Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Harry Connick Jr., Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kathy Bates
"Sometimes there is only one thing left to say"
Cinema 12, SM Megamall
I never read the novel by Cecelia Ahern this movie was based on because I'm not into chick lit. But the main draw for me was Gerard Butler. The Phantom of the Opera and King Leonidas of Sparta himself! Here he is Gerry, a carefree Irish balladeer who is transported to New York City as a limo driver. He has been married to Holly for 10 years. Holly (Hilary Swank) is the 'responsible' one in the marriage, she has a plan for everything. From moving to a bigger apartment to deciding when to have children. One year later, we witness Holly's grief as she is suddenly widowed after Gerry succumbs to a brain tumor. The film picks up when on her 30th birthday she receives a cake and a tape recording from Gerry telling her to tidy up and go out to celebrate her natal day. The different seasons pass by and we see Holly living again ably guided by several letters sent by Gerry. A well conceived plan devised by Gerry (the non planner) so that Holly can move on with her life without him by her side. It also helps that she had a strong support system. She had her friends who stick by her. Her mother who has been through her own rough time dealing with issues of abandonment and separation. And a supportive male friend with his own syndrome.
But this so called plan by Gerry begs the question. How can she move on with her life when all she has to look forward to is receiving those letters? Won't it only firmly make her cling to her past? Well it works! In making her rediscover the person she was before she married Gerry. And the person I like to believe made Gerry fall in love with her in the first place. We all know how the travails of married life can sometimes make us lose focus on the true meaning of life. In the beginning of the film, Holly laments and argues about the direction her life has taken. She felt like she was always waiting for her life to begin. She is constantly planning everything. Being the responsible grown up one who worries all the time. Gerry answers her that that was it, this was their life now and I melted when he told her: "I know what I want, because I have it in my hands right now. You."
It is a sweet romantic comedy that surely gets your tears ducts flowing but it does have its flaws or plot loopholes. To mention a few - some wasted footage showing Holly mopping around in apartment during her time of grief. The forced romantic angle sequence with Harry Connick Jr. Or the fact that you wonder how she was able to support herself financially when she wasn't working because earlier in the film she was lamenting how she hated her job and they couldn't afford a bigger place. But the film does redeem itself with shots of the lush Irish countryside, the good acting performances of Hilary Swank and Kathy Bates, the right comedic timing of Lisa Kudrow being goofy and dare I say flash back shots of Gerard Butler singing tracks by the Pogues (an Irish folk band) with his Irish accent!
So although the film deals with death and grief. It is more focused on redicovering and re examining our goals in life. It is about celebrating the fact that as long as we live, we do have the right and the option to be happy no matter how difficult our life has been.
But this so called plan by Gerry begs the question. How can she move on with her life when all she has to look forward to is receiving those letters? Won't it only firmly make her cling to her past? Well it works! In making her rediscover the person she was before she married Gerry. And the person I like to believe made Gerry fall in love with her in the first place. We all know how the travails of married life can sometimes make us lose focus on the true meaning of life. In the beginning of the film, Holly laments and argues about the direction her life has taken. She felt like she was always waiting for her life to begin. She is constantly planning everything. Being the responsible grown up one who worries all the time. Gerry answers her that that was it, this was their life now and I melted when he told her: "I know what I want, because I have it in my hands right now. You."
It is a sweet romantic comedy that surely gets your tears ducts flowing but it does have its flaws or plot loopholes. To mention a few - some wasted footage showing Holly mopping around in apartment during her time of grief. The forced romantic angle sequence with Harry Connick Jr. Or the fact that you wonder how she was able to support herself financially when she wasn't working because earlier in the film she was lamenting how she hated her job and they couldn't afford a bigger place. But the film does redeem itself with shots of the lush Irish countryside, the good acting performances of Hilary Swank and Kathy Bates, the right comedic timing of Lisa Kudrow being goofy and dare I say flash back shots of Gerard Butler singing tracks by the Pogues (an Irish folk band) with his Irish accent!
So although the film deals with death and grief. It is more focused on redicovering and re examining our goals in life. It is about celebrating the fact that as long as we live, we do have the right and the option to be happy no matter how difficult our life has been.
2 comments:
Hi! Enjoyed reading your review of PS I Love You. I liked the film for the same reasons.
Just wanted to add that the director did leave a clue on how Holly would survive financially - Her mother asks "Gerry's drivers" to close the curtains before the wake service takes place - letting us know that his business was a success. So, she would have an income from his business to keep
her going until she found a career of her own.
Thanks for dropping by Anonymous :)
OK thanks for clearing that up, now I understand where she got funds for her daily expenses.
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