Home > Chicago Movies > Movie Review > P.S. I Love You

When Gerry (Gerard Butler) dies of a sudden illness, his wife Holly (Hilary Swank) checks out of her life despite the moral support from her mom (Kathy Bates) and best friends (Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon). Then, on Holly’s 30th birthday, letters from Gerry start arriving in the mail with instructions for experiences designed to help Holly move on with her life.

Big question: All eyes are on the stars here—How does Butler fare in his first major screen appearance post-“300” and how does Swank handle her first Hollywood chick flick?

Skip it: It’s difficult to distill the odd blend of elements at work in “P.S. I Love You” down to a TV-friendly ad campaign, so it’s understandable that the studio is selling it as a light romantic comedy. At its core the movie is actually something much sadder and tougher (without even a trace of the fantasy wish fulfillment of “Ghost”). Two-time Oscar-winner Swank pulls off the dramatic material with ease, but stumbles over those audience-friendly stabs at comedy and romance. The result is a movie that disappoints for both what it is and what it’s being sold as.

Catch it: For the unique site of Swank karaoke-ing Prince. Just a warning: it doesn’t end well.

Bottom line: A sure sign that Swank’s acting strengths lie elsewhere: she has no less than three love interests (Butler, Harry Connick Jr. and “Grey’s Anatomy’s” Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and doesn’t really spark with any of them. She’s actually at her best opposite fellow Oscar-winner Bates. But don’t blame it all on the star. It’s tough to believe that any leading lady could’ve done much with writer-director Richard LaGravenese’s lackluster material.

Bonus: Quirky singer-songwriter Nellie McKay makes her film debut as Holly’s younger sister and steals her handful of scenes with an offbeat comic delivery.

Add a comment