Friday, January 16, 2009

P.S. I Love You

Title: P.S. I Love You (2007)
Dir: Richard LaGravenese
Rating: *** out of 5 stars



There is a simple litmus test for determining if you'll like P.S. I Love You: look down your pants. What do you see? If there is a penis there, chances are you won't like this movie. And I wouldn't blame you. It is mushy, depressing, and only uplifting and funny in a "You go girl!" kind of way. Plus, the female lead is only arguably attractive while the male leads are gorgeous. Being the vagina that I am, I enjoyed this movie. It wasn't great, but I laughed and choked up a bit. It is surprisingly funny, but a chick flick through and through.

Hilary Swank plays Holly, a young woman who loses her beloved husband to cancer. Unable to deal with the grief, she becomes a recluse and hallucinates that her husband is still there. When her friends and family finally pry her from the apartment, Holly receives a letter from her late husband urging her to stop sulking and enjoy her life. She finds out that he had pre-written a series of letters while he was ill, knowing she'd need the moral support once he had passed. She anxiously awaits the next letter, while her loved ones question if this scheme is helping or hurting Holly's chances at moving on.

Swank is good as usual, and funnier than she ever has been. It was pretty amusing watching her tie up her blouse and sing Prince's "Get Off." As her late husband, Gerard Butler is funny, charming, and it's a damn shame he isn't in the movie more. *sigh* Same for Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays an Irish singer that charms Holly. Talk about a lucky girl...

I also really liked Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow as Holly's best friends. Even her sister (played by singer Nellie McKay) was quirky and adorable. I don't usually like girl-friends in movies, but these gals were funny and meaningful to the story. Like I said, the movie was surprisingly funny for being all about death and mourning. It's certainly not for everyone, but it is romantic and sweet, if you like that sort of thing.

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