Customer Reviews

The Love Letter (Region 2)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

This quirky romantic comedy is filled with surprises. The entire cast is wonderful and the small town seaside setting with all the entanglements of small town life makes this a fun movie.
I've watched this several times and never tire of the unique storylines of lost loves and the people who find happiness when they follow their hearts.

Guys, who will grow up to be great men, would call The Love Letter a "chick movie." That warning out of the way, for more open-minded guys and the expected predominantly female audience for this movie, it is a summer-time joy that tangos around a New England seaside town definitely in the mood for love and a comedy of errors. It takes one letter to resuscitate dreams and shake the atrophy out of emotions bogged down by time and self-consciousness. When people are missing something in their emotional life, an anonymous letter can set all sorts of possibilities into action.

I am always suspicious when a story involves a young man wooing an older woman. Kate Capshaw makes me like Helen, the emotionally alienating/alienated female lead, more than I want. Tom Everett Scott makes Johnny's gangly romantic pursuits clumsy and earnest that is that much more romantic and sexy. Ellen DeGeneres knows where the funny is in simple things like book titles and condiments. Tom Selleck does it for me in this movie by being a vulnerable, funny, handsome fireman experiencing a rough patch but not afraid to go after his dreams later in life. The Louis Armstrong and tango music set the mood, with a short burst of Tosca to contrast it and scare a character or two into action. Personally, there is one poetic little moment where the Capshaw's voice is reading how the writer "burns" with love and the fireman is coming up the bookstore staircase seeming to give off smoke as an image continues to charm me. Peter Ho-Sun Chan directed a really fun film.

So, have a summer/chick film fest with this and a few other fun films on the subject of love like Branaugh's Much Ado About Nothing, 4 Weddings & a Funeral, Roxanne, or Philadelphia Story.

Don't get me wrong...I'm as likely as anyone else looking for a "chick flick" to watch the latest Meg Ryan movie with the cute leading man....but this movie adds something extra. Instead of just dishing out the same old blather that most romantic comedies spout (girl & guy meet, girl & guy go through some conflict, but eventually guy & girl get together and live happily ever after) this movie actually takes the time to explore what makes a relationship between two people special and unique, whether that relationship is between two friends, lovers, or family members.

This movie is also great because it expounds upon the HUGE role that a person's mind plays when it comes to love and sex.

Kate Capshaw's character, Helen, is great for audience members who still haven't figured out that women are sexual beings and that it's OKAY for them to enjoy sex! (Even with a much younger man!)

All the characters remind us that even though we may not have everything figured out, you can always learn some new tricks, no matter what your age.

If you're in the mood for mindless entertainment, I wouldn't recommend this movie. However, if you're ready for a touching and romantic but still lighthearted flick, this is a good one!!

in a small, quaint bookshop, in which the paint is peeling from the mismatched bookcases, and the view of the sea below is as crisp and clear as it possibly can be from the wavy, leaded glass windows. Now picture coming back to this town every summer, visiting old friends, spending your Fourth of July evening at the local park. This movie is more about mood to me than anything. I watch it over and over every summer, wishing I could be a bookseller in Loblolly-by-the-Sea. I can almost smell the salty air and taste the lobster in the local restaurant. This film is a love letter to the romantic in all of us who wishes to spend time curled up with a good book (or movie) on a lazy summer day.
Capshaw is a perfect Helen. DeGeneres, a perfectly hilarious best friend. And Selleck is wonderful in this film, capturing the sensitive George. It makes me wonder why he doesn't take on more roles.
The only fault I find with this film is in the casting of Thomas Everett Scott ("That Thing You Do") as Johnny. He's a bit too mature-looking to play Helen's impetuous summer fling. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I'm never thorougly convinced he's right as the young college student.
Anyway, enjoy the film, soak up the mood, and I'll bet you'll come back again and again.

I personally found this movie to be highly entertaining and enjoyable. If you are looking for a light-hearted, romantic movie, this is for you. If you are looking for an intense film that requires a lot of inner-thought, you will be disappointed. This film portrays life in a small, New England town and it's quite charming.

Among readers and viewers is the age old question, "Can the movie ever be as good as the book?" And while there are some instances where books turned into movies are awful, there are also some other wonderful cases where the movie is as good as the book or even better.

It was, therefore, with great reluctance that I finally decided to view the video The Love Letter with Kate Capshaw, Tom Selleck and Ellen DeGeneres. I am first and foremost a reader and the reviews for this movie based on the wonderful book by Cathleen Schine had been rather mixed. And since I really enjoyed my reading experience of the book, I didn't want to watch anything which would later alter my initial view. So, I waited an appreciable amount of time after reading the book and was so pleasantly surprised by this delightful movie.

In my opinion it was very faithful to the book and really brought the characters to real life much as the book did. I also enjoyed seeing the confusion over who wrote the love letter and then who saw it and then the aftermath of relationships based on this letter and finally the truth about the letter.

I would certainly recommend this video and if you have extra time, read the book also.

What happens when people stumble across a nameless love letter? Given the fact that we all greatly desire love, we assume it was written to us. This is the premise of the movie that makes for an entertaining romp through a sleepy New England town.

Cate Capshaw does a nice job as the towns most sought after single female who has chosen to ward off any of cupids arrows for fear of feeling its bittersweet sting. However, a tenderly written love letter, that appears mysteriously, does a wonderful job of stirring up those sweet longings for desire and romance. For each of the characters who inadvertently stumbes across this same letter, that thrilling sense of passion ignites their dreams as well.

Played out something like a Shakesperian play, all kinds of mayhem ensues until the surprising truth is revealed at the end of this charming little film.

I liked this movie very much. It was entertaining, funny, charming, but I especially liked the "twist" toward the end. I felt it put out a message that really needs to be understood by everyone these days. That is, as this movie attempts to show, the feelings shared between partners in same-sex relationships are no different than those shared in hetero relationships. They are just as genuine, moving, loving, and caring. Everyone can relate to them if they just let themselves. I applaud the writer and those who starred in the movie.

I found this movie, based on Catherine Scheine's novel, very enjoyable. I think maybe the people who gave it a bad review were expecting something different. It is more of a snapshot of different people's reaction to a situation and thoughts about love than a traditional love story. It is also more whimsical, like the book, than either serious or comic. I also rented it for the scenery; it was filmed in Rockport MA, a beautiful coastal town. The movie has a nice New England feel, and if you are from Massachusetts' North Shore, it's worth buying; you'll love watching the background. I usually find Ellen DeGeneres to be too over the top, but she was great in this film. Tom Selleck is also good, though his unkempt appearance is a little distracting. And Blythe Danner is excellent in her small role. Altogether a good adaptation of what Peter O'Toole would call 'a good yarn'.

I'm so happy to see Ellen in a movie. All in all, the movie is full of romance and laughter. The all around cast is great to watch.