P.S. (2004) User Reviews

Stellar lead performances lift this above the ordinary

[anhedonia · 7/10 · 30 October 2004]

Writer-director Dylan Kidd's "P.S." is funny, sweet and moving and better than most romantic-comedies these days.

Laura Linney's magnificent. Then again, when is she not? Let's face it, she, and not Julia Roberts, should have won the Best Actress Oscar for 2000. Linney makes acting look so easy, a pleasure to watch.

In "P.S.," Linney's Louise Harrington, a Columbia University administrator who maintains a close relationship with her ex-husband, Peter (Gabriel Byrne). One day she's startled when she gets an application to the School of Visual Arts from a young artist named F. Scott Feinstadt. Her shock? Her late childhood sweetheart was an artist named Scott Feinstadt. Naturally, Louise wants to know more about the young applicant and what follows is a wonderful telling of the lengths to which we go sometimes to rekindle old passions.

As captivating as Linney is in this film, Topher Grace, best known for his playing Eric on TV's "That '70s Show," turns in a performance that's surprisingly good, filled with warmth, humor. This chap's got a promising career ahead of him. Grace's F. Scott has attitude to spare and Kidd uses him wisely. Our introduction to F. Scott is not what we'd normally expect - a meet-cute or the initial interview at Columbia. No, the first time we're aware of F. Scott is through a telephone, when Louise calls him up to ask for samples of his work. It's a deft touch by Kidd. It's a breezy, fun turn by Grace who imbues F. Scott with confidence and a cavalier attitude that immediately lets us know what kind of a person he is even before we see him.

Louise's transformation once she meets F. Scott showcases what a fine actress Linney is. There's this charming schoolgirlish giddiness about Louise. We watch as this mature woman feels the excitement of a new love and it's something with which we're all familiar.

The film runs into problems when we're introduced to Louise's best friend, Missy (Marcia Gay Harden), a flirt who played a key role in the Louise-Scott relationship years before. I never quite bought Harden's role and the Louise-Missy conflict isn't nearly as interesting as watching Louise blossom into a sprightly woman with a tremendous crush. Her love affair is more enticing and funnier than a disagreement that seems fabricated to give us some conflict.

Kidd doesn't fixate on whether F. Scott really is Louise's sweetheart reborn. It really doesn't matter. This film is about life's delightful coincidences. Sometimes, facts are stranger than fiction. So it's irrelevant whether Kidd solves that mystery.

Kidd's direction here seems more assured than his debut film, "Rodger Dodger" (2002). But his characters aren't as memorable and "P.S." might not have moments you recall years later - I still remember the park bench and party-crashing scenes from "Rodger Dodger." But "P.S." still is an awfully good film with a fine ensemble cast. It could be tightened; the film feels about five minutes too long. But that's a minor quibble.

This is yet another good film having difficulty getting released. "P.S." isn't one of the great films of the year. But it's infinitely better than most of the movies in wide release right now. It has two outstanding performances, plenty of genuinely good laughs and is an enchanting romantic-comedy that deserves to be seen by more people.

None of my grad school interviews were quite like this one!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 20 February 2022]

Although I am sure many people could look past this, I struggled with this film because I struggled with the notion that Louise had her way with a guy who had applied to the graduate program where she worked...and she was in charge of admissions. As a person who applied to MANY graduate programs before getting accepted, I just got stuck with how inappropriate Louise was....and it made it very difficult to care about her and her problems.

Louise (Laura Linney) is a divorcee who seems to spend most her energy with her job at Columbia University. She also has a very odd relationship with her ex-husband...very odd. One day, as Louise is perusing the applications to the art school, she notices one. It's because the young man looks like a guy Louise fell in love with long, long ago....but he died. Additionally, he shares the same name AND his art style is very similar! It's really freaky. So what does Louise do? She invites him for a 'personal interview' and bones him. Huh???

While there is more to the story than this, I just struggled with the indefensible actions by Louise...it was just creepy. Still, the acting was good and the film a decent time-passer.

intermittently charming but oddly unfinished

[Johann_Cat · 6/10 · 11 June 2005]

On paper, Kidd's earlier film Roger Dodger, about a snide Lothario (played to Oscar quality by Campbell Scott) and his attempts to "mentor" his nephew, seems the lesser of P. S., about an August/ April romance between an admissions officer at a Columbia art department and a young applicant who stuns her by looking like an old departed boyfriend. But Roger Dodger feels tight, finished, and driven by a wild logic of its own, while P. S. is riddled with incompletenesses. Laura Linney is such a fine and affecting actress that she could convince me she had erotic chemistry with a bookcase, but despite her talents, the alleged electricity between her character and her young paramour in P. S., played by Topher Grace, required frequent suspensions of my disbelief. Grace here has such a hard time leaving his arch, "That 70s Show" schtick behind that he plays this film as though it were a bizarre dream sequence from his TV program. He often looks impatient and half-in-character, as if he expects Laura Prepon, his redheaded gal pal from the TV show, to rustle him awake so he can say, "That was the weirdest dream" and proceed in the comfortable universe of avocado and harvest gold situation comedy. Also, the script for this film is half-baked. Many oddities of character and plot, in addition to abrupt and mechanical statements of intentions by characters throughout the film, suggest an outline rather than a finished screenplay. Nonetheless, Linney gives a beautiful performance and there are still many things to like along this film's awkward way.

Ensemble film that shouldn't fade into obscurity

[ortenzia · 14 October 2004]

Basically the film is about a lonely 39 year old woman named Louise (Laura Linney) whose only friend (self-admitted) is her ex-husband. She lives her safe and humdrum life working at Admissions for Columbia, talking to her best friend (Marcia Gay Harden) who is going through her own adulthood misery, and watching happier, younger couples from her office aloft. So, when an application with the name F. Scott Fienstadt (Topher Grace), the same name as the young love of her life who died, comes along she has no problem going completely out of her comfort zone and daily routine to meet, seduce, and compare the new to the old, or rather her indestructible memory of the old.

It's a dangerous plot premise-- already you've got the Mrs. Robinson comparisons, as well as the tiptoe out of reality with the same name as her dead love, and the adulthood alienation script. However, it seems that every single person in the movie was completely aware of the danger and paid so much care to their work that you don't even recognize it. Laura Linney, in a demanding role, manages to not only evoke sympathy while she tortures the younger man with her cynicism but also gives a complexity and innocence to the female character that most every actress in Hollywood strives for but seldom achieves. Topher Grace, as her paramour, gives a smart performance that mixes the self-confidence of youth with a restrained, intellectual, old soul backbone that really serves to offer himself up as more than a teenage, primetime face. Marcia Gay Harden is wonderful and real as always, she could have hammed up this character, but she played it very nicely -- so much so you could see the girl in the woman, which is exactly what she needed to do. The rest of the supporting cast is solid, and since it is such a small ensemble, heavily appreciated.

Yes, the ending isn't what it could have been but the relationship and the plot could have been a whole lot worse. If anything, I highly recommend it for people who love the small ensemble films that attempt to deal openly and honestly with out of the box relationships and being who you are at the age you are now. 6/10.

A Nutshell Review: P.S.

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 17 September 2006]

At first glance the premise of the movie seemed a little like Nicole Kidman's Birth, where someone who's already dead gets reincarnated into a boy who seemed to know all her/their dirty little secrets. Anyway that was my first thought when I heard about the plot outline for P.S., but that said, this story couldn't be anywhere near Birth.

It's a story about second chances, and how you would choose to seize this chance to make up for what you didn't do the first time around. On a more personal note, it reminded me of what I did once, doing something which I didn't do initially, but here opportunity was presented with someone else, not as a substitute though, but it served as a catalyst to not allow things to not happen, but to take that leap of faith and give it a shot. Didn't turn out the way I wanted, but I guess I should be satisfied that I tried.

Louise Harrington (Laura Linney) is head of admissions for an art faculty, and in an admission letter, noticed someone who shared a similar name as a deceased old flame. Breaking protocol, she arranges for him to meet, and soon enough, more protocol gets broken as she initiates a sexual relationship with F. Scott Feinstadt (Topher Grace). Which of course should set tongues wagging given the power of her status, about keeping persona and business separate, about that lack of professionalism and danger of mixing business with pleasure.

But there are no lack of stories about a younger man falling for an older woman, and earlier this year, we've seen Uma Thuman in Prime in the same boat as well. Here though there is a distinct lack of humour and frills in storytelling, as the dry delivery befits the theme and character of Louise as she constantly, and perhaps unconsciously, pities herself and warrants the same pity from others. And it is the breaking out of this mould and mindset that keeps the narrative together in an exploration of how, despite Louise learning about how her marriage to her ex husband, Peter Harrington (Gabriel Byrne) broke down. Making matters worse is her best friend Missy's (Marcia Gay Harden) meddling into her personal business, with a revelation making you wonder why she hasn't turned into a fiend instead.

I've actually watched this movie not because of Laura Linney, even though she carries this movie on her shoulders, and that her Louise character is the central figure where things revolve, and characters interact around. Rather, it's more for Topher Grace, whose performance I enjoyed in In Good Company (his character there I could relate to), and keeping in mind that he did this movie first. Next up would probably be his biggest commercial challenge yet, as he takes on the role of Eddie Brock / Venom in Spiderman 3.

P.S. is actually a postscript, and here, the characters are afforded that little extra to add on to their past history, to be accorded that moment in the present, to make amends and salvage a past they are ashamed of. The pacing might be trying for some, but it still makes for satisfying viewing if you're in the same boat looking for your own P.S..

Topher Grace Gets Lucky

[RARubin · 7/10 · 6 April 2005]

There are so few examples of real lust and other adult stuff going on in 9000 R rated films in the last 30 years. In PS, 39 year-old Laura Linney practically throws young Topher Grace on her couch. She is absolutely licking her chops since Grace looks, indeed has the same name, as her teen love. A pastlove had been killed in a car accident. Linney's best friend, Marcia Gay, was interested also. Anyhow, Grace's twenty year-old personality and looks resembles the dead lover, so Linney thinks he's a gift from heaven. Her life with an ex-husband had been less than satisfying. Yes, she's got a descent job at Columbia, but she's not happy; hence, Topher Grace not only gets lucky, he gets involved in a weird and wonderful love situation.

PS, Dylan Kid made an even better film for adults called Rodger Dodger. Check that one out. It's a classic. God, I love films for adults without the X.

I saw a Sneak Preview of it last night.

[cooper-29 · 6/10 · 14 October 2004]

I enjoyed the movie and especially the performances. Loved Lauran Linney as usual as well as Marcia Gay Harden. I was surprised at Topher's performance as I don't like That 70's show. The story started out good and then derailed. They never follow through with the premise of the reincarnation aspect or why this guy looks like the woman's dead boyfriend. The movie just ends and I was disappointed because of that. It could have gone on and explained more but chicked out.

So, I will recommend the movie for the performances but I think the story could have been more developed.

Entertaining . . . But Could Have Been Better

[rosie_smash · 7/10 · 26 April 2005]

This film has a really interesting premise and a very talented cast to back it up, but something is definitely missing. I thoroughly enjoyed Laura Linney, and Topher Grace is fast becoming a young actor worth watching. Gabriel Byrne is also very intriguing playing Linney's ex-husband and close friend . . . with an interesting confession to make. I did like this film, but there were aspects of it that were not so good. Marcia Gay Harden was very annoying as Linney's old friend. The scene with her was painful. Also, there were some issues with continuity, however I will say that I watched the deleted scenes after watching the film and they would have really helped the film to become a great one as opposed to merely a good one. All in all, I was entertained and would say that this movie is worth watching, but try and watch the deleted scenes as well.

whats with the name P.S?

[ryxmeg001 · 4/10 · 25 May 2005]

This is just a quick question that my friends and i have been boiling over for a while now, what does the movie title; P.S have to do with what the movie is about?it is really annoying!some one please help us!!!!!!!! but other than that i found the movie to be really odd! i walked out of the cinema felling really strange, i don't know if i enjoyed it or not! but what i do know that i found Laura Linney's character to be really freaky for some reason! what did everyone else think? i thought th way in which the director portrayed Columbia was really interesting!very different to what you normally see in movies! i was really shocked by Tohper Grace's ability to pull the character of F.Scott off. a huge and very effective departure from his days of that 70's show.

A thought-provoking romantic movie

[intelearts · 6/10 · 11 September 2007]

With a killer cast, and a simple threaded plot this tale of discovery and rediscovery of love and the feeling that first love bring back are weaved here together with humor and passion.

While not wholly successful - the drama elements rely too heavily on the sexual, Gabriel Byrne's character was sold short I would say - as a concept it is immensely charming, captivating, poignant, and darn funny.

We thought it successful in its attempt to portray a different kind of relationship - and loved the main characters.

It has more bite than most romantic films - and that is no bad thing.Would warmly recommend to those who like their romantic film to involve both the heart and the brain.

A farce gone tragically wrong

[TigerDriver · 2/10 · 31 May 2005]

I have two theories about this clunker: (1) it's a recruiting film funded by Columbia University's art department, which doubtless needs more guys to fulfill its "diversity" quota, and (2) it's a farce gone tragically wrong.

Aside from the usual electricity that Laura Linney and, increasingly, Topher Grace bring to the screen, this is yet-another-mid-life-crisis-movie--juiced up with the delicious, mythic depravity of Linney's behavior. Delicious because it appeals directly to female fantasy, and mythic because it blatantly echoes so many classic libidinal tales (e.g., Electra, Leda and the Swan). In fact, I almost guffawed when "F. Scott" has a chat with his mother instead of the traditional post-coital cigarette.

The farcical plot artifice of using mistaken identity to cover for illicit sexual gratification is a cliché of Elizabethan and Jacobean comedy (except in the latter, Linney's husband would have been dead and they would have been humping on his coffin). Here, the combination of name and apparent dead-ringer physical congruity--this nonsense gives every female viewer over the age of 35 permission to enjoy her sexual fantasy of ravishing an adolescent stud. (Remember her speech where she ties his tie? Remember "Desparate Housewives"?)

Men, alas, are cut no such slack--the Humbert Humberts of the world are publicly vilified (but privately envied). A movie about a 40-ish male admissions director banging a nubile female applicant would never get made. I take that back: such a movie could be made, provided the guy be symbolically castrated at the end. As a matter of fact, even in this movie, F.Scott suffers a subtle castration, feminization, when he sheepishly admits that he's really known as "Fran."

This one lines the bottom of my cinematic bird cage: 2 out of 10.

-- Joe in Berkeley

P.S.

Oh, what does "P.S." in the title stand for? Puerile Sex.

Addicted to sex

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 23 April 2006]

Imagine the shock Louise Harrington, a professor at Columbia University gets upon receiving a letter from a student applicant whose name is the same as her old boyfriend, who died in a tragic car accident years ago. Little prepares her for the way Scott, a young man that shows promise, will shake her up and awakens a passion she didn't know she had inside her.

Louise has been divorced from Peter, another Columbia professor, and in their last few years together had no sex together. Peter confesses to his ex-wife he is addicted to sex. Louise had no inkling about Peter's sexual life. He has had many encounters, mainly with students, women and men, as he doesn't discriminate who he takes to bed.

Scott sweeps Louise off her feet and awakens in her a newly discovered passion she didn't know she had in her. This relationship is threatened when Missy Goldberg, Louise best friend and confidante, comes into town because she suspects her friend is having a mad affair with the younger man. They have both been in love with the old boyfriend who had died tragically. Missy, in fact, has always envied Louise, something that comes clear in a final confrontation at the end of the film.

"P.S." was directed and adapted by Dylan Kidd, an interesting director whose "Roger Dodger" made him known to film fans. The novel in which the film is based was written by Helen Schulman, but not having read it, we can't make any comparisons, although Mr. Kidd's adaptation flows easily as a movie.

The best thing in "P.S." is Laura Linney. This actress projects such intelligence and radiates charm in everything she plays. We can't imagine anyone else in this part. Ms. Linney's contribution to the success of the film is invaluable. Topher Grace is also good as Scott, the student that knows exactly what he is getting into and awakens Louise into a passion she didn't know she had. Gabriel Byrne is seen as Peter, the ex-husband. Marcia Gay Harden makes a short appearance into one of the best thing in the film as the friend that has everything, yet has always envied Louise. Lois Smith and Paul Rudd have minor roles.

"P.S." is an adult film that makes us think because Dylan Kidd doesn't compromise with the story and because he knows how to present this tale about adult people going through painful situations and discovering things about themselves.

This is all too mystical for me

[sol1218 · 6/10 · 9 December 2009]

**SPOILERS** Very similar to the back from the dead, through reincarnation, movie released around the same time "Birth" the made for TV movie "P.S" has to do with someone who died some twenty years ago coming back to re-start his love affair with not just one but two lovers. The strange thing about all this is that the long "dead person" now in his early twenties and a student at New York's Colombia University is, unlike in the movie "Birth", the very last person in the movie to figure this all out!

It's chief of student admissions at Columbia Louise Harrington, Laura Linney, who first notices the what seems like re-born F. Scott Feinstadt, Topher Grace, when he called her for an interview to be accepted in the collage's prestigious art program. With her eyes bulging out of their sockets Louise realizes that Scott is the carbon-copy of her long dead lover from high-school who shares the very same name, first & last, with him. Poor and totally confused Scott who's only looking to get accepted in the collage's art class ends up being seduced and ravaged, which in fact he's anything but against, by the sex starved Louise within hours after his interview with her!

To make things even more interesting we also have Louise's ex-husband Peter, Gabriel Byrne, pop up and after thinking things over with her suddenly admits that he's been having an affair behind her back! This with Peter being divorced from Louise and thus being free do do, in regards with his sex life, anything he want's! The real kicker to Peter's heart felt confession to Louise is that he's hopelessly addicted to sex and had been having hundreds of affairs while he was still married to her with, in him being a collage professor, his both female as well as male student's! Shocked at Peter's infidelity Louise is left speechless and thus gravities back to Scott, who hasn't a clue to what's going on, to continue her hot and heavy affair with him.

Things reach explosive levels in the movie when Louise's friend from high-school and rival for the late Scott's affections Missy Goldberg, Marcia Gay Barden, gets in touch with her and tells a stunned Louise that she in fact knows that Scott as come back from the dead and has also, like Louise, restarted her affair with him! On top of all that sex addicted Peter also finds out that Louise, who's not married to him, is having an affair with another man-Scott-which almost leads the two to square off at each other!

***SPOILERS*** The ending of this very confusing movie leaves a lot of loose ends in regards to Scott's relationship with both Lousie and Missy but by then you've been through so many sub-plots to what it's, the Scott Louise & Missy connection, all about that both you and Scott are by then ready to forget about the whole damn thing!

About the best thing that happens in the movie is in the end is that Scott is finally accepted into Colombia University's exclusive art school, which is all that he wanted in the first place, on the strength of what looked like six grainy and out of focus slides of his art works. But as we see Scott wouldn't have made it without Louise, who's still hopefully infatuated with the young man, pulling a few strings in his favor.

Bad writing

[beernoser · 2/10 · 29 May 2005]

A truly bad movie. Neither my wife or I thought it approached mediocrity.

Save the $ 2 at blockbuster and take a walk instead discussing ways you can keep your son away from crazy women like this one.

Maybe they didn't tell the story they wanted, or maybe it was just a lousy story they wanted to tell, but either way, it came out bad.

One ting that ruins a movie for me is that characters do things and make decisions that they would never make in real life. This was another problem. A college kid applies for college and the admissions director immediately beds him. Then she wants a relationship except she appears to be crazy. So he becomes involved with her. Yeah right. I can get the first time for the sex with an older woman, but then any 18 year old would go running for their life once things get weird.

Just a lousy story in general.

Familiar Face of Love Past - Linney & Grace shine

[george.schmidt · 1 November 2004]

P.S. (2004) *** Laura Linney, Topher Grace, Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, Lois Smith, Paul Rudd. (Dir: Dylan Kidd) Familiar Face of Love Past What would you make of a supreme case of déjà vu in the form of someone reminding you of your first – and only – true love? That's the question that troubles 39 year old Columbia Art School admissions officer Louise Harrington (Linney making a truly complex role seem so natural) an unhappy with life divorcée who stumbles upon one last letter of her daily sorting with the return address of an F. Scott Feinstadt, which triggers her recollection of her late high school boyfriend with virtually the same moniker.

Provoked to her curiosity she calls the applicant on the phone and as a ploy sets up an interview where with baited breath she must face the inevitable: it may really be her reincarnated love nearly 20 years past.

Feinstadt (Grace proving to be his generation's Tom Hanks) is an easy-going very comfortable in his old skin type who plunks down to the proceedings unaware of the special needs scrutiny he's experiencing as Louise is overcome by how uncanny he is and clumsily asks him out leading to a frankly adult encounter – they have sex back at her apartment – which unleashes a newly unbridled Louise to accept the unbelievable and the two begin to fall for one another, only with Louise on guard with the weird encounter giving her pause to reflect upon the failure of her marriage to her best friend Peter (the underplayed rumpled Byrne) who she discovers after the fact that he had cheated on her during their time together leading her to believe her entire life has been a lie. On top of this her only confidantes – her retired caring mother (Smith) and her girlhood pal (and competition) Missy Goldberg (Harden) who lives on the West Coast, married with children and equally miserable- have grown weary of her doldrums. Adding to the mix is her younger ne'er-do-well brother Sammy fresh out of rehab and seemingly up to his old tricks.

Director Kidd, who helmed the indie gem 'ROGER DODGER', adapted the story by Helen Schulman's novel, has his work cut out for him in equalizing the main character's plight and the budding love affair into a solid relationship without it becoming a Lifetime Original Movie which at times it teeters into, yet injecting it with some humor and heart. But the solid acting of Linney – who I admit has taken some time to admit she's a fine actress – and surprising chops of Grace raise the level from a one-note What If scenario to a sweet, sexy romance meant to be. Linney's Louise feels like a second cousin to her breakthrough role in 'YOU CAN COUNT ON ME' in the sense that both women are at an emotional crossroads in their lives that could lead to even more dire lanes of despair but the chosen path they endeavor in fact strengthens them with newfound confidence and self-worth. Don't we all aspire to just that?

Disappointed, great actors - lame story

[david-comeau · 2/10 · 26 March 2005]

My only problem with this movie is the GAPING plot holes and continuity issues.

Right off the bat, the lead character sets up an interview over the phone, but does not tell the artist where to go for the meeting. This is important since he mentions he knows nothing about the University.

And within an hour of the meeting, they enter a more complex relationship, without any concern for the repercussions on her job or any dislodge driven chemistry for that matter.

It was a shame to see such talented actors on all fronts having to deal with a lame screenplay.

Strange movie with a talented cast - feels incomplete

[phd_travel · 3/10 · 14 January 2014]

I watched this because Laura Linney is a talented actress and usually she does interesting work. Plus Marcia Gay Harden and Paul Rudd are in supporting roles so it had to be worth a watch.

What a strange movie this turned out to be. It doesn't really fit into any category. It's not fantasy and it isn't a romantic comedy. A few moments of out of place drama are interspersed with some odd dialog too. Plus the love scene is awkward.

The May December thing is a bit icky. Gabriel Byrne plays the sex addicted ex husband.

It would have been nice to have some explanation about the similarities between the deceased and the present. But it never came. Overall it is an uneasy blend of drama and whatever. Finally when the kind of happy ending took place it didn't mean very much.

The Truth about Topher...

[film-critic · 10/10 · 20 February 2005]

I must admit, I was very surprised by this film. When you see the previews for P.S. it looks as if it is nothing more than a simple romantic comedy of sorts that hints more towards originality than refurbished Hollywood. While there are elements of humor and greatness in this film, the preview can be a bit dissecting. This is a tragedy of sorts. It is the story of a woman still searching for her true self and cannot do that because of tragedy that has constantly fallen upon her during her life. It reminds me of It's A Wonderful Life when George Bailey finally realizes that perhaps he isn't needed anymore in town and decides to end his life. This is where our story somewhat begins with Louise (Laura Linney). While it isn't as dramatic as Jimmy Stewart on a bridge, Linney does give off this aura of depression and pensiveness. Where is her life, why does she continue with this repetitive routine at work, and what is her relationship with others around her are simple questions that become much larger as the film progresses.

What really captured me with this film was the utterly beautiful chemistry between Topher Grace and Laura Linney. They really embraced this sense of adventure, comfortability, and fear of the unknown exceptionally well. From the moment that they shared screen time together until the rather poignant ending, I thought that the two of them made an award-winning pair. Topher is growing up quickly in Hollywood and this film should prove that he has the "chops" to play with the bigger boys. The same can be said for Linney that continues to prove that she can make movies that redefine the roles of both women in film and involved in film. While I think that her role in this film should have garnered her with an Oscar nomination over the over-hyped lackluster Kinsey. I am still honored to see her getting the praise that she deserves. Her emotions are so raw and real that you can literally get lost in her words and actions while forgetting that you are actually watching a film. I would be hard pressed to be able to name another actress that could do that with the material that she does.

The rest of the cast in this film supported our two characters with the greatest of ease. This film is the perfect example of small parts making a huge impact on a film. Gabriel Byrne is outstanding in a role that could have been very one-dimensional. He brings depth and almost a bit of "evil" to his character that he only helps give Linney that extra push into her climactic ending. The same can be said for Paul Rudd and Marcia Gay Harden whom may seem miscast or at least oddly cast in this film, but both prove with the greatest of ease why they continue to work in Hollywood. It was the strength of the cast that really brought this character study out of the ultimate fate of several others of the same nature. The characters/actors brought this story to life and gave it this unglazed vision of the real world where people struggle with past histories and long for the opportunity to see what life would be like if only one thing would have been different.

This leads me into my favorite part of the story which was the subtle themes and story that was happening behind the characters/actors. There was more than just one element happening to our characters which helped give so much depth to the story and people. It wasn't just Louise looking for love, but also the chance of a "what if" encounter that normally would never happen in your average person's life. I loved all the elements from Byrne's secret, to Harden's indiscretions, to Rudd's dual life that really built a strong point for this story. I felt as if these characters were real and that the elements that were facing them were not built by Hollywood, but instead crafted by the truth of another. That is what made this story work. There wasn't this all-powerful run to the airport at the end, but instead a somber moment that made you reflect back on the rest of the film, dreaming of another chance to watch.

Overall, I really liked this movie. I felt that director Dylan Kidd did a very wonderful and bold job with this film proving that he can handle everything from simple themes to multi-layered moments that will reign supreme in your mind. Linney and Grace's chemistry was outstanding. I watched this film with the words, "I didn't think it would go this far…" dripping from my mouth. It was different than the previews and overall better. I suggest it to all and hope that you will be able to see the vivid reality that Kidd has painted with his film, P.S.

Grade: ***** out of *****

Quality setting does not equal quality movie

[BobbyT24 · 3/10 · 26 October 2015]

This is one of those stories that made me feel dirty watching it. Not because the subject matter was slightly perverse or startling. What I saw was a low-budget movie which never broke out of the low-budget feel. It just felt... cheap.

Let's for a moment forget the fact the whole premise is a psychiatrist's worst nightmare - a person can't get over the death of their first love so let's replace that person with another (much younger) person who shares the same name and start an affair in the most awkward, look-away kind of way possible. Cougars have feelings too and I applaud anyone trying to give middle-aged woman an outlet. But why does a well-educated, attractive, intelligent divorcée think she needs to immediately "bed" (or "couch") the first incoming freshman that remotely hints at the fact she's hot? Laura Linney wearing a low-cut dress and leaning over to look at a couple slides would make any 18-year-old lose any inhibitions he would have. "Obvious" isn't the only word that springs to mind. But the way this came across was so desperate and off-the-wall it was off-putting. And the best friend on the phone... Wow, I could have put more emotion and believability into that character as a male and non-actor than that actress showed throughout the movie. The whole movie was screaming "exposition" before any real acting was taking place. People do not act or speak in real life the way they do throughout most of this movie. It was scripted and you could see/hear it over and over and over and....

Then there's the actual acting... It's billed (I believe) as somewhat of a romantic comedy. I didn't find anything romantic or funny about a near-middle-age ice queen dropping her panties for a cock-sure, jackass of a student who obviously only expected to get laid at every chance possible. At Columbia University no less. Yeah, that's what I expect when I think of the Ivy League - tenured professors ready to jump any quasi-interesting teenager at the drop of a name on an envelope. Teacher ethics mean nothing at one of our most prestigious and respected American universities I guess. You don't think an admissions officer would think twice about exchanging admission to THE IVY LEAGUE for sexual favors with a cute student??? I guess the job (or your entire education career no less) can't be that outstanding to throw it away for one very brief (and unfulfilling) affair with a student - who considers you a just "notch on his belt" anyway. Oh, yeah. That's a serious educator in my opinion... PUHHHH-leeez. Educated people are more subtle than that. Columbia deserved so much better than this.

And the direction... Who funded this project, anyway? A hormone-enraged Columbia student with daddy's credit card and the hots for Laura Linney in various stages of undress??? That's what it feels like. The soundtrack came and went during the least opportune times. The editing during the phone conversations screamed "amateur" at all times. Everything seemed so scripted there was absolutely no believability to the situations. It was actors mouthing words off a page. I have seen less cardboard acting at grade school recitals about the four basic food groups. It literally felt like the writer/director was going one direction with the story, ran into a monkey wrench plot twist, and instead of naturally creating a solution, the writer/director just threw in the silliest, least inspired way to jump over the problem with a minor (re: unnecessary) character showing up out of nowhere to further the plot, then the minor character disappears until they are "magically" needed again to push our main characters along in their story to the inevitable end. Reality has no place in this script. Just "plot points". The audience needs more respect than that.

Skip this movie. It really isn't worth your time. I rate it a 3 out of 10 because it shows Columbia University in beautiful lighting and I like Laura Linney and Topher Grace. Unfortunately, this wasn't close to their best efforts.

Laura Linney Shows She Can Play Like the Boys

[noralee · 28 October 2004]

"P.S." continues the trend this year of movies and TV shows with aggressive older women attracted to geeky, barely post-adolescent boys.

While most of them come across as male fantasies, this one, based on a novel by Helen Schulman I haven't read yet for comparison, takes the viewpoint of the woman, to make her seem empowered. At least here we see how she herself is still mired in her own Glory Days (just as the male lead in writer/director Dylan Kidd's previous film "Roger Dodger" was), through her memories, her relationships with her brother and mother, and with her ex, whose student she was (though their relationship is talkily given additional problems of lack of urge control that seem unnecessarily complicated -- does Gabriel Byrne ever play a non-adulterous husband?).

Laura Linney is so good, however, that she portrays the character as stronger and making more sense than the situations or her continuing competition with her best friend, as played by Marcia Gay Hayden (and I couldn't figure out when the friend was in New York or California). Hayden's character even defensively says at one point "We're being just like the boys."

Linney is particularly effective with chilling monologues, as she dissects life's disappointments in comparison to adolescent hopes and dreams, that her character has faced not only in her life but daily as a college admissions director. I do challenge as a cultural bias and the character's hang-up the assumption that one is perfect at age 20, such that only the good die young.

While the plot is set in motion by a magic realism kind of coincidence that seems reminiscent of sci-fi-ish films like "Happy Accidents," "Sliding Doors," or "Me, Myself, I," let alone "Vertigo," even the characters agree by the end that they've had enough of this mystical stuff and that angle just gets dropped as they try to be real.

The film uses the Columbia University setting effectively and the soundtrack and scoring are full of New York City musicians, including Yo Le Tengo, Martha Wainwright, Citizen Cope and cellist Jane Scarpontoni.

Nothing to write home about

[Movie_Reviews · 5/10 · 11 January 2021]

Paul Rudd was in it for a few seconds, and not in a funny role since there were no funny roles. Laura Kinney is a good actress, for sure.

But what was the point, meaning and message of this film? It is labeled as "Comedy, Drama, Fantasy " but there is absolutely no comedy and no fantasy. Possibly it is a drama but one without meaning.

No, I would not recommend this movie because it has nothing to offer, apart from some good acting.

Great Acting in a Weird Plot

[Scoval71 · 5/10 · 17 December 2005]

Great acting by all, especially the talented and pretty Laura Linney. But the plot is so far fetched, it is ridiculous. I cannot get on the bandwagon with the majority of the reviewers who wholly praise this movie on this site. I just think it is a silly, unrealistic film that is somewhat confusing and just makes no sense. Laura Linney's character seems to finally mature at 39 years old at the end thanks to her affair with a man who reminds her in many ways of her first long ago dead love. Topher Grace does a fine job and is mature beyond his years in this film trying to get Linney's character back to earth. I say again the acting is superior, but the story just did not sit well with me.

a love story out of space time relativity

[i_illusionist · 10/10 · 14 February 2005]

well..i think this movie shows the power of love that we do not see that often around us. a woman who lost her first love long time ago, gets a second chance to love her first love again. how she handles the situation is confusing and fun in a sense, her present life is already in jeopardy, the only best friend she has is the one who stole her love from her, and her ex husband just tell her that all along through their marrige, he was cheating on her. well it is bit twisted . the plot was great and so was the story, the only thing that was out of a bit proportion was the "evil" best friend's character. Other than that this movie is an outstanding entertainment.

Disappointing Topher Grace Vehicle

[eric_hanson · 4/10 · 17 February 2005]

As a Topher Grace fan I found the movie enjoyable. Though he shows off his usual dry wit and excellent delivery, he is given a chance to really make his character come alive (unfortunately, some of these best scenes were deleted from the movie, i.e. the restaurant scene).

However, those people who may not be fans of the actors or simply looking for a good romantic movie should really look elsewhere. The message of this movie is one of the worst I have every seen. At every point the main character (Louise) is made to see that her life sucks because it is her fault. Apparently it is her fault her husband cheated on her hundreds of times (and her fault she didn't notice this). Apparently people are not responsible for their own actions, only other people's.

It is also Louise's fault that her brother is a drug addict. He never apologized for the impact his addiction had on her life, and the movie makes it clear that he shouldn't have to.

It is also her fault that her mother is emotionally distant, the movie portrays her as uncaring and unloving. A discussion with her brother reveals that it is Louise's fault for not gaining her mother's love, maybe if she was a f****'ed up addict like her brother, it would be different.

It is also Louise's fault that her best friend KNOWS that Topher is not her dead boyfriend, and KNOWS that they have a relationship (F. Scott and Main character), yet tries to have sex with him twice. Her friend is married with two kids, a rich husband, yet she has the gall to tell Louise that Louise should be thankful for what she has. What a hypocrite.

Every character is this moving, with the exception of Louise and F. Scott, are self-centered, loveless, blameless, hypocrites. The best part is, that the movie totally validates their behavior and shows that for Louise to have a good life, she must just suck it up. Even F. Scott begins to act this way. He never apologizes for saying that he sleep with Louise's best friend, though he said it to hurt her. In the end, she has to suck it up, yet again, and apologize to him.

Not only that but there was definite abuse of power issues. F. Scott believes she controls whether he gets in. Of course he will have to play up to her. She doesn't reveal the truth until the very end of the movie, (or deleted scene).

Lastly, the really, really terrible thing in this movie, is that Louise's ex-husband has slept with hundreds of women during their marriage, her brother knew, yet he justifies not telling Louise by saying he was keeping his word to her husband. I don't give a flying f*** if the pope asks you to keep a secret, in this day and age of AIDs and other STDs, you don't keep a secret like that from your sister. Not if you love her. Louise is at extremely high risk for STDs, but her catching a life altering disease is less important to her brother than keeping his word.

To conclude, if you like f***'ed up people, screwing over a reclusive, depressed lady, this movie is for you! It really should have been named "How Louise Becomes An Emotional Doormat". After seeing this movie, I was no longer surprised I had never heard of it until it came to DVD.

Topher Grace's Coming Out Party

[sgreenwa · 21 October 2004]

Topher Grace steals the show in this movie...he really owns the screen and has a confident charm to him that you will see for years to come. I'm a HUGE Laura Linney fan, and this is a fine performance for her, but nothing you haven't seen before, as you grow to expect brilliance from her. The acting was fine all around, but I do agree the second half of the movie starts to drag and I think the relationship between Linney and Marcia Gay Harden takes the movie off track...it's not appealing. It's almost hard to buy the Gay Harden character all together.

Good Indie flick...a definite rental. This flick has more artistic value to it than Roger Dodger...more to it, but not as enjoyable interesting enough.

6.5/10