With her huge saucer eyes and endearing overbite, Hilary Swank is the closest thing to Bambi yet to be produced by human evolution. It’s a quality she puts to good use as grief-stricken widow Holly Kennedy in this adaptation of Cecelia Ahern’s novel. After the death of her husband (Gerard Butler), Holly is shocked to find he’s left behind a staggered series of inspirational letters. Lucky for her, she’s got a sprawling, Irish- American family to lean on. Lucky for us too, because between them the supporting cast – including Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon and Harry Connick Jr – provide just enough humour to cut through the schmaltz. It’s not life-altering stuff, but if you’ve got a year’s supply of Kleenex to get through (or a thing for Irishmen), there are worse ways to spend an afternoon.
