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The real interesting mystery that can
be framed around P.S. I Love You does not concern the
movie itself—it’s much too bland and uninspired for that—but its
intended audience. Sure, I can understand who might go to
see the film; after all, how could a giggling teenage girl or an
overly-sentimental middle-aged woman refuse what has been
marketed as the most romantic and teary-eyed chick-flick of the
season? But when I try to figure out who might like the
movie, I am left befuddled. P.S. I Love You is hardly the
sweet, welcome tearjerker that it has been marketed as. In
actuality, the movie represents a stunningly artificial
concoction; every character present exists as a one-note (and
often, it would appear, mentally-insane) caricature. Filmgoers
who like feeling the warmth of romance in movies will find
themselves betrayed by P.S. I Love You’s very cutesy
cartoonishness. Those who merely like to escape from reality
with romantic-comedies will be equally-disappointed because,
heck, even the most imaginative of us need to find some fragment
of actual life to latch onto in a movie to escape from the real
thing. And yet, still, despite its utter lack of likableness,
P.S. I Love You is retaining the smallest percentage-drops
at the Box-Office each weekend of this Holiday Season. Color me
surprised and (to a lesser extent) feeling bad for those who
shell out $10 to see it.
Okay, it’s true
that I am coming down a bit harshly on P.S. I Love You.
After all, the movie’s intentions are far too lightweight for it
to become a painful cinematic experience. (It should be
noted, however, that results may vary depending on whether or
not you have a penis.) But isn’t a movie that is entirely
mediocre, offering nothing truly fresh to the viewer, just as
unworthy as a completely awful one? I think so, and P.S. I
Love You would perfectly fit this description if it weren’t
for a single asset: Hilary Swank. In the lead role—flatly as the
part may be envisioned by director Richard LaGravenese (who also
worked with Swank on the teacher-drama Freedom Writers)
and his co-writer Steven Rogers—the seasoned actress works
wonders for the entire project. She is effortless, affable,
cute, and charming in the film, almost nailing the very balance
of comedy and drama that nearly destroys the movie because of
utter implausibility. If it weren’t for Swank, I would likely be
ripping P.S. I Love You to shreds in this review. No
other member of the cast—from the manic Lisa Kudrow to the
out-of-place Kathy Bates to the totally-ludicrous Gerard
Butler—is able to come close to capturing the essence of what
she does. Accordingly, the film fails to thrive, existing only
as yet another insipid and entirely disposable invention of the
Hollywood Studio Machine.
-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews
Review Published on: 1.11.2008
Screened on: 1.5.2007 at the
Edwards San Marcos 18 in San Marcos, CA.
P.S. I Love You is rated PG-13 and runs
119 minutes.
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