PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 10/14/04)


In P.S., thirtysomething college admissions officer Louise (Laura Linney) seduces a young art student (Topher Grace) who reminds her of an old high-school flame. Is it reasonable for a woman in Louise's position to date one of her applicants? Will the age difference lead to problems down the road? And when the (admittedly hot) sex scenes die down, will the couple have anything left in common?  

Somehow the movie manages to dodge all the difficult questions. Instead, it asks, Could this kid actually be a reincarnation of Louise's long-lost love? That same question is taken to more troubling extremes in Nicole Kidman's upcoming could-this-kid-be-my-dead-lover thriller Birth, but here, it serves as more of a diversion. Ultimately, the answer doesn't matter; the audience is invited to consider the possibility while director Dylan Kidd sneaks some pretty profound observations about love and life by us.

Kidd made his mark two years ago with the movie Roger Dodger, a punchy, aggressive debut about a womanizing uncle who dedicates himself to his young nephew's sexual education. Roger Dodger captured every young man's dream—to be shown the ropes by an experienced guide—and P.S. extends the fantasy, as a sexual naïf gets involved with a woman who knows what she's doing (Linney smolders in the part, looking more ravishing than ever). In both cases, Kidd is less interested in the youngsters than the middle-aged characters in crisis. Here, he examines how a woman still hung up on an early relationship will react to the arrival of her ideal partner. Which leads us to the real question: Will she stand in her own way and sabotage her happiness?

Whether or not you connect to P.S. has everything to do with where the material takes you. In Louise's life, she has an ex-husband (Gabriel Byrne) who confesses years of sexual addiction, a 12-step brother (Paul Rudd) who's recovering from an adulthood squandered on drugs, and a best friend (Marcia Gay Harden) with a history of stealing the men in her life. The theme that emerges is one of regret, regret for choosing the wrong partner, for years wasted. The pleasure of P.S.—beyond its lively characters and the strength of the performers who play them—is realizing that Louise hasn't so much been handed a second chance as realized that it's never too late to make a change for the better.

—Peter Debruge