Product Details

• Actors: Laura Linney, Topher Grace, Marcia Gay Harden, Gabriel Byrne, Lois Smith
• Directors: Dylan Kidd
• Writers: Dylan Kidd, Helen Schulman
• Producers: Allen Bain, Anne Chaisson, Jeff Sharp, John Hart, Julian Iragorri
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006U5UPO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #431,036 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A May-December romance turns metaphysical in P.S., from the director of the critically acclaimed Roger Dodger. Louise (Laura Linney, You Can Count On Me, Kinsey) has a warm friendship with her ex-husband and a satisfying position as an admissions officer for Columbia University, but she's never gotten over losing her first love from high school. When a young man with the same name, face, and artistic talents (Topher Grace, Traffic) as her lost love suddenly arrives for an admissions interview, Louise tumbles into an abrupt and questionable relationship. P.S. is at its best when it follows the tics and foibles of human behavior; Linney and Grace both give vivid, lively performances. But every time reincarnation rears its head, the movie flounders, particularly in clumsy scenes with Louise's predatory best friend (Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River), who stole Louise's boy so long ago. Fortunately (or strangely), that element is almost a tacked-on subplot; center stage is the romance between Linney and Grace, which glows sweetly. Also featuring Gabriel Byrne (The Usual Suspects, Miller's Crossing) and a woefully underused Paul Rudd (The Shape of Things, Clueless). --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker

The second feature film from Dylan Kidd, who leapt to our attention with the scurrilous "Roger Dodger." The new picture stars Laura Linney as a mousy director of admissions at Columbia, who, one day, refines her selection process by having sex with a young applicant (Topher Grace). The reason for this unorthodox approach is that he shares a name with a former sweetheart of hers, now dead; as motives go, it doesn't sound that strong, and you wouldn't trust her with a phone directory, but still. The rest of the movie hovers and quavers around that initial act. The heroine's ex-husband (Gabriel Byrne) confesses to his own carnal excess, looking none too pleased about it; her best friend (Marcia Gay Harden), understandably intrigued, arrives in town and introduces the now bewildered student to her cleavage; and the kid himself stays cool, presumably wondering what these messed-up adults are so concerned about. He has a point. Kidd's film lacks the bite and nerve of its predecessor; it glides along in the service of a whiny wistfulness. As a guide to college-entrance procedures, of course, it's unsurpassed. -Anthony Lane
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A romantic movie with a brain, October 15, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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"P.S." is that rarest of movies -- the romantic movie that ponders as it loves. Not just "what would it be like if you could have your first love again?", but "what mistakes have you made in love?" It treads on risky turf, but for the sake of pondering love and loss rather than for shock effect -- and that makes it worth watching, despite the awkward scripting.

Louise Harrington (Laura Linney) is a divorced woman in her late thirties, the director of admissions at Columbia. Her only friend is her ex-husband Peter (Gabriel Byrne), and her life is steady but very boring. All that changes in an instant when she sees a familiar name: F. Scott Feinstadt. That was the name of her high school boyfriend, an art student who was stolen away from her and tragically killed in a car crash. Same birthday too.

Louise calls in the young man (Topher Grace), and is stunned to see that he's also an artist, who even looks like her dead boyfriend. She decides that their meeting is fate, or that she is being given a second chance at her old love, and he's strangely drawn to this quiet, sad woman. The two fall into a passionate, awkward affair, that leads to Louise reexamining her life and her loves.

It sounds like a middle-aged woman's fantasy. But it's actually more of a personal journey -- Louise is called on to deal with the realities of her past, and to reasses her life in every way. It's a romance between a young man and older woman, yes, but it's not a Mrs. Robinson-style fantasy. It's only a part of Louise's problems and changes.

The scripting is not as good as the idea, however -- director Dylan Kidd doesn't explore the fate-related questions it brings up, like the strange similarities between the dead Scott and the new one. And he throws random curve balls (like Peter's sex addiction). And why have Louise seduce Scott within an hour of meeting him? Despite these weird occurrances, Kidd does what he does best -- outstanding dialogue that is frank and straightforward, and gives the characters new dimensions.

What really makes this movie shine is Laura Linney, an excellent actress only just starting to be recognized for her talents. She makes Louise warm, sad, passionate and locked in the past -- and it all works. Byrne is solid Topher Grace gives an endearing performance as Louise's boytoy, but isn't given much more to do.

Dylan Kidd's sophomore movie "P.S." hits a bit of a slump, but not a total one. Despite some awkward scenes, the movie is poignant and funny, and the endearing lead Linney overcomes a somewhat flat plot.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Believable reincarnated fantasy lover story, March 13, 2005

By 

Jonathan Appleseed - See all my reviews
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This review is from: P.S. (DVD)

This was a wonderful, subtle film about love, in its many different forms. Love in a failed marriage, high school crushes, the idea of a fantasy lover reincarnated, and the expectations of love placed upon the fantasy lover.

Topher Grace was outstanding. There wasn't the barest hint of his character from That 70s show, which is refreshing, because in almost every Ashton Kutcher film there are plenty of hints. I always thought that Grace would be the better actor of the two, and I think we're starting to see that.

Laura Linney turned in a wonderful performance as always. She's as reliable as a brownstone. I've never once seen an imperfection in any of her performances. Any scene in which she evokes emotions are perfectly done.

One can't help but wonder how one would react in Louise's (Linney) situation, and the film did a very good job of sharing her reaction with us, so that we shared it with her. Her immediate attraction to Fran (Grace), and her immediate and passionate desire for sexual relations was compulsive. I found myself feeling sorry for, knowing that she wasn't having sex with him; rather, she was having sex with the F. Scott she loved from high school. It seems that she eventually came to love Fran for who he was, although the age difference was significant and didn't seem to be addressed at all. I would have liked to understand Fran's attraction to older women a little better. I certainly understand that very often younger men or women are attracted to older women or men (or the reverse), but usually each situation is unique, so to see what Fran's unique attraction was would have been interesting and very telling about who he is.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting to like this film. The concept of reincarnated love is a territory that's been explored extensively (recently uncomfortably so in Birth, starring Nicole Kidman). I only rented the film to see if my estimations regarding Topher Grace were correct. Not only did I find out that they were, but I also enjoyed the film immensely. It was touching, intelligent, thought provoking, and layered. For a film marketed as a drama/comedy, that's fairly unusual - and refreshing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One More Thing....., August 25, 2005

By 

V. Marshall (North Fork, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: P.S. (DVD)

This film is a romance with a twist even a touch quirky but well worth viewing for both the writing and acting.

Louise Harrington (Laura Linney) is a 39 year old college admissions worker. Her marriage/divorce from Professor Peter Harrington (Gabriel Byrne) is amicable but as friends new incidents that occurred during their marriage are revealed which throw Louise off kilter. Almost at the same time a young art student appears with the name F. Scott Feinstadt (Topher Grace) and his name is not the only coincidence to an old love who passed away. Searching for connection Louise interviews F. Scott and a May-December relationship begins but not without its faults. Does Louise love F. Scott or the memory of another man? Add to the flame her best friend Missy Goldberg (Marcia Gay Harden) who encourages the memory and adds to the mess.

Laura Linney is wonderful in her role as a woman with a re-ignited flame. Opposite Linney is Marcia Gay Harden as the stalking greedy best friend always looking to one up Linney. Gabriel Byrne does a great job as a troubled professor who can't seem to figure out his true heart. And Topher Grace accomplishes the naive student role extremely well however for my tastes he isn't the perfect romantic lead...a little too boyish in my opinion and a sort of creepy. But the idea is certainly interesting. Is it re-incarnation, mistaken identity or just a strange coincidence luckily it is all explained in the end.

P.S.......Not sure this film would have worked if the gender roles had been reversed!