Heartwrenching and hilarious

Rating: 7/10 (13 December 2007)

I am often disappointed when I go to see a movie, and all the good parts that were shown in the trailer- were the ONLY good parts in the movie. This film, however, managed to live up to the trailer and many of the best moments of the film were left out of the trailer and for good reason, as to not ruin the surprises.
I found Hillary Swank's character, Holly, to be believable in her grief and her inability to function after loosing the man she had been married to for 11 years to a brain tumor. I recently lost my mother to a brain tumor as well. I was able to empathize with her character in the feelings of loss and confusion. Through a series of letters her husband, Gerry, wrote prior to his death, Holly attempts to pick up her life and learn how to go on living without her husband. The movie is filled with flashbacks that show the viewer the type of life this couple had, coupled with moments in which Holly believes her husband to be 'there' with her. I cannot go without mentioning the great performance by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plans an Irishman that Holly meets while on a trip back to her late husbands hometown. He's pretty nice to look at too. Overall, wonderful performances by both Gerard Butler and Jeffery Dean Morgan. Hillary Swank managed to carry the story well, in a genre she usually does not venture into, but has done well in film.