P.S. I Love You

2007 · United States · 125 min

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Screenplay: Richard LaGravenese, Steven Rogers
Producer: Wendy Finerman, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson
Music: John Powell
Cinematography: Terry Stacey
Production company: Alcon Entertainment, Grosvenor Park Productions, 2S Films
Based on: PS, I Love You

What the critics say

25 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews39 Metacritic /100

Cast

James Cronin

James Marsters

Nellie McKay

Marcus Collins

Richard Smith

Mike Doyle

Susan Blackwell

Michael Countryman

What it is about

Holly and Gerry are an Irish couple living in Manhattan. They have been together for years, trading constant jokes and everyday arguments, and seem to understand each other without needing to explain themselves. When Gerry dies of a brain tumour, Holly withdraws from her family and friends, overwhelmed by grief. On her thirtieth birthday she begins receiving messages that her husband arranged before he died, each signed with the same farewell. Every letter pushes her to leave the house and face a life she had not planned, caught between her friends' sharp humour and the protective, sometimes suffocating care of her family. The film follows this rebuilding without solemnity: Holly hesitates, stumbles and jokes her way towards a path of her own.

How it was made

The film adapts the 2004 novel of the same name by Irish writer Cecelia Ahern. Richard LaGravenese, who also directs, wrote the screenplay with Steven Rogers, and had to move a story originally set in Ireland to New York, which meant changes to the plot and to some characters. The shoot took place in New York City and County Wicklow, Ireland, and the musical scenes set in a local pub were filmed at Whelan's, a music venue in Dublin. Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler lead the cast, alongside Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. John Powell composed the score, and the soundtrack gathers songs by The Pogues, James Blunt and Nellie McKay. The film is dedicated to photographer Windland Smith Rice, sister of one of the producers.

Reception and legacy

Critics were largely unimpressed. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 25% approval rating, and the objections centred on Swank's casting as the romantic lead and on the writing. At the box office, however, it was a success, grossing around 157 million dollars worldwide against a budget of 30 million. Its recognitions include nominations at the Golden Trailer Awards and the Teen Choice Awards, and the Audience Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards for Swank as best international actress. Its lasting weight lies mainly in its commercial performance and its reception by audiences rather than in critical esteem.