P.S. I Love You (2007)

I just finished crying my eyeballs out. Whew!! Now, my eyes are all puffy and I feel like I've been punched in the chest.

P.S. I Love You has got to be THE gut-wrencher of 2007. Wow. Hillary Swank stars as Holly--a young widow coping with the loss of her husband Gerry (Gerard Butler). In death, as in life, Gerry reaches out to care for Holly as she learns to live and love again.

The cast is a hodge-podge of names. Joining Swank and Butler is Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick Jr. Swank has never been a favorite of mine. Even in Million Dollar Baby she's askew. Here she is no different. She's wooden in her delivery. It's the supporting cast that really works. Gerard Butler is exceptional; he gets to use his accent to create a wonderful husband who dies in his prime. Bates is solid as Holly's mom. Adventure ensues once you involve best friends played by Kudrow and Gershon. Harry Connick Jr plays Daniel for laughs and so well, too. His performance is fun and surprisingly he and Swank have good onscreen chemistry.

P.S. I Love You is more than a romantic comedy. Love isn't all rainbows and sunshine, but when you love someone, you do what it takes. Although it's all wrapped up, complete with a little bow, in 120 minutes, P.S. I Love You still manages to be real and engaging. Thankfully, Gerry's letters and 'touches' never get creepy. Even as the subject matter turns dramatic, the film never loses it's heart.

The New York setting is beautiful as is the foray into Ireland. The mix of setting furthers the personalities of our leads. Subplots do get a little muddied, but writer/director Richard LaGravenese (The Horse Whisperer, The Bridges of Madison County) stays the course and keeps from creating melodramatic nonsense.

Examining love, loss and living, P.S. I Love You celebrates the very things that make us human.

Watching it in mixed company, I was surprised by the masculine POV. "This is more enjoyable than your typical chick flick."