Disappointing with and without having read the book

Rating: 4/10 (1 May 2012)

I had watched the movie when it first came out, and the only thing I remembered was that I didn't particularly like it and found Gerard Butler miscast. Recently I read the book which I thoroughly enjoyed even though it has some flaws. So I decided to give the movie another try. It didn't improve in my opinion. Changing parts of the storyline and removing characters is understandable and I don't mind that the movie did it. But except for the names of the main characters and the basic idea (husband lets his letters deliver to his wife after his death) they changed too much about the story. They should have made use of the strenghts of the book's story, which are in my opinion on one side Holly's deep grief and her friends' and family's struggles to bring her back to enjoy life, and on the other side the characterization of Daniel as compassionate, funny and cool friend to Holly. The movie shows how Holly remembers Gerry in many situations, but it does not succeed to convey her pain and the desperation of her friends to get through to her. I also missed the character of Daniel from the book. In the movie, Daniel is an awkward guy who says the wrong thing in every situation, and Harry Connick Jr plays horribly monotonously without conveying any emotions. And why was Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character added? What does he do except for looking handsome? By the way, I didn't dislike Gerard Butler as much as the first time I watched it, but I still think he doesn't fit in romantic roles. I give the movie 3 stars because I liked Kathy Bates' and Lisa Kudrow's performances and Hilary swank was okay. But it's sad to see how much potential for a good story and proper character development was wasted.