P.S.
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Movie Reviews of P.S.
Movie Review: Romantic Possibilities
Summary: 4 Stars
Despite a few plot holes, I enjoyed "P.S." as a story about romantic possibilities and for its excellent cast. This is the 2nd directorial effort by Dylan Kidd after his 2002 "Roger Dodger" with Campbell Scott. Perhaps the holes in the story come from the screenplay rather than direction. For instance, it was never clear whether there was any relationship between the deceased Scott Feinstadt and Francis Scott Feinstadt played by Topher Grace. If it's reincarnation, why did they have the same name? Also, the issue of an admissions counselor having an affair with one of her 'counselees' didn't seem to bother anyone as possibly ethically challenged. However, despite those irksome details, Laura Linney does a great job as Louise Harrington. Linney has had 2 Oscar nominations (Best Actress for "You Can Count On Me" & Best Supporting Actress for "Kinsey") as well as strong appearances in "Primal Fear" with Richard Gere, "Absolute Power" with Clint Eastwood & as Sean Penn's wife in "Mystic River." She gives an edgy performance as the woman haunted by a past love, conflicted about a broken marriage, and jazzed about a young painter. Topher Grace was recognized by the National Board of Review for a "Breakthrough Performance" in 2004 for this film and for "In Good Company." His attraction to Linney is as sudden as it is strong, although we wonder if he's just trying to get into the program. However, the ending and his final flirtatious smile seem to illuminate F. Scott's sincerity. Also, I really liked the paintings that they used in his slide portfolio. Marcia Gay Harden has an Oscar for "Pollock" and a nomination for "Mystic River." She & Linney team again here in "P.S." as best friends. While Missy isn't a tremendously demanding role, Harden comes across with sparkle & flare. Gabriel Byrne as the ex-husband with a sex addiction turns in a good performance. Paul Rudd, who I first noticed with Jennifer Aniston in "The Object of My Affection" in 1998, from "Friends" on TV, and recently in "Anchorman" with Will Farrell, does a good job in the cameo as brother Sammy Silverstein. Ever since "Twister" in 1996 where she played Aunt Meg, I always adore seeing Lois Smith. She plays a much nicer character here as Linney's mother than her the scientist from "Minority Report." The cast is great. The romance is sweet. The movie is too short to be boring. Enjoy!Movie Review: Believable reincarnated fantasy lover story
Summary: 4 Stars
This was a wonderful, subtle film about love, in its many different forms. Love in a failed marriage, high school crushes, the idea of a fantasy lover reincarnated, and the expectations of love placed upon the fantasy lover.
Topher Grace was outstanding. There wasn't the barest hint of his character from That 70s show, which is refreshing, because in almost every Ashton Kutcher film there are plenty of hints. I always thought that Grace would be the better actor of the two, and I think we're starting to see that.
Laura Linney turned in a wonderful performance as always. She's as reliable as a brownstone. I've never once seen an imperfection in any of her performances. Any scene in which she evokes emotions are perfectly done.
One can't help but wonder how one would react in Louise's (Linney) situation, and the film did a very good job of sharing her reaction with us, so that we shared it with her. Her immediate attraction to Fran (Grace), and her immediate and passionate desire for sexual relations was compulsive. I found myself feeling sorry for, knowing that she wasn't having sex with him; rather, she was having sex with the F. Scott she loved from high school. It seems that she eventually came to love Fran for who he was, although the age difference was significant and didn't seem to be addressed at all. I would have liked to understand Fran's attraction to older women a little better. I certainly understand that very often younger men or women are attracted to older women or men (or the reverse), but usually each situation is unique, so to see what Fran's unique attraction was would have been interesting and very telling about who he is.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this film. The concept of reincarnated love is a territory that's been explored extensively (recently uncomfortably so in Birth, starring Nicole Kidman). I only rented the film to see if my estimations regarding Topher Grace were correct. Not only did I find out that they were, but I also enjoyed the film immensely. It was touching, intelligent, thought provoking, and layered. For a film marketed as a drama/comedy, that's fairly unusual - and refreshing.
Movie Review: You Can Count On Her.
Summary: 4 Stars
P.S. is no doubt Laura Linney's best work since You Can Count On Me. It may not be as great a movie, but she definitely carried it with her signature realistic performance that I considered to be as good as this years other great female performances including Kim Basinger(The Door In The Floor), Ashely Judd( De-Lovely), Annette Bening(Being Julia), Gena Rowling(The Notebook), Maggie Cheung(Clean), Julie Delpy(Before Sunset), and Laura Dern(We Don't Live Here Anymore). Without Linney, this film would have been like a salad without a dressing.
Linney plays an administration officer(Louise) at a university, and she meets an applicant(F.Scott played by Topher Grace) with the same name and a look-a-like to her high school sweetheart who died in a car accident. It instantly triggered a lot of old memories and she instantly wanted to get personal with him, but he has no idea that was the reason she was so interested in him.
Meanwhile, Louise's ex-husband Peter(Gabrille Bryne) confessed to her that he had a sex addiction and that he had slept with 100's of women and almost 10 men! It was so shocking to her that she instantly broke down into tears. Her long time best friend Missy( Marcia Gay Harden) who also dated her dead ex-boyfriend accidently called and spoke to F.Scott, and wanted to steal him or jeapardize their chance of developing a relationship.
Ever since Louise met F.Scott, she started to unravel and she eventually confessed to him the mystery. He thought she was nuts to think that he's some kind of reincarnation of her ex. Missy decided to drop her intention to be with F.Scott knowing Louise is seriously falling for him. Peter wanted to rebuild his relationship or do step 9 of his program to Louise, but ultimately gets rejected. F.Scott eventually gets persuaded by Louise's real feelings to be together for good.
I didn't find this movie to be so emotionally impacting like You Can Count On Me, but it is tailor-made for Laura Linney. So if you like her, you must not miss this one.
Movie Review: What would you do for a second chance?.
Summary: 4 Stars
Laura Linney stars in this strange and wonderful film as Louise an admissions officer at Columbia University, her life seems normal and she is a divorced middle aged woman who has a close friendship with her ex-husband played by Gabriel Burn but it seems like her life might be unfufilled untill she comes across an application for a graduate student named F.Scott (Topher Grace) that catches her attention. When she calls this applicant on the phone she realises that the voice sounds familiar and is immidiately reminded of her first love in highschool, she calls F.Scott and schedules an interview and as soon as he arrives she is both shocked and amazed at the uncanny resemblence he has with her first love and boyfriend who died in a car crash at a young age which is the same age as F.Scott, she wants to rekindle old passions. Also starring Marcia [...] Harden who plays missy her eccentric and snobby friend which I thought was a funny role Missy was the one who stole her boyfriend from her, the film also stars Paul Rudd as her brother who just got out of rehab and is trying to get his life back together although his role was short he was terrific. Laura Linney is of course one of the best and most talented actresses I have ever seen and I will watch any film she stars in thats how good she is, her character Louise was great and she shows how strong and confident this person is despite her persuing a relationship with a person that is almost 15 years younger than she is, her life changes and we feel like she finally finds some happiness in her life, all the other performances were great as well and I couldn't recomend this film highly enough although its not perfect like the scene where Louise confronts her husband after the devastating revalation he tells her about himself, the scene could have been better instead of being slightly boring. Overall this film is a wonderfull romantic drama film that is very different and I highly recomend this.Movie Review: Almost a little too smart for it's own good!
Summary: 4 Stars
P.S. is a smart screenplay that is almost too smart for it's own good.What,superficially, is a May-December romance between a 39 year old Columbia Grad teacher (Laura Linney) and a young Columbia artist/applicant named Scott (Topher Grace), is really more about the fear of looking backward and trying to recapture the past,(Linney's Louise) and the fear and insecurity of growing up and moving forward (Grace's Scott).Each character goes through epiphanies about who they are, who they were, and who they are hoping to be.The dialogue is HEAVY-HANDED, almost too preachy and too wordy and wise for it's own good,that the characters seem as if they "get things" just a little quicker than the normal person would.I think I figured out the title "P.S"...pre Scott and post Scott.You see,Linney thinks that Scott may be her reincarnate High School sweetheart,who had the same name,who had been killed in a car accident.Obviously, she has never gotten over him and ended up in a broken marriage with Gabriel Byrne, who has a whole ball of problems of his own that we discover.The sound advice in the film,comes from Sammy,(Paul Rudd) who is Linney's "in recovery" drug addict brother. He advises her to "find the pattern" and that will be the success to her getting on in life.Again, even Rudd's character is just a little too wise beyond years for this film.Even actress Lois Smith, as Sammy and Louise's mother, is full of "sagacity" that just seems a little too pat.
All in all, the performances are excellent and Marcia Gay Harden as Linney's best friend ,Missy, is superb; but with all of the actors,I did not find that there was any new revelation about any of their talents.They were good as they usually are, in a film that tries to be just a little too smart for it's own good.