Part deliciously sexy comedy of errors, part thoughtfully probing drama, this poignant romantic comedy from director Peter Chan has the same sort of effervescent charm as classics from the '30s and '40s
The Love Letter centers on Helen (Kate Capshaw), a 40-something owner of a used bookstore in a small town. Helen has never had the best of luck in love, but discovers that her fires still burn bright when she finds a love letter hidden between the cushions of her couch. Believing it to be for her, and from Johnny (Tom Everett Scott), the hunky 20-year-old working at the bookshop, she gladly leaps into a very steamy and enjoyable affair with the younger man. But Helen isn't the only one to find the letter and jump to a romantic conclusion: George (Tom Selleck), her platonic friend, believes the letter is from Helen; Janet (Ellen DeGeneres), another bookstore employee, thinks the letter is from George; and Jennifer (Julianne Nicholson), yet another employee, thinks it's from Johnny. The chemistry sizzles, but the performances also reveal the characters as realistic, sympathetic people in this very good flick.
