“P.S. I Love You”
Cindy Sheldon
ENG225: Introduction to Film
Instructor: Sarah Snook
September 7, 2013

“P.S. I Love You”
Introduction:
For this film critique essay I will be writing about the movie P.S. I Love You (2007). This paper will explore the storytelling, the actors as well as how they act in the film. We will explore the cinematography, editing, sound, and the style and directing for this movie. The last few things we will explore are the impact this film had on society (if any), the genre, what is the best way to analyze this film. When all these aspects of the movie are examined we will see how a script comes to life on the big screen.
Storytelling:
This film is shot in non-linear form, it starts with the present and throughout the movie we are given glimpses into the past. This story takes place in several different places which include Ireland and New York City. The main female character (Holly) experiences an internal conflict when her husband Gerry passes away from an illness at a very young age. Holly is able to resolve her conflict with help from her friends, family, and her deceased husband. The symbolism in this film is that love can overcome anything including death. For us, the viewers, relates to our human nature. If we are lucky we have all been able to experience the type of love that is portrayed in this film. That love that we never see coming, but hits us like a “ton of bricks”. The kind of love most of us only get to experience once in our life time; which can be described as true love.

Actors and Acting: Although there are many characters in this film, for now we will only focus on the two main characters. Both Gerard Butler who plays Gerry (the husband) and Hilary Swank, who plays Holly (the wife) in the film, can be described as wild card actor/actress. A wild card actor can be described as an actor who is difficult to classify as one certain type, often because he or she can play a wide variety of characters equally well without becoming typecast (Goodykoontz and Jacobs, 2011.) Both Gerard and Hilary did an amazing job in their portrayal of their characters. When you see them on the screen together in this movie you are taken right into the scenes and you feel like you are in the room with them and not actually watching a movie. I feel that this type of acting has to come naturally and the director has very little to do with this.
Cinematography:
During the duration of this film natural light and some low light was used. The only time the low light appeared in the film was during the scenes that were shot in a house, a night club, or at night. Natural color gives the movie an authentic look and feel. Even though there are no special effects used in this film, the use of medium shots, with a few close-ups and long shots placed at the right moment also adds to the authenticity of the film. In this film we, the viewer, are given the opportunity to feel as though we are watching each scene unfold right in front of us instead of that distant feeling you get from other films. An example of this can be seen in the scene called “Can’t Sleep Alone”. This scene starts off with a medium shot of Holly lying in bed with only the light from the television, natural light streaming in through the window, as well as a small lamp on the night stand. As the viewer we are able to relate to this scene because we have all fallen asleep with the television on as well as the lamp on the night stand. With this kind of lighting we, as the viewer, are able to relate to this scene because of the realism that is presented.
Editing:
For this film the editing used is known as Incongruous Editing. This is when the film jumps from one time period to another. Although this type of editing occurs throughout the film it still had continuity. This means that although the camera shots are changing from one shot to another it still appears that everything it occurring in the same time and same space. In no time during the film does it seem that any of the action was cut out of the scene that would make us, the viewer, say “wait did I miss something” and re-watch the scene to make that we did not miss anything. Finally the rhythm of the film was a normal speed, it did not feel like it went to fast for the viewer to be able to keep up and it was not to slow that the viewers were thinking that this movie is boring. A great example of this is a scene called “Galway Girl”. This scene takes place in a night club in Ireland, we see Holly standing in the crowd and the man on the stage has dedicated a song to her. When the music starts Holly has a smile on her face, as the song plays on she realizes that she knows it and her smile begins to fade. We then see a close-up of Holly’s face and when the camera pans back to the stage we now see Gerry singing instead of the man who started the scene. These seamless transitions occur throughout the whole movie and give us the back story of Holly and Gerry without making us, the viewer, scratch our heads and say I do not get it.

Sound: In this film there are not a lot of sound effects that appear in many other films. This film relies heavily on the dialogue between the characters and the music that can be heard in the background to set the mood of each scene. One scene that shows how the movie relies on the dialogue of the characters is called “Pills for Rudeness”. In this scene Holly is in a closet that is located inside a bar, when the door opens Daniel is standing there looking in at Holly. As Daniel turns to walk away Holly pulls him into the closet and starts a conversation with him. The impact of this conversation is critical in setting up the “relationship” between Daniel and Holly in the rest of the film. Light music can be heard in the background and does not take center stage of this scene.
Style and Directing: This film was directed by Richard LaGravenese in the year 2007. Richard is an American screenwriter that directs films on occasion. Now because Richard is more of a screenwriter than a director it is difficult to pinpoint his style. For the few films that he has directed they all seem to be shot in the same kind of lighting. Natural and low lighting are used in many of the scenes in his films. The camera shots seem to look the same as well. Medium, Long, and close-ups are all used but in different orders in each film. Perhaps as Richard directs more films his style will begin to be easier to recognize.
Impact on Society: In comparison to other films this film did not have an impact on society and society did not have an impact on the film. The movies that create an impact on society are geared more the true stories, biographies, as well as events that we have all shared as a nation. An example of this would be the film “Flight 93” this film depicts the events that took place aboard flight 93 on September 11, 2001. As a nation we all remember what happened on that day and where we were when it happened. As for “P.S. I Love You”, the only thing it inspired was a song that was written by Reba McEntire.” Somebody’s Chelsea” was inspired by a scene in the film where Holly and Daniel are having one of their conversations.
Genre:
“P.S. I Love You” is a romantic drama film. For female viewers they are usually the best films that are created. Women viewers typically love these types of movies because it gives them an opportunity to live out their romantic wishes. Imagining that they are the woman of the man’s affection on the screen and getting lost in the film if it is only for a few hours. In this film the drama is created by the letters that arrive from her deceased husband. We, the viewer, never know when they will arrive or how for that matter and that keeps us intrigued and wanting more. However, men on the other hand call them “chick flicks” and only really watch these types of films when they want to please a woman. There are quite a few great romantic dramas that have been produced over the years. An all-time favorite for many is “Dirty Dancing” (1987); this film not only had the romance it also had you on the edge of your seat wondering if Baby and Johnny would be caught and their secret love affair would be exposed. Like all true great romantic dramas all the secrets are revealed and it comes to an end.
Analysis and Interpretation: “P.S. I Love You” was given horrible reviews when it first appeared in movie theatres across the country. Critics used a generic analysis to review this film. This simply means that they compared this film to others like it. Some critics thought that this movie would not win any award because of the performance of Hilary Swank (Holly) was less than desirable. Much to their surprise in 2008 Hilary won an award for Best International Actress. This tells us that just because critics say that they know what the best movies to see and which ones are not, it does not mean that they are always right. To further prove this point, “P.S. I Love You” was ranked number six and earned over 156 million dollars at the box office. Clearly movie goers did not listen to the reviews formed by the critics and ventured out to see this film.
Overall Textual Theme: “P.S. I Love You” embodies the true love and soul mates theme. In this film you have two strangers that happen to meet on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. They kiss and walk away saying that if they meet again then it was meant to be. Low and behold they do meet again just a few hours later and their love blossoms. Everything is great until the husband dies and the woman is now lost and unsure what to do with her life. How does one get over true love and losing their soul mate? We, as the viewer, feel this loss just as much as the main character does because we cannot help but put ourselves into her shoes. Losing the one that you were meant to be with takes a piece of your heart and soul and this is something that we can never get back.
Conclusion:
“P.S. I Love You” is one of the greatest love stories ever told. It has love and loss and love again and surprises around every corner. Through great acting we were able to relate this story to our own lives. With the director and cinematographer working closely together we are given realistic scenes that makes us, the viewer, feel as if we are in the scene and are not watching it from a far. Watching the final product and all the hard work that went into this movie truly paid off and has given the world an opportunity to experience true love even if it was only on the silver screen.

References
Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.