P.S.(2004)- User Reviews

This was definitely MUCH better than I was expecting. Topher Grace is not the best actor around, but he's come a long way from That '70s Show, and is very likeable in this one. Laura Linney was very good in this as well.

The main annoyance this movie hands out, is Hollywood critics' favorite formula, a plethora of unlikeable characters bringing each other down, causing them to make the same mistakes over and over again. If you want an example of what I mean, read my Sideways review.

Well, Linney plays a 39 yr old College admissions professional, doing well enough in life, but as we eventually learn, has quite a few issues in her life. Apparently she feels the need to keep all these issues around, for example, her ex-husband. Um, why does Hollywood want this woman to remain friends with her ex-husband if he admits to sleeping with 100s of women, and "No More Than 10" men, while they were married? Hello...wake up sista, welcome to Jerry Springerville.

So, anyway, the ex-husband is not the only bum she keeps hanging around in her life, but her "best friend" from high school, who apparently likes to steal Linney's boyfriends away, even 20 years after high school. Hello....wake up sista, welcome to Jerry Springerville....again.

And they had to throw in a small twist to the plot, which seems HIGHLY implausible, a college applicant that apparently looks like, sounds like, acts like, talks like, and has the same name as....Linney's high school boyfriend that was killed in a car accident after her "best friend" stole him away from her.

Ok, now that I have my annoyances out of the way, I actually liked the movie MUCH more than I had assumed I would. I'm a guy, so sappy love stories are not my thing, and movies of depressed people leading depressing lives is not my thing either. But this one's hard to explain why it was likeable. The acting was very good, especially by Linney. And Linney's and Grace's characters led a likeable relationship, despite it's odd surroundings I found myself rooting for them to work it all out and find a better place for themselves.

And as a side-note: kudos to Hollywood for their un-sensationalized sex scenes between the two main characters. I actually saw the main sex scene was ranked in one of VH1's Top Sex Scenes lists. Which is kind of funny, because I don't see why, other than it must speak to all the "minute-men" out there. I mean, geez, they spent more screen time putting the condom on than they did actually doing the deed.

So, in conclusion, it's got a nice likeable relationship building amongst bizarre far-fetched surroundings. It's not the best movie around, but much better than you would think. And it's a pleasant one to watch, no car chases, no explosions, no gunfire, and not even a lot of yelling at each other. Take a look for yourself.