Back Shelf Beauties
by Willie Waffle
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p.s.
Laura Linney is one of the most talented and beautiful actresses in Hollywood,
but she deserves a movie much better than this.
Linney stars as Louise - a 39-year old university admissions director going
through a midlife crisis. Her 10-year marriage to Peter (Gabriel Byrne) ended
in divorce, but they are still friends. Her brother, Sammy (Paul Rudd), is
a recovering drug addict, and her best friend, Missy (Marcia Gay Harden)
lives far away with her husband and two children. Louise, with no love, feels
alone and adrift in this world.
One day, she comes across the admissions form for F. Scott Feinstadt (Topher
Grace). She is fascinated with this young man because he shares the same
name as her old high school boyfriend, who died 20 years ago. Even more,
F. Scott also is an artist like her Scott.
What will Louise do when it turns out F. Scott also looks like and acts like
her old, deceased flame?
p.s. is caught between being a spooky
mystery and a love story. Sadly, neither one of those stories is well developed.
Written by novelist Helen Schulman and director Dylan Kidd,
p.s. is grasping at emotional straws,
trying to get us to care, but never laying out a compelling case to do so.
While the scenario is interesting, it never fully pays off. Why does F. Scott
remarkably resemble the old boyfriend? Why does he act like him? We never
get a good answer to those questions, and they seem to be the big ones.
Instead, we are left to watch Louise go through emotional hell as she deals
with old feelings she previously buried, horrible revelations by Peter and
more. It's all for naught as the movie doesn't seem to have any direction
or point to it. Maybe it's supposed to be about Louise's inability to accept
change, but it fails to make that point. Kidd and Schulman aren't building
up to anything.
Sadly, this leaves Linney and the cast in a lurch. They are all acting their
butts off and trying to create emotion from nothing. Linney has created a
wonderful, pained, troubled character, but it is not used for anything
interesting. The same goes for Grace as he brings charm and mischievousness
to F. Scott. However, this awkward love story falls flat because it isn't
subject to the twists and turns the audience expects.
p.s. has some promise, but it doesn't
deliver.
1 Waffles (Out Of
4)
Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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