Movies: Write-off in 'P.S. I Love You'

Seeing "P.S. I Love You" is like dating someone new and having to put up with all of their annoying friends. As long as you can focus on the main relationship, everything progresses at a sweet pace.

The heart of this helium-light romantic comedy is Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) and her husband Gerry (Gerard Butler). Holly dated only one other person before she married Gerry nine years ago. Growing old together seemed the course their love boat was sailing. Then Gerry died.

Holly finds herself drowning in a sea of despair. Her friends and family cannot shake Holly from this deep depression. The solution comes in the form of letters from Gerry. Just before he died, Gerry penned a series of notes all designed to help Holly get on with her life.

Swank turns in a passable performance as Holly. It is hard to watch her work and not think about how an actress such as Jennifer Garner could have given the performance a little more depth, especially if you saw Garner's "Catch and Release," which had a similar theme.

That's because Swank is at her best when she plays flawed characters, such as in "Million Dollar Baby." Her performances in those kinds of roles come across as more natural. She never seems completely comfortable in this role. This is good work, just not her best.

The best scenes feature Swank and Butler, whether they be flashbacks or just the romantic fantasies of Holly's imagination. This is a 180-degree change for Butler from his brutal work in "300," but he has the Irish charm to make this role work.

There are some very sweet and endearing moments between the two. It is a shame that the movie's key plot point limits Butler's participation.

The problem is all of the peripheral characters. Lisa Kudrow is reduced to playing another version of her character from "Friends." Harry Connick Jr.'s role as a suitor with no social skills is more painful than playful. And Gina Gershon is wasted as Holly's rather normal best friend. They distract from the heart of this movie: the deep love affair.

Major changes from the original novel by Cecelia Ahern include additional sequences in the United States. Director Richard LaGravenese was smart enough to keep some of the Irish elements of the book, which are some of the better moments in the film.

Like most love affairs, this is not a perfect effort, but in the flood of new films opening for the holidays, it is the best date movie of the bunch.