Review by Leonard Norwitz

 

Studio:

Theatrical: Warner Bros Pictures

Blu-ray: Warner Home Entertainment

 

Disc:

Region: A (being Warner this is most likely region-free)

Runtime: 127 min

Chapters: 28

Size: 25 GB

Case: Standard Blu-ray Case

Release date: May 6, 2008

 

Video:

Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Resolution: 1080p

Video codec: VC-1

 

Audio:

Dolby True HD English 5.1, French & Spanish DD 5.1 Surround

 

Subtitles:

Feature: English, French, Spanish. Extras: French (on selected material)

 

Extras:

• A Conversation with Novelist Cecelia Ahern (in HD)

• The Name of the Game is

• James Blunt Same Mistake Music Video

• Additional Scenes

 

 

The Film:

The Movie : 5
The ghost of Ghost lurks within these frames – minus the mystery, the romance, Swayze and Whoopi, a good script, the slightest hint of subtlety, and the music of Maurice Jarre. On the other hand, what this movie does have is Gerard Butler. If your only experience of this versatile actor is in leading an army of 300 brave souls to certain death, you owe it to yourself to see what he can do in civies. And, yes, that is himself singing in the movie version The Phantom of the Opera. Lisa Kudrow, who actually can act – I've seen her do it – is insultingly wasted in a role that makes the worst of her dumb sarcastic persona. Here's the plot: Holly (Hilary Swank) and Gerry (Gerard Butler) are young marrieds, just scraping by, living in a rather nice walk-up, if you ask me. Holly seems stuck about what she truly wants out of life – or, at least, when she wants it and the route she'll take to get there. Clearly, she loves her husband, and vice-versa, despite their spats of disharmony. (All of which makes her complaints about where they live come off as more unkind than intended.) A few minutes into the movie and we come unexpectedly on Gerry's wake, having died of brain cancer. Holly is holding on to what inner resources she can find as her family gathers around to support her. For some weeks she holes herself into the apartment like a cat lady. After her family comes to the door to rescue her in time for her 30th birthday, a package materializes from the ashes: It's Gerry come to the rescue to help Holly let go and move on. His prescription is simple: Before his death, Gerry arranged for Holly to be sent letters from time to time encouraging her to do this or that fun thing. As she does, flashbacks recall their life together. Yes, dear friend, this is a comedy. The Koreans do this sort of thing better. I shall say no more.

 

Image : 7 (7~9/?)
The score of 7 indicates a relative level of excellence compared to other Blu-ray DVDs. The score in parentheses represents: first, a value on a ten-point scale for the image in absolute terms; and, second, how that image compares to what I believe is the current best we can expect in the theatre.

My admittedly perverse rating scale does not really give this picture its due, since the scale's ten points takes in the full range of SD DVD as well. In this light, the image may be the least good of any modern film I've seen. Not having seen this movie in the theatre, I can't say if the rather poor showing on Blu-ray represents the original intention or not. Sadly, the picture is often simply unpleasant to look at: it's dark, oversaturated to no
particular point, grainy, flat and opaque. Despite the moments of sharp and highly resolved frames, for the most part I've seen better on any number of 480i feature films.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Audio & Music : 6/7
This is not a film that makes a good deal of its True HD 5.1 certification – nor should it have. As such, it's clear and dynamic enough as far as it goes.
 

 

Operations : 7
The adage "Nothing ventured, Nothing gained" seems appropriate here. Or "Better Safe than Sorry." On the other hand, why beat a dead horse. At least Warner did not screw the pooch.

 

Extras : 2
Pretty skimpy stuff, though at least the producers of this DVD didn't try to oversell the product with self-congratulatory material. My favorite is a short black and white parody of 1950s inthehome visitation shows that demonstrates how to play one of the world's lamest games. This extra is in HD, but one wonders why: it's deliberately miserable. The semi-informative "Conversation with Cecelia Ahern" is marred by intentional - and very wrong-headed, in my opinion – made-to-look-old scarring. Finally, there is a music video, aptly titled "Same Mistake."

 

 

Bottom line:

Recommendation : 3
A decade or so ago, P.S. I Love You is what we would have called, disparagingly, a "made-for-TV movie." But for some while now, a considerable amount of dramatic fare found on the tube, both on network and cable, far exceeds the substance of the movie under review.

Leonard Norwitz
May 3, 2008