P. S. I Only Love You #BlogChatterBlogHop

Finally, it's raining movies on Blogchatter, courtesy of this week's #BlogchatterBlogHop theme of rewriting the ending of a book or movie. Being a cinephile, my preference would obviously bend towards film, but being a newby bibliophile (not sure if I qualify to call myself one), how can I leave a book behind. So, contrary to the topic, I chose a film adapted from a Best-Seller book of our times. The book/film is P.S. I Love You and instead of the ending I would have written the beginning.

I had watched the film at the time of its release, cried a river and thought of reading the book, and again cried an ocean. The debut novel by Irish writer Cecelia Ahem was published in 2004, 3 years before the film, directed by Richard LaGravenese ( Bridges of Madison County fame), was released in 2007. Humming alongside Mary Hopkin's hauntingly beautiful voice, I can only say, those were the days, my friend, when this serious, almost grumpy mom (ahem, ahem) used to be a die-hard romantic, having faith in the Happily Ever Afters in life. More than anything else, my love for living every moment of my life was what mattered to me. So, it was obvious that I would have been hit by such a book/film that screams this message throughout every page/frame. 

Holly is a somewhat serious American woman who dresses and behaves strangely sometimes. Her solo trip to Ireland turns into a fairy tale romance with her Irish Prince Charming, Gerry, a local hunk quite opposite her nature, and they get married. I cannot describe how my heart beat whenever I saw Gerard Butler and Hilary Swank come on screen together. OMG, that sparkling chemistry, that romance in the air vibe and the eternal attraction of the opposites- what more can one expect from a romantic story/film. 

However, the story starts with Gerry's demise. Yes, I am ok with how Holly cannot cope with no Gerry by her side and struggling to survive every day of her life. She is broke both mentally and financially, starving both physically and emotionally. She is not willing to go out and live life once again, such is her immense loss after Gerry is gone. Finally, when her mom hands over a few letters from  Gerry, she slowly returns to life. These letters bring her hope and inspire her to live through challenges. Reading the letters almost felt like Gerry was beside her, guiding her through her tough times. Finally, she manages to return to normalcy, and after many failed attempts at dating, finds love again in William, one of Gerry's friends. That's good. All's well that end's well.

But me being me, my entire problem was why Gerry had to die in the beginning!! I know he had a serious health condition, but what were the doctors doing? Couldn't medical science be improved? What if he went into a coma, only to get back his healthy self, just when Holly had started to lead a normal life once again. How would that have looked like if they had reignited their romance and renewed their vows once again? For me, Gerry and Holly were sort of inseparable, like a classic Made for Each Other, Made in Heaven kind of pair. So, if I had to rewrite or remake, I would have rewritten the beginning, not the ending and instead of  "P.S. I Love You", it would have been a P.S. I Only Love You.

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop