I am usually not a fan of "chick flicks" and I absolutely avoid anything lumped under the category of "rom-com". But this movie defies all odds. I first watched a little of PS I LOVE you when it aired on TV, and got completely sucked in. Now, I cry every.single.time I watch it, and it's been quite a few times. May I also note this is NOT a romantic comedy, despite what it's categorised under. There are a few comic relief moments, but even those are usually "smile through tears" moments. I think this movie works so well because of how well the actors played their parts. Hilary Swank! Wow! As the grieving widow Holly, she is absolutely fantastic. Her grief was so real, every time she cried, I cried. And it wasn't constant over the top "I'm so distraught" moments, it was moments of silent tears leaking out of her eyes as the pain of never seeing her husband again and missing him so much, shatter her heart over and over again. And with minimal expression, you can see this in her face. And then when the letters start arriving and she reflects on their past life together, and all around her friends and family and the world are moving on with life, and she is stuck, consumed in grief feeling so alone. In one scene she actually does run to her mother in hysterics, unable to breath and gasping how alone she is. It was truly heart-breaking, as it's the one moment she actually cracks and all the emotions just come tumbling down on her. I don't think anyone could have played this role as well as Hilary Swank did. She made her character so realistic and believable. Gerard Butler who plays the husband Gerry also does a pretty good job as the sexy Irish man who loves his wife so so very much, and out of his irrevocable love for her, wants to make sure his wife moves on with her life after he is gone. You truly invest in their relationship, presented to us by the letters, ghost memories and flashback scenes to how Holly and Gerry first met. And made stronger of course by how powerfully Holly grieves the loss of Gerry. Cathy Bates also does an astounding job as the tough, yet loving mother, who even though she has been through her own pain in the past, still stands as a rock for Holly. I also really enjoyed Lisa Kudrow who plays the funny and loyal friend to Holly. The only actor who annoyed me was Harry Connick Jr, or more so his character. He had a part to play in the story I suppose, but most of the time I wish he wasn't there, as some awkward and not funny scenes could have been avoided. All in all, I recommend giving this movie a go. There has been numerous negative reviews that you should avoid and just watch the movie and make your own judgement. From someone who loves her slasher and thriller films, and thought the popular sob-fest love story The Notebook was corny and unimpressive, P.S I Love You left me pleasantly surprised after the first of many viewings, and always with tear stained cheeks.

This movie is one of my all time favorite movies, I could watch it over and over and still laugh and cry just as much as I did the first time I watched it. The basis of this movie is about a young couple that meets by chance while Holly (Hillary Swank) is backpacking Ireland. Holly and Gerry (Gerard Butler) fall in love and get married quickly, starting their lives without a plan. This causes an argument between the two that ends with Gerry performing a "striptease" to apologize. The couple have a fun, romantic relationship that ends way too quickly when Gerry dies and leaves behind a grieving wife. He pre-planned letters and surprises to come periodically to help her get over him and move on with her life. You will laugh and cry with Holly and her girlfriends as they help Holly grieve and move forward. This is a must see movie whether it be alone, with your closest friends or with your significant other.

Hilary Swank plays Holly Kennedy, a fragile real estate broker who cannot hold down her job and gets married young to happy go lucky Irishman Gerry (Gerard Butler) but he dies of a brain tumour leaving Holly as a grieving young widow whose life comes to a stand still.On her 30th birthday party she gets a surprise posthumous letter from Gerry informing her that he will be regularly sending her messages containing tasks that she is to perform without question or hesitation. Each message is signed off with the words PS I Love You.With the help of her friends and family Holly follows Gerry's messages such as singing in a bar or going to his Irish village to meet his parents. With the aid of flashbacks we see the significance of some of these tasks. This all leads to a possible romance with eccentric but funny bartender (Harry Connick Jr) who admires her from afar but realises that she may not be ready to move on from Gerry.Eventually Holly learns that these tasks from Gerry is for her to put the past behind her and move on with her life.As a romantic comedy the film is a maudlin cringe inducing mess. I was dumbstruck with the sheer awfulness of this contrived nonsense. I never really bought Holly and Gerry as a couple and believed for a second that Gerry could plan all these tasks for his wife when he was dying.Just look at the scenes set in Ireland. Holly ventures into a small pub and just happens to stumble upon someone singing a song that Gerry sang to her. She is pushed by her friends to have a drink with the singer (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and before long they end up in bed because he also just happens to single and available. It turns out that he was also an old friend and a member of Gerry's band.It simply is a ridiculous film that plods along in a far fetched, drab and clichéd manner.

On paper this should have worked. A Hollywood A-list production with talent to die for. Swank, after an oddball role in a Karate Kid movie (not joking, look it up) sort of exploded onto the Hollywood scene and by and large has delivered nothing but great performances since. Don't think Connick has ever been less than great in a movie. Butler is usually superb as a dramatic or action lead. Supporting cast that includes Bates and Kudrow...? To mess up this film would itself be a feat but LaGravenese did it.Let's be clear. This film falls apart from the first few scenes and then, remarkably, just gets worse. There is no chemistry between Butler and Swank. None. Zero. Zip. Nada. And if you don't buy into the initial chemistry, then the rambling and erratically edited scenes which follow -- about a dead husband who keeps sending mail to his widow -- is not romantic or fun or engaging, it is just plain creepy.