made a humorous role seem an unlikely choice. She makes full use of her softer, sillier side, playing a character that's loveable and irritating at the same time. I say this in spite of the fact that serious undertones run through the film, as they always do in romantic comedies; after losing her husband to cancer, Swank's character spends the rest of the film trying to find herself (for lack of a non-clichéd term). The twist is that her husband is posthumously guiding her with a series of handwritten letters, all of which were so strategically located that only a well-executed plan could see it through. A sweet but nonetheless baffling idea: How could a terminally ill man carry off something this elaborate in such a short period of time?
Never mind--I was still moved by the light-hearted sentimentality of the story, so I have to give credit where credit is due. The film opens in wintertime New York City with Holly Kennedy (Swank) storming home, absolutely furious. Right behind her is her Irish husband, Jerry (Gerard Butler), who knows he's said something to offend Holly but doesn't know what. It isn't until they enter their apartment that they really let loose: Holly is offended because Jerry commented on her waiting to have children. Now back in their apartment, everything he says gets misconstrued in some way, and a full-blown fight ensues. It isn't long before they make up, however, and by the time they do, Jerry promises his wife that he isn't going anywhere, despite their financial troubles, despite their current job situations. After nine years, he still loves her. He'll always love her, no matter what.
Naturally, the very next scene takes place at his memorial service. The audience is thankfully spared the unnecessary melodrama of his failing health and eventual death; no such scenes are included in this film. The filmmakers wisely chose to focus on what happens afterwards with Holly, who--as you might have guessed--is so grief-stricken that she shuts herself off and lets herself go. It isn't until her thirtieth birthday that things begin to change; as her worried family and friends sit by her side, a birthday cake is delivered with a mini cassette recorder taped to the inside of the box. Holly presses the Play button and hears Jerry's voice explaining that he wrote her a series of letters as he was dying. Holly will receive them all over a period of time, and each one will instruct her to do something bold and adventurous. Basically, his words will push her into living her life without focusing so much on his death.
The rest of the film is all about Holly fulfilling her husband's last requests, from singing in a karaoke bar to meeting his parents back in his native Ireland (where--you guessed it--another letter waits). Her friends and family offer as much support as they can, all while engaged in their own minor subplots. Her best friend, Denise (Lisa Kudrow), is desperate to find Mr. Right, so desperate that she openly asks potential dates about their relationship status, their financial status, and their sexual orientation. Holly's mother, Patricia (Kathy Bates), loves her daughter but has trouble accepting Jerry's postmortem plan. She was never fully accepting of him to begin with; he and Holly married at young ages, meaning that a lot could have gone wrong. And Patricia definitely understands the pain of losing a husband (albeit under much different circumstances).
The most interesting side character is Daniel (Harry Connick, Jr.), who works for Holly's mother at a local bar. He claims to have a syndrome: his social filter is defective, meaning he'll say anything to anyone at anytime. He openly tells Holly that she's hot, that she's a terrible singer, and that he's getting sick of hearing about Jerry all the time. Part of the truth is obvious--he has feelings for Holly. The rest of the truth is not so clear-cut--he, too, has been deeply wounded by a past relationship. From this alone, the two are emotional matches. That doesn't necessarily mean that they would work as a couple, especially with the inclusion of William (Jeffery Dean Morgan), the man Holly meets on her trip to Ireland. So the question is raised: Will Holly and Daniel find romance in the midst of tragedy? Will Holly allow herself to love again, or even to let her life go in a new direction?
As fresh and exciting as I'm making this sound, the reality is that "P.S. I Love You" is a fairly routine story of love, loss, and emotional rebirth. That doesn't make it a bad movie by any means; in all honesty, I found it quite satisfying. Most of this has to do with Hilary Swank, who impressed me with her ability to transcend the heavy-handed, solemn movie roles she's known for. But the rest of the cast does a decent job, as well, doing justice to a well-established cinematic formula. I also appreciated the letter-writing plot point, simply because it was cleverly (if strangely) executed. Some may feel that Jerry's letter writing is a method of control, but do you honestly think that a romantic comedy would go that far? It's not control so much as it's a way to nudge Holly in the right direction--I believe that, were it not for his letters, she would mourn the rest of her life. And is it any coincidence that he ends every letter with the film's title?
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