P.S. I Love You
It’s kind of tough to figure the ultimate motive in the plan of Gerry (a charismatic Gerard Butler), who dies of a brain tumor in writer-director Richard LaGravenese’s romantic comedy-drama. Is his plan to help her move on from him, or to not forget him? Well, watching the film all the way through answers that question for you, but ultimately his motivation is to let Holly (the sexy and superb Hilary Swank, previously of LaGravenese’s “Freedom Writers”) know that alive or dead, he’ll always love her, and want what’s best for her. You watch the film unfold, even when it hits the sappy button with reckless abandon, and it’s hard not to wonder why no one has done this story before. It would seem a natural for a crowd-pleaser.
But part of what makes LaGravenese’s approach, similar to the one he took with his underrated 1998 film “Living Out Loud,” so endearing is its’ emotional honesty. It doesn’t treat the story like a sitcom or movie of the week setup, as a lesser filmmaker would. Instead, he plays the film true to life- the grief, the questioning of motive as Gerry sets up a mailing schedule for letters to be sent to Holly with the intention of helping her live her life without him with a little help from her family (with mom played by the typically invaluable Kathy Bates) and friends (with Lisa Kudrow proving herself a comic ace in support once again, contrasting the tart tongue of Gina Gershon, the earnestness of Gerry’s best friend played by “Buffy’s” James Marsters (good to see him onscreen again), and the endearing awkwardness of Harry Connick Jr.’s bartender, who kind of gets a thing for Holly). But don’t think you know where this film is going, ’cause LaGravenese has a few surprises up his sleeve, and while he may not reach the conclusion we expect (or maybe want), he nonetheless plays it true to the story he’s telling.
It helps that he has two incredibly magnetic (and wickedly talented) actors playing Gerry and Holly. Though he’ll long be known for his role in the overrated epic “300,” Butler proves here, as he did in “Dear Frankie” a couple of years ago, he’s a strong performer when given a role to dig into, and he makes a necessary impression on our memories just as he does Holly. This is a side of Swank we aren’t used to- known more for her full-out dramatic work in Oscar-winners “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby,” as well as the underrated “Insomnia”- and she plays it with ease and emotion (though LaGravenese’s thoughtful script no doubt helps). Take the first scene in the movie- it’s a fight between Gerry and Holly after a dinner with her mother. Emotions are heated, things are said, but their love for one another comes through crystal clear. They later make up in a way that further establishes the characters we’ll be following the rest of the film- it establishes the best of Gerry which will come through in his profoundly romantic gesture, and it establishes the layers of neurosis that need to be stripped away from Holly as she learns to move on. Few opening scenes are this important to a movie. What we learn and see resonates throughout the film’s two hours, during which we feel we’re going on the same emotional journey as Holly is. We can’t help but love her by the end of the movie. Same with the movie itself.
