P.S. I Love You
Holly Kennedy is beautiful, smart and married to the love of her life - a passionate, funny, and impetuous Irishman named Gerry. So when Gerry's life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry. So it's a good thing he planned ahead. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief, but in rediscovering herself. The first message arrives on Holly's 30th birthday in the form of a cake, and to her utter shock, a tape recording from Gerry, who proceeds to tell her to get out and "celebrate herself". In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way; P.S. I Love You. Holly's mother and best friends begin to worry that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly embarks on a journey of rediscovery in a story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into a new beginning for life.
Despite a respectable budget of $30.0M, P.S. I Love You became a financial success, earning $156.8M worldwide—a 423% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
P.S. I Love You (2007) showcases precise plot construction, characteristic of Richard LaGravenese's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 6 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Holly and Gerry playfully argue in their apartment, establishing their loving, passionate relationship. They're deeply in love despite their differences.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Holly discovers the first letter from Gerry at her 30th birthday party. The letters are Gerry's plan from beyond the grave to help her move on, disrupting her grief-stricken paralysis.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Holly receives the letter instructing her to go to Ireland with Denise and Sharon. She actively chooses to take the trip, stepping into a new world away from her grief-filled apartment., moving from reaction to action.
At 61 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 49% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat Holly returns from Ireland energized and gets a job. False victory: she believes she's moving forward, but she's still living according to Gerry's letters rather than her own choices. Stakes raise when she must face real life., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 92 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Holly receives the final letter from Gerry. The letters are over. She must now face life completely alone, without his guidance. She breaks down, realizing she must truly let him go—a metaphorical death of their connection., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 100 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Holly has an epiphany: Gerry's letters weren't about keeping her tied to him, but about teaching her to live fully again. She realizes she can carry his love with her while making her own choices. She gains clarity about what she truly wants., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
P.S. I Love You's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping P.S. I Love You against these established plot points, we can identify how Richard LaGravenese utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish P.S. I Love You within the comedy genre.
Richard LaGravenese's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Richard LaGravenese films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. P.S. I Love You takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Richard LaGravenese filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Richard LaGravenese analyses, see Freedom Writers, Beautiful Creatures and Living Out Loud.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Holly and Gerry playfully argue in their apartment, establishing their loving, passionate relationship. They're deeply in love despite their differences.
Theme
Gerry tells Holly, "You don't have to be afraid. I'm never going to leave you." The theme of learning to live after loss and letting go is subtly introduced.
Worldbuilding
Flashbacks establish Holly and Gerry's relationship, their life together, his illness, and his death. Holly's world: her grief, her mother, her best friends Denise and Sharon, her inability to function.
Disruption
Holly discovers the first letter from Gerry at her 30th birthday party. The letters are Gerry's plan from beyond the grave to help her move on, disrupting her grief-stricken paralysis.
Resistance
Holly receives monthly letters with tasks: buy a lamp, sing karaoke, go fishing. She resists but follows each instruction. Her friends and mother debate whether the letters are helping or preventing her from moving on.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Holly receives the letter instructing her to go to Ireland with Denise and Sharon. She actively chooses to take the trip, stepping into a new world away from her grief-filled apartment.
Mirror World
In Ireland, Holly meets William, a kind musician who represents the possibility of a future beyond Gerry. He embodies the theme: you can honor the past while embracing new life.
Premise
The Ireland adventure: Holly explores Gerry's homeland, meets his family, scatters some ashes, dances at the pub, kisses William. She begins to feel alive again, experiencing joy mixed with guilt.
Midpoint
Holly returns from Ireland energized and gets a job. False victory: she believes she's moving forward, but she's still living according to Gerry's letters rather than her own choices. Stakes raise when she must face real life.
Opposition
Holly struggles to balance moving forward with holding on. She dates but compares everyone to Gerry. Her dependence on the letters becomes clear. Conflicts with her mother intensify. William visits from Ireland, creating romantic confusion.
Collapse
Holly receives the final letter from Gerry. The letters are over. She must now face life completely alone, without his guidance. She breaks down, realizing she must truly let him go—a metaphorical death of their connection.
Crisis
Holly spirals into darkness, pushing away her friends and William. She isolates herself, clinging to memories. Her mother confronts her about letting Gerry go. Holly sits with her grief and fear of the future.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Holly has an epiphany: Gerry's letters weren't about keeping her tied to him, but about teaching her to live fully again. She realizes she can carry his love with her while making her own choices. She gains clarity about what she truly wants.
Synthesis
Holly takes action on her own terms: reconciles with her mother, repairs friendships, makes career decisions independently, and opens herself to new love. She scatters Gerry's remaining ashes, completing the goodbye ritual on her terms.
Transformation
Holly walks confidently through New York, smiling, fully alive. She's no longer the grief-paralyzed woman from the opening. She carries Gerry's love but lives her own life, transformed from someone afraid of loss to someone brave enough to live again.