To Gillian on her 37th birthday

Year of release : 1996

 

Run time : 1h33min

 

Genre : Romance / Drama

 

Cast : Michelle Pfeiffer, Peter Gallagher , Claire Danes, Freddie Prinze Jr

 

 

The movie is adapted from the play in two acts of the same name, written by Michael Brady and published in 1984(yet he got the Oppenheimer Award in 1983,because,why not?).

 

It's been 2 years since Gillian died in the most stupid boat accident (he couldn't come up with something better!),and her husband still keeps her ghost alive.

He's been living on an island with his daughter,and has walks on the beach with Gillian's ghost.

 

His sister in law comes to visit,bringing along her husband and her friend she wants to match with David.

 

She starts nagging David about letting go of the love he has for Gillian and move on,because she knows so much about love and loss,being a psychiatrist!

 

The daughter is trying to live her adolescence ,by going to the beach in inappropriate bathing suits,and meets a boy she goes on a date with, getting drunk (so classy!), vomiting on her father when she gets home, then having a fit because he won't stop loving her mother,because they must divert our attention. If she were my daughter she would have been slapped and grounded for a month,until she learnt how to behave!

 

I noticed that all movies based on plays are the same, the characters just talk a lot about the same things,over and over again,to the point is nauseating,making the movie annoying and boring.

Speaking of which, the aunt,who wanted to take the man's daughter because he didn't get over his beloved wife fast enough for her liking, was incredibly annoying.

From the moment the movie started,and I saw the nagging,I knew how the movie was gonna end,it was so predictable!

 

Also, movies based on plays, always have some random character who hits on some old guy, making stupid arguments. There's a girl in this movie,who,I don't know why she's there,why she lives with David and his daughter,who does just that!

 

I hated how they made it bad to love somebody who's dead. How they said it wasn't right to still love her,and just move on. They were talking about it,as if it's been 10 years,not just 2.

I find it despicable how in movies today,and apparently they've been doing it for a while,they minimalize love,and if you love someone,even dead,for more than a year,you're a freak and belong in the mental institution!

 

I liked the place where they filmed, the house with the beach was surreal in the night scenes.

 

The actors were fine.

 

I don't remember the soundtrack, I remember they do karaoke a lot.

 

You can watch the full movie here,for free : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pawvIEsosnA&ab_channel=LoveLove

 

Rating : Could have been a contender !