Movie: P.S. I LOVE YOU

Just like Cardiff Bus, after no movie for a while, I go at see three at once and 2 in 3 nights. The only film I saw last week was St Trinian's but less said about that one, the better.

When you walk into Wetherspoon's massive Prince of Wales bar, a quiet night tends to be half full. Tonight, it was just two people drinking at the bar, another half dozen scattered around, the bouncers sat down chatting and drinking tea together and the only noise there was coming from its over-loud and annoying manageress. No point in hanging about town then, off to the movies and, with brownie points needed, I went to see this romantic comedy with the missus.

It's a simple but bland formula - girls will love it, men will have to tolerate it or loathe it. My biggest problem, however, rather than a genre that bores me - it's purposely pitched at girlies after all - and a film that was annoyingly over 2 hours long was Vue's cinema over-heating. I felt like I was on the change.

Simple formula - husband dies, wife grieves, she's an all American girl, he's an Irish charmer, she misses him but them comes the twist - he pre-wrote letters ahead of his terminal illness death telling her how to live life and get over him.

Mercifully, the missus informed me that the film was more comedic than a completely slushy book (comedy in these films = no chuckles from us blokes and a few mildly amusing moments) and it only featured a fraction of the letters he wrote in that novel - you mean it oculd have been twice as long!?!?

Lead character Hilary Swank is enjoyable but it's a million miles away from her female boxer role tht brought her to our screens and attention. Ex-Friends star Lisa Kudrow and her chat up style (not disimilar to mine in Kiwi's a few years ago but much more sober!) is funny but just not featured enough. The biggest laugh, or annoynace, comes from the dead hubby's attempt at an Irish accent which he cannot hold or carry off at any time - it makes Dick Van Dyke's mockney seem perfect.

Go if you need brownie points with the missus - mine really enjoyed it and was incredibly loving with me afterwards too so it works on that level - but, believe me, you'd be better off avoiding and waiting for the dvd at home. At least that way, you can get up as much as you like while it's on!