Movie/TV Show Being Reviewed:
P.S. I Love You (2007)

Reviewer:
Christina Ragone

Genre:
Drama

Movies/TV Shows:
Movie

Suggested Age Range:
Teen

Age Range Explained:
Rated PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity

Subject Headings:
Grief & loss, Relationships

Review:
P.S. I Love You is a story about Holly Kennedy’s (Hilary Swank) journey through the grief process and finding herself after her husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) suddenly dies of a brain tumor. Before he died, Gerry planned multiple tasks, trips, and letters to be revealed to Holly after his death to aid her in her transition into a new life without him. During this time, Holly’s family and friends worried that these messages held Holly back from moving on, while in reality, the messages were actually helping. As Holly begins to realize that the rest of the world is still moving on with or without her, she starts her search for herself and her passion. What she comes up with is her love for designing women’s shoes. With this new sense of self and confidence, Holly begins to embrace her individuality and the openness for her future.

This movie could help counselor educators show examples of how people manifest and work through the stages in the grief process. Also, the movie could be helpful with clients and family members to show what is helpful in moving a person through the grieving process and well as what is not so helpful. Holly displays the stages of grief throughout the movie along with strategies to move past them. Her family and friends were supportive in different ways. Issues of family support for her grief process, both functional and dysfunctional, can provide topics for discussion with individual clients, families, support groups, and students.