If you approach this movie anticipating that it is a completely far-fetched and unrealistic flick, I think you will find it mildly entertaining.The story of 'P.S' revolves around Louise (Laura Linney) who works in the admissions department of Colombia Art School. In her office, she stumbles across an application letter with the same exact name as an old college beau of hers, F. Scott Feinstadt (Topher Grace), who passed away many years ago. She soon discovers that not only does he have the same name as her old boyfriend, but also looks and sounds exactly like him, AND has his identical talent for painting portraits. All of this combined convinces her that F. Scott is her reincarnated love.Although Louise is still married to her husband Peter (Gabriel Byrne), they have been separated for quite some time. With his recent admission that he is a sex addict, stating that he has slept with hundreds of both men and women, this revelation mentally frees her to pursue a relationship with F. Scott ~ which they do on of very first day of crossing paths.Further adding to the implausible mix is Louise's friend since their college days, Missy (Marcia Gay Harden), who also sees the uncanny resemblance in the two men. As she chased after the old F. Scott back in college (are you keeping up with me here?), she goes after the 'new him' in the present day, which creates a huge fight between the two friends.I won't give away the ending should you decide to view this unique flick after-all. I guess the only MAJOR conundrum I see with 'P.S.' is the way Louise and F. Scott make-out during the entire movie all over the Colombia college campus. I suppose if we're to accept every other outrageous scenario this film is presenting, a potential student locking lips with an Admissions Counselor on school grounds should not be considered remotely abnormal. In the end, gave the film a very generous 5 out of 10*.

Louise Harrington (Laura Linney) is an admission officer at Columbia University School of the Arts. She takes an interest in applicant F. Scott Feinstadt (Topher Grace). He reminds her of a teen love and she immediately has an affair with him. Her sister Missy Goldberg (Marcia Gay Harden) had actually stolen the lost love who died in a car crash as Missy's boyfriend. Louise's ex-husband Peter Harrington (Gabriel Byrne) shocks her with his sex addiction revelation. He had cheated on her with men and women during their last three years of sexless marriage. Her recovering drug addict brother Sammy Silverstein (Paul Rudd) helped him with recovery and even a new young girlfriend. Her mother Ellie Silverstein (Lois Smith) dismisses her. She starts to wonder if F. Scott is an incarnation of her dead one-true-love.Dylan Kidd's previous film is Roger Dodger. I like that one a little and this one a little less than that. Laura Linney has great sadness. The weird family characters go a little far into broad dysfunction. I don't like Topher Grace in this role. He's not mysterious enough. It would be great if he turns into fully evil. It would great if his character is something more. This is a good opportunity for something sexy, or dark, or intense. It ends up as not that much of anything.

I watched this because Laura Linney is a talented actress and usually she does interesting work. Plus Marcia Gay Harden and Paul Rudd are in supporting roles so it had to be worth a watch.What a strange movie this turned out to be. It doesn't really fit into any category. It's not fantasy and it isn't a romantic comedy. A few moments of out of place drama are interspersed with some odd dialog too. Plus the love scene is awkward.The May December thing is a bit icky. Gabriel Byrne plays the sex addicted ex husband.It would have been nice to have some explanation about the similarities between the deceased and the present. But it never came. Overall it is an uneasy blend of drama and whatever. Finally when the kind of happy ending took place it didn't mean very much.

The film is fascinating to watch, as a remarkable group of actors make a tricky premise psychologically plausible. The actors (Linney, Grace, and Harden in particular) never make a false step in bringing their characters to life, and the implausible premise seems somehow unimportant as they draw the viewer into a believable existential drama. The abrupt and ambiguous ending disappoints and destroys the possibility of regarding the film as a satisfying work of art, but as a complex depiction of a life in which dreams have been destroyed (and perhaps are salvaged), and as a field-day for several great actors, it's an exhilarating experience.