MOVIE MUSIC UK

Original Review by Jonathan Broxton

A downbeat romantic comedy from director Richard La Gravenese, P.S. I Love You stars Hilary Swank as Holly Kennedy, a happily married young woman whose life is shattered when her husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) dies; However, before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief, but in rediscovering herself. The first message arrives on Holly’s birthday in the form of a cake, along with a tape recording from Gerry telling her to get out and “celebrate herself”. In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure. The film also stars Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon, James Marsters, Kathy Bates and Harry Connick Jr., and features a whimsical, touching score from John Powell.

The score oscillates between light, delicate orchestral writing (“Make up Kiss”), slightly more modern stuff with subtle synths and acoustic guitars (“The VM”, “Holly Gets Fired”), or the combinations of the two (“Bette Davis Montage”) which seem to be the staple of romantic comedies like this. It’s all very unassuming and pleasant, with a satisfying romantic overtone, but is so understated and anonymous it could have been written by anyone – there’s nothing about it which earmarks it as a John Powell score, which is somewhat disappointing, but not entirely unexpected considering the nature of the movie.

The widely-available commercial album features just one track of Powell score (“Kisses and Cake”) alongside a plethora of songs by the likes of James Blunt, The Pogues and The Stills; the less widely-available promotional score release features nine score cute, running for just under 20 minutes.

Rating: ***

Track Listing:

• Make Up Kiss (0:46)
• The VM (3:03)
• Bette Davis Montage (4:57)
• You Gotta Be High To Be Crazy (2:03)
• The Cake (1:14)
• First Letter (0:58)
• Holly Gets Fired (1:47)
• The Jacket (2:47)
• Travel Agent (0:49)

Running Time: 18 minutes 31 seconds

Promo (2007)