Wednesday 16 January 2008

Swanky


Essay writing out the way, now I can get back to the writing where the money is!

'P.S I Love You'
Not a film I have seen. One of the advantages of being single is that you don't get dragged to terrible chick flicks. Luckily my housemate Paul is not single and he was able to give me the run down... He did not like what he saw. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a Freshness rating of 20%. I think my favourite review is from the L.A Times
'You could go see P.S. I Love You, or you could hit yourself on the head with a meat mallet.'
I'm not even sure what a meat mallet is!

Anyway, why am I writing about a film I haven't seen? Surely I shouldn't be judging it on word of mouth and critical review? Well, fuck you this is my blog and I'll judge whatever I like! But here I'm not. It's probably shit, I don't want to have to find out. Instead I am here to offer some thoughts on the premise. The film is about a recently widowed woman who receives a series of love letters sent by her recently deceased husband helping her to celebrate their love and move on with her life. Her husband isn't dead when he sends the letters (That would be cool) but instead he gets someone else to send them on. It is sentimental and sappy and according to a number of reviews walks a confusing line between outright comedy and extremely serious comedy. Also it is unrealistic....

I'm a Romantic, I frickin loved Amelie but I really can't stomach this. How about this for a premise...
A recently widowed woman is trying to move on from her husband's death. This is when she starts to receive letters he wrote to her before his death. These letters insist she doesn't start dating other guys and that she remain in a perpetual state of mourning for the rest of her life. She wants to start dating a startlingly handsome Vet she met at a charity walk for Victims of Boat Related Deaths (Her husband died after being hit by a yacht) but her husband's cruel and some what threatening notes from beyond the grave prevent her from doing so. It'd be a laugh riot and a hell of a lot more realistic! And if you don't like that take out the vet guy. Replace him with her dead husband's best friend. Steve (It's as good a name as any), an ex heroin junkie cat trainer, was employed by the husband before his death to send the letters but as he does so he falls in love with the sexy grieving heroine (She wears black for most of the film so she always looks trim). Steve is left with the choice, betray his best friend by banging his vulnerable widow or carry on making her miserable with the psycho jealous letters. That is Oscar winning drama right there.

What do you think Hollywood?

Peace

Steve


P.S - I Love You

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

If Hollywood made your version (assuming that they could get writers to write it and actors to cross the picket line), I'd be first in the queue to go see it. Never have I been convinced that Cecilia Ahern (20ish year old daughter of Ireland's Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern) has the capacity to be a Tom Humphries (who, incidentally, is the world's very best writer - keep a look out for "Laptop Dancing and the Nanny Goat Mambo") and it disturbs me greatly that she has made millions from hitting upon a subject that pulls at the heartstrings of those sad folk who spend their time reading Hello or OK! and listening to Oprah.

Keep blogging, you're good at it.

Daragh

PS I am absolutely serious about Tom Humphries, he is a complete genius and this is evidenced in his regular contributions to the Irish Times and his books. He runs a column each Monday named "Locker room" and it is compulsive reading. I normally try to save it until bedtime but usually can't wait that long. Sad but true.