A few nights ago Marcia and I watched the movie “P.S.” starring Laura Linney and Topher Grace. Marcia Gay Harden, Gabriel Byrne, Lois Smith, and Paul Rudd had supporting roles. And yes, it appears that Marcia and I are overdosing on Topher’s work. Ya just gotta deal with it.
Here is a summary written by Sujit R. Varma, courtesy of IMDB.Com:
Louise Harrington (Linney), a divorced, thirty-something admission’s office at Columbia University’s School of Fine Arts is intelligent, pretty, and successful, yet unfulfilled. That is, until a graduate school application crosses her desk and she arranges to interview the young painter. When F. Scott Feinstadt (Grace) appears, he bears an uncanny resemblance to Louise’s high school boyfriend and one true love, an artist who died in a car accident twenty years earlier. Within hours of the interview, Louise and Scott have embarked on a passionately uninhibited older woman/younger man affair. But is Scott just a reminder of Louise’s lost love? And is Scott just trying to wheedle his way into the Ivy League? Adding to the romantic complications is competition from Louise’s best friend from high school, Missy (Harden), who shows up to claim the affections of the boy; Louise’s co-dependent ex-husband Peter (Byrne); her cynical mother (Smith) and fresh-out-of-rehab brother Sammy (Rudd).
To add to this, Scott also shares his name, in part, with Louise’s past love. That is what catches her eye to schedule an interview.
Now I will admit the idea of this seems corny. Or at least the description I read on Netflix. But I was willing to take a chance on it. I knew that Marcia (and I) wouldn’t mind seeing more of Grace’s work. But from my standpoint, I figured it couldn’t be too corny, because that is not Linney’s style. As Marcia said at the end of the movie, she always plays strong female characters. Sure, her characters may have flaws and weaknesses, but up front they are strong and independent. Those weaknesses may cause inner turmoil, and that is what makes her characters more real and well played out. This happened in “P.S.” as well. (Also to note, I will watch ANY movie that stars Laura Linney … because what man can resist that one dimpled smile?)
At times Grace’s performance was good. At times it wasn’t good. He showed that he can put on a strong male character and it fits. But other times he slips back into “Eric Forman” territory. Part of that is he’s 28 years old and still looks like he’s a junior in high school. Given the age of his character though and the way the writer/director has his personality traits presented before he appears in the movie from a conversation between Louise and Missy, it works to a point.
Overall the movie was better then I expected. There was a realism to it that worked well. The sex scene is a great example. It was graphic in seeing what the characters were doing, and hearing and seeing their reactions, but it wasn’t graphic because of flesh. (Linney hikes up her dress while Grace sits on a couch, and everything below their mid-sections is not in the scene.) It was also not romantic, different from the larger than life experience that we see too often in movies with powerful music playing over the scene.
Louise’s relationships with her ex-husband, brother, and mother lends well to the realism of the movie, too. And the depth of the two main characters is well explored in a scene where Louise makes Scott envision a future together; him as a failed artist that works as a used car salesman. It gives way to an anger in Louise almost, that her high school flame Scott died, hurting her and leaving her to an unfulfilled life. So by reminding the new Scott that he is young and has so much to learn and experience in life, she is punishing the old Scott.
The ending of the film was pretty neatly wound up. But it was left so that you weren’t sure exactly what happens to Louise and Scott, or at least their relationship. It ends with his acceptance to the school, and a rather passionate kiss. But I was left with a sense of not really knowing if it’s a last kiss and a friendly parting, or the beginning of their relationship.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to everyone. But, if you are willing to watch a movie classified as “romance”, but don’t want the typical clichés, and like to support independent movie makers, then it wouldn’t be a waste of time watching it.
Recent Comments