Review of P.S. (2004) by Andy F — 10 May 2005

Writer/director Dylan Kidd debuted with the impressive film [i]Roger Dodger [/i]in 2002, a film that was fueled by a brilliant performance from Campbell Scott. I was eagerly anticipating his next project, whatever it would be. The film is called [i]P.S. [/i]and it never came to theaters around here, so I was deprived the chance and had to wait for the few months until it saw a DVD release. The film hit rental shelves on February 8, but I still couldn't find it. A lot of video stores in my area don't carry this movie, so I had to skip down to another town just to get the chance to finally see it. Yesterday I did see Kidd's follow-up to [i]Roger Dodger[/i], and I was very impressed.

Laura Linney showed us that she could control a movie when she gave an amazing performance in 2000's [i]You Can Count On Me[/i], and this is really the first time since then that she has received the lead role, and she controls again. There are not many actresses out there better at realistically portraying deeply troubled and confusing characters. In this film she plays Louise, a woman nearing 40 who works at the admissions office of Columbia Fine Arts University. She is a successful woman but is still empty inside and is surrounded by people who only make her feel more and more lost. There is her ex-husband (Gabriel Byrne) that she still meets with frequently just to have a friend and someone to talk to. There is also Missy, her best friend from high school (Marcia Gay Harden) who constantly wishes she were still 22 and living in the past. Louise's mother is never open to sharing a real relationship with her, but is to her recovering drug addict brother Sammy, played by Paul Rudd.

She is looking for something to give her life more meaning, and after a conversation on the telephone with Missy about having an affair with a younger man, Louise takes it in serious consideration. As she is filing through names applying for admission at the office she notices a man named F. Scott Feinstandt. A man she and Missy fought for back in high school was named Scott Feinstandt and he was a painter - F. Scott's application is for painting. She is in a state of shock and is brought back to old memories, but it couldn't be the same person because he died over 20 years ago. Louise sets up an interview with him and when he walks through the door she immediately sees a resemblance and strangely feels the desire to seduce him. She is convinced that he is a reincarnation of her high school lover. Shortly after they begin a relationship that is one of the most odd I've ever seen in film. F. Scott is played by the rising actor Topher Grace in a strong performance. Last year he starred in this and [i]In Good Company[/i] for which he was noticed more due to its popularity. I think his performance here is much more of a breakthrough than in [i]Company[/i] and should be remembered and respected more. Linney and Grace's scenes are unsettling and a lot of times manipulative to the audience, but in a good way. We never really know what either of them are truly getting at with their actions until the end. This is a fascinating piece of work by a director who has two solid films under his belt now. Let's hope Dylan Kidd stays in this business for a long time.