Release Date: May 6th, 2008
Running Time: 127 minutes

The Film

Films about the death of a soul mate are crushing to me. It doesn’t seem to be a good springboard for a romantic comedy. I know we are always supposed to look at the good side of life, but an event of that magnitude is so horrific to me that I can’t really enjoy the fictionalization of it, even if it is a feel-good story. P.S. I Love You is a sure-fire tearjerker and a solid effort by Hillary Swank but is ultimately forgettable due to its conventional nature.

The film stars Swank and Gerard Butler as Holly and Gerry Kennedy. They are a loving, though highly stressed, Manhattan couple dealing with the usual mid-relationship arguments and issues. One day Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumor and Holly’s world is shattered. A support system consisting of Gerry’s mother Patricia (Kathy Bates) and Holly’s friends (Gina Gershon, James Marsters, and Lisa Kudrow) are the only people keeping Holly from losing it. Then she begins to receive letters left to her by Gerry with small instructions aimed at getting her to live and enjoy life after his passing. Holly follows the letters, trying to find a way to go on her with her life, and perhaps even love again.

Hillary Swank does an incredible job portraying the difficult period Holly has to go through. While many of the instructions are clichéd, Hollywood fun-loving scenes, Swank’s performance keeps you believing and is at the core of the experience. Anyone who has experience true heartbreak will appreciate her handling of the role. At 127 minutes, the film is a little too long for the genre but it still sure to squeeze out plenty of tears from the audience.

The Disc

The video is presented in a 1080p, 1.85:1 High Definition transfer. The quality is mixed. It is more crisp than standard definition, but the black levels aren’t dark enough and the colors tend to be muddied. Lower-lit scenes suffer from loss of detail as well. It is far from the best Blu-Ray transfer I have seen.

The audio is offered in English Dolby TrueHD/5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound as well as French/Spanish 5.1 Surround Sound with English/French/Spanish subtitles. I wasn’t expecting an explosive experience, but the audio is flat even for a dialogue-heavy film. Dialogue is clear and balanced but the overall experience lacks depth. Little effort is made to establish an atmosphere through subtle surround usage.

The Extras

“A Conversation with Cecilia Ahem” is an 8-minute interview with the author of the book. It is a candid, comfortable discussion but too short to amount to anything.

“The Name of the Game is Snaps” is a 6-minute tutorial on how to play the game from the film.

12 minutes of Alternate Scenes can be played as one long, standard definition clip.

Lastly, the Music Video “Same Mistake” by James Blunt is offered.

Final Thoughts

P.S. I Love You has all the makings of a successful romantic comedy, but it about too harsh of an event for me to fully enjoy.