Analysis of “P.S. I Love You” Film with Critical and Personal Insights

Introduction

Released in 2007, P.S. I Love You is a romantic drama directed by Richard LaGravenese and starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. The movie follows Holly Kennedy (Swank) as she struggles to move on and live in the aftermath of her husband Gerry’s (Butler) death. To console her, Gerry has left her a series of letters that help her cope with his death, do some soul-searching, and find a new path for her life (LaGravenese).

P.S. I Love You was warmly welcomed by audiences, with many viewers finding it an emotionally powerful and heartwarming film. The Irish Film and Television Award given to Hilary Swank as the leading actress proves the movie’s immense success. Thus, the paper aims to discuss the movie, provide a review from two critics, and include a personal opinion on this matter. While retaining a large extent of emotional strain within its atmosphere, P.S. I Love You managed to overcome the barrier of banality, introducing a unique conflict and an unusual conclusion to the story.

Critical and Personal Perspectives

The movie received mostly positive reviews, even though some critics found it overly sentimental and cliché. The movie critic Ralph Jones positively reviewed the movie and defended it from some negative comments. Admittedly, the criticism that the movie received later on was quite warranted, with some of the choices being banal to an unforgivable extent. For instance, the couple’s arguing, as well as the shallow manner in which they make up, is quite insulting to the audience’s intelligence (Jones). However, as the movie plot develops, the fact that Gerry is bound to die allows the reframing of the specified scenes and, therefore, introduces a new perspective that provides the audience with a more nuanced insight into the characters’ relationships.

Manohla Dargis supports Ralph Jones’s point of view and also demonstrates a rather positive attitude towards the film. Since 2004, Manohla Dargis has served as The New York Times’s co-chief film critic (Dargis). She believes that this is not only a sentimental and romantic drama but a story about human experiences such as love, loss, and grief (Dargis). Regarding her wide experience in the movie industry, she was able to evaluate the work from different perspectives and dive deeper into the plot.

I believe P.S. I Love You is a worthwhile movie. Despite the criticisms of it being overly sentimental and clichéd, I found the film to be moving and thought-provoking in its exploration of grief and the need to move on. The performances of Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank are raw and emotionally powerful, and the soundtrack, full of songs from legends such as Elvis Presley and Louis Armstrong, adds to the film’s poignancy and charm. In addition, we can all find solace in the movie’s message about learning to cope with loss and embracing life and love again.

Ralph Jones also states that even though it tends to lean too heavily on sentimentality, Butler and Swank’s passionate performances help to keep the film’s tone bittersweet and its mood upbeat (Jones). Similarly, Manohla Dargis claims that the movie is considerably more complex than just a straightforward love story (Dargis). It is about grieving and getting better, about understanding loss and re-embracing life and love.

Conclusion

In conclusion, P.S. I Love You is a beautiful, moving, and heartfelt movie worth watching. Despite being criticized for its sentimentality and clichéd moments, the movie is filled with powerful performances and a heartfelt message that all can appreciate. The movie has won over both Manohla Dargis and Ralph Jones. Jones thinks the movie is more nuanced than just a simple love story, but Dargis thinks it is a touching and thought-provoking exploration of loss and the urge to move on. Butler and Swank’s heartfelt performances support the movie’s bittersweet tone and optimistic mood.

Works Cited

Dargis, Manohla. “P.P.S. Take Tissues to This Weepy About a Romance Tested by Death.” The New-York Times. 2007.

Jones, Ralph. “Hear Me Out: Why P.S. I Love You Isn’t a Bad Movie.” The Guardian, 2021.

LaGravenese, Richard, director. P.S. I Love You. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2007.

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StudyCorgi. (2025) 'Analysis of “P.S. I Love You” Film with Critical and Personal Insights'. 24 July.

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StudyCorgi. "Analysis of “P.S. I Love You” Film with Critical and Personal Insights." July 24, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/analysis-of-p-s-i-love-you-film-with-critical-and-personal-insights/.

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StudyCorgi. 2025. "Analysis of “P.S. I Love You” Film with Critical and Personal Insights." July 24, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/analysis-of-p-s-i-love-you-film-with-critical-and-personal-insights/.

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