A woman (Juliet Stevenson) dealing with inconsolable grief over the death of her partner (Alan Rickman) gets another chance when he returns to earth as a ghost.The title comes from a word game played by the main characters, in which they challenge each other to by turns repeat and add to a series of adverbs describing the depths of their mutual affection. The working title for the film was 'Cello', a reference not only to the cello within the film, but also to the Italian word 'cielo' for heaven. I like the original title better, but understand why the new one might be seen as more marketable.The film was made-for-TV, and produced in a 28-day shooting schedule for just $650,000. Of course, it rises well above that due to its strong pair of actors. When did Alan Rickman really become known as a great actor? Certainly not in "Die Hard" (though he is great)... could this have been a big turning point for him? Roger Ebert called it "a Ghost for grownups" (a common comparison because of the shared theme of lovers returning as ghosts and the concurrent releases of the movies) and considered the movie to reveal "some truths that are, the more you think about them, really pretty profound." I don't know if I would give the film nearly as much weight as Ebert does, but I do enjoy seeing dead people discuss cinema.

I started watching this movie recently because of Alan Rickman. I only wanted to see his movie choice and I loved it. About this movie, it's a loss. The interesting part is that it's easy to remember one at their best, but hard to tolerate one at their worst. When someone is gone, usually we think of how good they were and forgive all their mistakes. It's easy because it's the last time. But when you are living with them again, after the first few days of happiness there goes irritation. "Was it like that before?" And I don't know if Jamie meant to invite their ghosts over to irritate Nina so that she could move on, or things just happened the way it was because Jamie was real, he kept it real. But it sadden me when she finally moved on.It killed me when he read the poem in Spanish and asked her "Do you want me to go?" I could of given this movie more than 8/10 but I'd rather not. It's to real and too hurtful.

Last night, I saw this this film at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Minghella's daughter was in attendance. What's fascinating is he actually left the world among his body of works, one that dealt specifically about grief.His first film as a director is quite intelligent. It's also quite stagy and does have the ghost of Alan Rickman not really doing much of anything other than being a seducer.However, when by yourself, it's only natural to talk to someone that you'll talk to again, at least as two living human beings. The important message is though you mourn, you must carry on and face responsibilities while still part of this world.There's also a sense of humor about this. A lot bunch of dead friends show up to watch videos. Interesting that they could fill in interesting tidbits while watching. Such as the early death of Eric Campbell, who was usually cast as Charlie Chaplin's enemy in his early shorts.This is one of those films that makes one smile and laugh at the same time. God bless Anthony Mighella.

Now, I like a weepy, I'm not ashamed to admit it. I actively seek out those films that are most likely to make me cry. However, more often than not, I end up disappointed because usually this type of film is either wildly melodramatic or painfully sentimental.That's what I was expecting from this, to tell the truth. A woman overcome with grief at the death of her boyfriend? Give me a break!... I was in floods by the end, and promptly watched it again.This film is testament to how well us Brits can do when we put our minds to it. It's charming, funny, warm and absolutely heart-breaking. All the performances are grouped under an umbrella label 'very good', with one notable exception: that of Juliet Stevenson as Nina. She is magnificent, and is, at times unbearable to watch. I'm still absolutely astonished at her performance. This is a woman who has had her heart and soul ripped out I love this film. I'm getting a lump in my throat just thinking about it. It's wonderful! (Blub! *Sniff*)