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P.S. I Love You

Jan 23, 2008
By ABDUL TURAY

P.S. I'M DEAD: Hollywood felt it had to dumb-down the story by moving most of the action to New York.

Director: Richard LaGravenese

"P.S. I Love You," based on the best selling novel book by Cecelia Ahern, who also happens to be the daughter of the Irish Prime Minister, starts well after the closing credits in most chick flicks have rolled. Here the couple, Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry (Gerald Butler), are not only already in love but happily married. They have their frustrations, small apartment, no money, and no baby yet, but it is still a good marriage. Where can this possibly go?

The next scene is Gerry's funeral. Gerry, we learn, has died of a brain tumour. Holly begins to fall apart. From beyond the grave Gerry comes to the rescue, finding inventive ways of sending his wife letters, written before he died, each with a task to complete and each ending with the words, "P.S. I loved you." Through the letters Holly rediscovers the person she once was and moves on with her life. The story is told in flashbacks and with Gerry appearing to Holly at key moments.

The novel is set in Ireland, but the producers decided that American audiences wouldn't relate to a bunch of Irish folk and have, no doubt to the annoyance of fans of the book, transposed the action to Manhattan. Gerry is still Irish though and the producer's decision changes the dynamic of the story. Holly goes to Ireland with her girlfriends Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow, the latter playing a similar scatty character to her role in "Friends" 's obviously not a woman afraid of being type-cast.
The film then becomes an Americans on holiday movie. There are lots of shots of rolling green hills and handsome men. Those planning a holiday in Ireland this summer and women who like their men rough and rugged may like it, but why should anybody else care?

The trouble with "P.S. I Love You" is that the book on which it is based isn't that good to begin with. Although the film has a neat, original premise, it suffers from weak characterization, corny plotting and a frankly ludicrous and cartoon-like ending. Fans of romantic comedies may like it, but I suspect that even they will think "so what?" after getting a mere two blocks from the cinema.

P.S. Ladies, don't go to Ireland expecting to meet men like Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, neither of whom is Irish, by the way. Such men only exist in Hollywood-land.

Opens in Estonia Jan 18, in Latvia Jan. 25 and in Lithuania Feb.

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