“Hey baby, surprise! I know this probably feels a little bit morbid, but I just hate the idea that I'm not gonna be there to see ya freak out when you’re turning 30. I mean, it kills me not to be there. You’re gonna be so impressed! I have a plan. Baby, can ya believe it? I have written ya letters. Letters that will be comin’ to ya all sorts of ways, and I thought that I’ll wait until your birthday cause I figured you won’t even be steppin out of the house for a while. Letter no. 1, will be arriving tomorrow, and you must do what I say, okay? Okay? And don’t try to figure out how the letters are comin okay? It’s too brilliant and it’ll ruin my plan. Just go along with duin’ this, cause the thing is, I just can’t say goodbye yet. So, for starters, I want you to get dolled up and go out and celebrate. So get out with ya girls! I hereby free you for a party with ya family, especially your mom....oh.....your mum’s there isn’t she? Oh! Damn! ‘Sorry Patricia! It isn’t that I don’t love you, but, you need to get a little crazy.’ So, have a slice of the bloody cake, put on your party dress and get out of the apartment, today! Denise, make a plan. Just leave me with John, ‘kay? Wherever I am, I’m missing you. Happy birthday!
P.S. I love you. ”
While touring in Ireland over ten years ago, it was love at first sight for the lost young tourist, Holly, and a charming young Irish lad, Gerry. Arduous Patricia, Holly’s mother, disapproved of the young couple and feared that they were too young to get married.
In the following years, Gerry develops a brain tumour, but doesn’t tell Holly about it, so that she doesn’t have to have to go through the pain and hurt twice. Just before Holly’s 30th birthday, Gerry dies of the brain tumour which shocks her.
After the traumatizing shock, Holly stays holed up in her takeaway container strewn apartment, until a birthday cake and tape recorded message from Gerry mysteriously arrives. This marks the beginning of Gerry’s chain of instructions through his letters for Holly. These letters instruct Holly to perform unusual asks. With the help of her family and friends, Holly begins a year of wild adventures and journey that her beloved Gerry has planned for her, helping her discover who she is without Gerry and their love for each other.
As little children, all girls love fairytales. It is based on one storyline; there is a princess, she has an evil stepmother and/or gets sent away and has to live on her own. Her father, the king loves his daughter very much, but he also loves his wife, so he has to listen to listen to what his wife says. The Princess starts her new life and suddenly, is in some kind of peril. Oh, no! Then, a charming young prince comes and sweeps her off her feet! They get married and live happily ever after. The End. This movie, on the other hand, although based on the same fairytale storyline, shows the agony a young widow goes through after the loss of her ‘never again on this planet can there be such a wonderful man’ husband. This movie portrays what true love actually is, and shows how hard it is for a person to restart their lives when they are missing a part of themselves, when their other ½ is not there. We all wish, pray and hope for true love and wish with all our heart that there is such a thing, after watching this movie. There are not many “five hankie weepie” movies made nowadays, because most movies are either action, which gets your heart beating twice as fast or comedy, which give you a 6pack. This is because; movies made in this age are more about guys than girls, but, from the first letter, to the very last kiss, P.s I love you is obviously more emotional as itstirred you heart but also balanced out your emotions with humour, which doesn’t leave you too grieved at the end.
The roles suited the characters perfectly, as each star got into the shoes of the character and made them real. Gerard Butler portrayed Gerry perfectly, because, Gerry was Irish and Gerard is Scottish. Their names are alike and both the men are stunningly gorgeous.
Hilary Swank portrayed Holly perfectly as, as a person, she looks tough and in the movie, after the death of Gerry, she has to become strong and only bawls her eyes out at the end. Another similarity is that she and Holly give out signals that although they are tough looking beauties, they have a softer, beautiful, graceful and more feminine side to them. The biggest similarity between the both of them to me is that, Hilary Swank, as a real person, has married and settled down with one man and as she says “...her true love and dream guy.” In the movie, at the end, when Gerry sends her the final letter, he tells her not to be afraid to fall in love. Holly in the final narration says that you can also fall in love with other things, not just people and she says that no one can ever replace her beloved Gerry.
Kathy Bates, Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Harry Connick Jr. And Jeffery Dean Morgan play their roles very well also as Holly’s friends and family. Lisa and Gina play the roles of her best friend (Kudrow) and her Sister- in-Law (Gershon) tremendously well. Although the 2 of them are not the main characters, they help support the main character and keep her as one with the earth as possible. Lisa, who played “Pheobe” in the T.V Sitcom “Friends”, was one with the character she played. Both Lisa and Denise are carefree, easy to love, forgiving, obvious and most of all, someone who will tease you, but also never give you away.
Gina Gershon plays the role of Sharon, Holly’s SIL. Gershon portrayed Sharon’s character very well as a strong but supporting and like a sister to Holly, not only in her time of need.
Kathy Bates plays the part of Patricia “Pat”, Holly’s mother. She became the character Pat who has had her heart broken in the past and has had to raise her 2 kids on her own. She is a strong woman and sticks to her understanding and doesn’t approve or give into anything very easily.
Harry Connick Jr. And Jeffery Dean Morgan play the parts of William (Morgan), Holly’s Irish crush and Daniel (Connick Jr.), Holly’s secret valentine. Both men have made an impact on Holly’s life and also made her realise how much she loves Gerry and how no man can ever replace him.
P.S I love You isn’t the type of movie you can sit down and watch on a cold winter’s night with the whole family and go to bed feeling bubbly at the end of it. Although this movie may not make you cry from laughing, it will make you cry with grief. Many people can relate with this movie. In one way or another, we have all lost someone special to us, our grandparents, parents, friends, relatives or friends or even pets. We might have not lost them forever, but might not see them as often as we think we should. This movie can relate to all of us in one way or another. Whichever way it is, P.S I Love You is a feel good, warm, loving, teary and insightful movie. From me, it gets 9/10.
(P.S. Rated PG. Warning all audience, you may need a box of tissues!)
