Product Details

• Actors: Peter Gallagher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Laurie Fortier, Wendy Crewson
• Directors: Michael Pressman
• Writers: David E. Kelley, Michael Brady
• Producers: David E. Kelley, Marykay Powell, Terry Morse Jr.
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: September 23, 1997
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767800427
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,563 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Michelle Pfeiffer's husband, television producer David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal), is partially responsible for this entertaining tearjerker about a widower (Peter Gallagher) who can't let go of his late wife and whose relationship with his adolescent daughter (Claire Danes) is stalled as a result. Invited for a weekend at the beach by his worried sister-in-law (Kathy Baker), Gallagher's character faces various humiliations (he's been set up to meet a single woman) and fatherly crises (his growing girl is attracted to a local boy). Pfeiffer plays the ghost of the dead woman and Danes is terrific, but it's Gallagher who gets a rare opportunity to carry the ball for an entire feature, and he does it very well. Michael Pressman directed what is, in the end, a very nice movie. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Relate Deeply To This Movie, July 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (DVD)

Having lost my wife under similiar circumstances, I experienced exactly What Peter Gallagher's acting expressed in this Film. His moving potrail of deep grief was so much like what I was experiencing it was chilling. The film did make me realize, that its time to move on.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Loss-The most powerful emotions, April 27, 2005

By 

Anthony (Hollywood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (DVD)

This is a fantastic film, from the writing to directing to the score to the acting. Peter Gallagher is superb in conveying the torment and guilt felt by a widowed husband. This is a situation that occurs all over the world all the time-losing a loved one is probably the most trying event that any person can ever go through. It's perfectly paced. David Kelley is such a great writer, it's just a joy to let him take you on this ride.

People compare this film to the play too much. They're completely different, theater is much more dialogue, film much more visual. I read the play after seeing the movie first, and although I'm always tainted by what I see first, I still feel the film is better. The characters aren't shallow in the film-they're just what's needed for how many of them there are.

I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone you love. I'm sure I will someday, but after watching this film you'll see how it can drive someone nearly mad trying to move on with their lives. A beautiful achievement.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars He knows she's dead, September 27, 2004

By 

Joshua B. Smith "author of Practical Ocaml" (Akron, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (DVD)

Here's the thing about this movie: He knows she's dead. A lot of the other reviewers here seem to forget that he acknowledges she's dead but that doesn't matter. She is dead but not gone. For some people, that statement sounds like some kind of sacchrine line to calm children. Sometimes it's the truth, though, and that's what this movie is about.

The movie does take itself seriously, but the subject IS serious. This is a solid movie, it's not a great film. Taking yourself seriously is not the same as claiming greatness. David Kelly is a capable director and the cast has chemistry and participate in the telling of a good story. That's it. It's a good story, and a fine film.