If you're going to invest 126 mins of your time you should be prepared for a few things...

Rating: Null/10 (26 January 2020)

Is it a "romantic comedy" as the DVD box advertises? Dear lord no.
Is it a hard hitting drama about love, death and loss? At times it flirts with the idea, but ultimately... no.
Is it a sappy Hallmark Channel melodrama of the week? Sort of. But the A-list actors and impressive cinematography seem to demand more respect than that.
So what is it?
Ultimately "PS I Love You" is a decent way to spend 126 minutes of your time if you're in the mood for light romantic fare. The story is about a 30-year old woman (Hilary Swank) attempting to navigate the troubled waters of being a young widow after her perfect husband dies. Complicating matters, she begins receiving mysterious letters that had been apparently penned by her dying husband to be sent to her in regular installments, sort of leading her on an adventure of rediscovery. Yes, the plot is excellent, based on the novel by Cecelia Ahern. But as you may have guessed by my opening points, the execution is a bit uneven and ultimately disappointing, given the tremendous potential here.
Hilary Swank definitely delivers with both breezy scenes as well as powerful, emotional scenes. But the film felt like it didn't want to showcase her dramatic talents as much as it wanted to keep things light-hearted and uncomplicated. I would have loved to see this film directed by someone like maybe Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, Cider House Rules, Safe Haven, Dear John) who really shines at these sorts of emotionally charged yet uplifting stories. Instead, directed by Richard LaGravenese who doesn't have much experience with feature length romance, "PS I Love You" doesn't really have a strong identity. Watch it for the story, not for the presentation.
One thing I definitely could have done without is the presence of Lisa Kudrow recycling her typecast role: a ditzy, 2-dimensional airhead with a bit of a mean streak, probably intended to make her edgy. Set against the excellent calibre of Hilary Swank and Kathy Bates (both of whom play deep, emotionally complex characters), Lisa Kudrow's "Phoebe from Friends" character is way out of place and unnecessary. Her bizarre speech about how she's entitled to objectify men because they objectify her is way, way, wayy out of left field and should have ended up on the cutting room floor.