Good, but not as good as it could have been.

Rating: 7/10 (30 December 2007)

I have been lucky enough to have seen 'P.S. I Love You' twice since it came out, and now, finally, I've come to review it.
I wish I could say that 'P.S. I Love You' was one of the best movies I've ever seen, but sadly, I can't. It was a good movie, yes, but there could have been so much more done to it. It's as if the people who wrote the screenplay didn't even bother to read the book.
In case you haven't read the novel on which this movie is supposed to be based, don't read it until after you've seen the movie, because you'll be sorely disappointed, as I was.
However, if you've read the book and haven't yet seen the movie, the following are elements of the book that could have/should have been in the movie: 1) Holly is given all ten letters from Gerry at once. She keeps them all with her and reads each new one at the first of every new month. The letters coming to her "all sorts of ways" just didn't sit well with me.
2) Flashback scenes in which Gerry is shown to be sick (going to the travel agency, writing the final letter, etc.). I felt that Gerard Butler was robbed of the chance to shine by doing some really emotional acting and not just be funny and silly all the time. If they'd at least put in a scene where he goes to the travel agency, I would have been fine. However, no sick Gerry is ever to be found. I mean, Gerard Butler's characters die in quite a few of his films, and in this one, he couldn't even play sick? How annoying.
3) Setting: Ireland. This movie, in case you haven't been able to tell by the trailer, is almost entirely set in New York. In the book, the story is mostly set in Ireland, and the trip that Holly, Sharon, and Denise take is in Spain. This movie did NOT have to be Americanized. It would have been fine to be mostly in Ireland. I wouldn't have minded lesser-known actors who are actually Irish or people who can pull off Irish accents. (Not that I didn't like the cast, mind you, but all the same.) It bothered me that Gerry, his family, and a few others were the only Irish people in the film.
4) Holly's family members. WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO HOLLY'S FAMILY? The vast majority of them are missing in the film, and I feel that they are quite important to the storyline (Holly's brother, Richard, at least, is quite important). And the fact that Holly's father has left in the film? Completely unnecessary.
That's all I can think of, but I'm sure there's more missing.
I know this review makes it seem like I didn't enjoy this movie, but, in fact, I did enjoy it. I'm just saying that it never reaches its full potential. However, I highly recommend it.