P.S. I Love You is one of those movies that was based on a bestselling book, yet differed so much from it in very specific places. Exactly how different is the film from Cecilia Ahern’s first novel? One way to find out is to break both down, piece by piece.
Family and Origins
The first and main difference between the film and book is location and nationality. In the book, the two main characters, Gerry and Holly, are both Irish and live in Ireland. In the book, Gerry is Irish and Holly is American, and the couple live in New York City.
The second difference is that in the book, Holly and Gerry had known each other - and been dating - since they were teenagers. In the film, Holly took a trip to Ireland after college, and they meet when Gerry helps a lost Holly find her way, and fate brings them together a second time.
Holly’s family is radically different in the film compared to the book. In the book, her parents are happily married, she has three brothers and a younger sister, Ciara. In the movie, she has just Ciara, and her mother is divorced. By changing it so that Holly’s father left the family when Holly was a teenager, the writers make her feelings of abandonment an issue that Holly must deal with when Gerry dies.
Gerry's Illness and the Tapes
As for beginnings, the book starts with Gerry already dead and Holly mourning him. Her mother is telling Holly that there is a package for her, which ends up containing ten letters that Gerry wrote for her before he died. With the first letter are strict instructions not to open each one until the beginning of each month.
The film begins with Gerry and Holly mid-fight, before the couple has even discovered that Gerry is ill. The first package that arrives is a birthday cake, with a cassette tape attached. While the content of each is the same for both the film and book, in the film, each letter mysteriously arrives every month.
Holly's Birthday and Revelations
In the book, Holly, her friends Denise and Sharon, and her sister Ciara go out for Holly’s birthday and try to get into one of the hottest clubs in town - with Denise’s video membership card. When this doesn’t work, they pretend that Holly is a princess of Denmark. In the movie, they go to the club, and manage to get in based on a combination of Denise knowing someone and Holly pretending to be a princess.
One of the most delightful aspects of the book is based on this evening out. Holly’s brother tags along and videotapes the entire evening, focusing on Holy and her friends. He enters, and wins, a documentary competition, and all of their friends and family converge together to watch the documentary on television. Only then does Holly see what the film is really about, and it becomes clear to her that while she thought she’d been doing such a fantastic job hiding her pain from everyone, she wasn’t.
Both Stories of Love Are Worth Discovering
In the end, it doesn’t matter how many similarities there are between the book P.S. I Love You and the film, there will always be people who prefer one to the other. Richard LaGravenese did an excellent job directing Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, and the result is a sweet, sad love story. As with most films of that definition, those who liked it are most likely hopeless romantics, and those that didn’t like, aren’t. Overall, while different from the book, the film P.S. I Love You is worth checking out.
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