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P.S. (2004) (***1/2)

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This film definitely has a gimmick, however it’s dealt with in an extremely natural and psychological way. Louise Harrington (Laura Linney, KINSEY) is a 39-year-old admissions chief for Columbia University. She is divorced, but is still friends with her ex, a science professor named Peter (Gabriel Byrne, GHOST SHIP). One day she comes upon an application with the name F. Scott Feinstadt on it and becomes enraptured by it. This is due to the fact that Louise’s high school love had the same name.

She makes an appointment with the student – played by Topher Grace (IN GOOD COMPANY) – and discovers that he looks amazingly like her former love, who was killed when they were young. This bit of whimsy opens up a vibrant affair between Louise and F. Scott, who is 20 years her junior.

The film really isn’t about reincarnation, but how Louise views the world and the damages in her past that she can’t let go of. Her affair with F. Scott both makes her feel young again, but also traps her in her past. Linney and Grace work wonderfully together. Grace has the potential to be the next everyman star like Tom Hanks. He’s a skilled actor and innately likeable. The cast also includes Paul Rudd (THE SHAPE OF THINGS) as Louise’s recovering drug addict brother Sammy and Marcia Gay Harden (POLLOCK) as Louise’s promiscuous best friend since high school Missy Goldberg.

Director/writer Dylan Kidd first broke onto the scene with his well-reviewed film ROGER DODGER, which I have yet to see, but now want to see more eagerly. P.S. is smart, funny and romantic. The characters are original and the actors breathe fresh life into them. This is a surprisingly good film that I warmheartedly recommend to anyone.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks