Movies like this one aren't usually on my radar, but I have to admit that for some reason I was oddly drawn to this one. Some of it is because James Marsters had a small part and being a huge fan of his work as Spike on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I feel a sense of duty to support him. However, there was just something relatively interesting about the premise. I am not a huge Hilary Swank fan because every time I watch her on screen I spend more time trying to figure out if I think she is attractive, than watching her performance. Mostly, though, I was curious as to how funny this movie could be given the topic.
Gerry Kennedy(Gerard Butler) and Holly Kennedy(Swank) are a married couple as deeply in love now as they were when they first were married. We are first introduced to them they are having a fight but we can see how much they love each other. After the opening credits though, Gerry has died from a brain tumor. Holly becomes a recluse, hiding in her apartment, wearing his clothes and watching Betty Davis movies. On her 30th birthday her friends and mother show up to try and get her out and Holly gets a delivery. It is a birthday cake from Gerry. She also receives a letter from Gerry telling her to expect more letters and that she must complete the tasks he gives her. If it seems a bit creepy and morbid, it is. Gerry's letters give Holly comfort but also challenge her to live. She must sing Karaoke, get rid of his clothes, vacation and find a job she loves. Along the way she meets Daniel(Harry Connick Jr.), a guy who is charming, funny and rude and is hoping to date her. While vacationing in Ireland, Holly meets William(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and he becomes the first guy she sleeps with other than her dead husband. As the movie goes on though, Holly starts to question these letters and begins to wonder what exactly Gerry is doing. However, it is ultimately a romantic comedy, so life affirmation exists.
To say that this is a romantic comedy is using the term comedy very loosely. There are some laughs to be had for sure, Lisa Kudrow as one of the friends, gets a lot of deserved laughs and Connick Jr. also gets laughs from his unfiltered speech. Gerard Butler reappears throughout the movie in flashbacks, proving he is a rock star, and a charmer, but I don't believe he is as much of a comedian as this movie tries to say he is. The opening scene plays like a ripped off version of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, but that tone is not kept through the movie. At times there are attempts at physical comedy that fall flat, but it makes you appreciate the stuff Kudrow does more because it is obvious she is a very talented comic actress. Morgan does a very good Irish accent and it is easy to see why Holly lets her guard down for Morgan's William because he is very good at suave. In fact, all three major male characters are charming, nice and interesting and all three do a very good job facilitating their purpose in Holly's Life.
My biggest problem with this movie is that it is never sure what it wants to be. Swank spends more time crying in this movie than any actor has ever cried in a movie, ever. It is as if she was unaware this was supposed to have comic touches. The director, Richard LaGravenese, never lets the audience have our laughs without immediately following our laughs with something sad and at some point my sympathy for the character turns to minor annoyance. P.S I love you gives us a year in the life of a widow and while I can not even begin to imagine what it feels like to lose someone in that capacity, it just seems like the movie allows Holly to grieve for too long without giving her a chance to come up for air. The letters are supposed to help Holly move on and in some regard they do, but the 10 letters also come across as cruel reminders of what she lost and they become a crutch on which she can rely to keep her grief going. The movie has a few nice minor themes that don't get enough time like the question about if being a widow is any easier than being a woman who had her husband run off, or whether or not it is okay for people around the widow to be happy in their lives, even as the widow continues to suffer.
I am not the sought after audience for a movie like this and I think that seems like it succeeds as a chick flick. That is to say, that while it could be a movie that speaks to anyone who has lost someone, it seems perfectly fine with catering to an exclusively female audience. I think Swank was probably the wrong choice, but she does capture the grief well and in the flashback where she and Butler first meet, she captures the kind of gawky innocence of the character, but she just seems to be missing the lighter touch sections of the movie. I did not hate the movie, but I was relatively indifferent towards it, especially as it runs into the 2 hour mark. Guys, if you are going to see this movie it is a good idea to bring tissue for your girl because I am not sure any girl in the theater had dry eyes throughout.
Final Grade: C+
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