ReaderKenka Let's be realistic.

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

gavin6942 A woman (Juliet Stevenson) dealing with inconsolable grief over the death of her partner (Alan Rickman) gets another chance when he returns to earth as a ghost.The title comes from a word game played by the main characters, in which they challenge each other to by turns repeat and add to a series of adverbs describing the depths of their mutual affection. The working title for the film was 'Cello', a reference not only to the cello within the film, but also to the Italian word 'cielo' for heaven. I like the original title better, but understand why the new one might be seen as more marketable.The film was made-for-TV, and produced in a 28-day shooting schedule for just $650,000. Of course, it rises well above that due to its strong pair of actors. When did Alan Rickman really become known as a great actor? Certainly not in "Die Hard" (though he is great)... could this have been a big turning point for him? Roger Ebert called it "a Ghost for grownups" (a common comparison because of the shared theme of lovers returning as ghosts and the concurrent releases of the movies) and considered the movie to reveal "some truths that are, the more you think about them, really pretty profound." I don't know if I would give the film nearly as much weight as Ebert does, but I do enjoy seeing dead people discuss cinema.

SimonJack Many reviewers have noted how well this movie depicts grief of a person who has lost her spouse whom she deeply loved. That, of course, is the overwhelming aspect of "Truly, Madly, Deeply." Juliet Stevenson portrays the grieving Nina to perfection. Alan Rickman is excellent as her departed long-time boyfriend, Jamie. The supporting roles are all done well. The plot of this film is very clever. Those who want to experience the surprise of the ending should read no further here. We don't know how long it has been since Jamie's death. Judging from the comments and attitudes of Nina's friends and co-workers, it has probably been several months. But she is back at work and able to function in her job and among associates. It's when she's alone in her flat that she becomes deeply sorrowful. She won't go out with friends, and there are many male neighbors and friends who like her. She recently has been seeing a therapist. This has gone on for some time, and with her refusal to even go out with friends, she is at home one day when Jamie appears. He's there not as an apparition or ghost, but in the flesh and blood. At least to her consciousness and to we viewers. He has come back to be with her. They resume their lives together – but only in her flat. Jamie was an accomplished cellist. He stays in the flat and plays his cello while Nina goes off to her office job. While their mutual affections for one another continue, in time, Jamie does things that irritate Nina. Several friends of his from the afterworld have moved in to watch movies. Jamie rearranges the flat and takes up the carpet. Nina and he argue. She asks one night, "Was it always like this?" During her days at work and out, she meets another man. Mark is a psychologist who runs a program for young adults with Down Syndrome. In time, they become attracted to one another. Nina is conflicted over her feelings toward Jamie and wanting to keep him around, and her new interest in Mark. Eventually, she gives Mark her address and asks him to pick her up to go out. Jamie and his friends from the next world watch through the window. And that final scene is when it dawns on the viewer that Jamie's return was calculated to help Nina get beyond her grieving so that she could move on with her life. But, calculated by whom?While this is very cleverly done, the film just skirts the aspect of a divine presence or being. No religion or faith are apparent in the film. But, Nina asks Jamie if he returned from heaven. His answer was that he didn't think so. He didn't know where he had been, but he met other people there. So, without any overt connection to God, the film establishes that there is an afterlife, an eternity beyond this life. One can then surmise from the ending, that it was love that brought Jamie back to help Nina. From there, it's not difficult to see a link to God, who in Judeo-Christian understanding is love. This is a wonderful film. Those who may not have experienced the loss of a loved one in such a way may gain understanding and empathy for those who feel such loses in this way. And those who have such grief may be reminded and assured that their life is precious and worth living beyond their grief.

Derek Smith I interpreted this film slightly differently to most on here. I first saw it a couple of months after I lost someone close to me and Truly, Madly, Deeply got to me like no other film ever has. It was painful to watch and it brought everything back but somehow there was a little bit of, well not hope, the film shows that, but of understanding I think.Stevenson and Rickman are superb, faultless in fact. She showed all the agony of a death of a loved one but not as many films do, showing a little tear behind a black veil, but the agony, the railing against fate, the resentment against the person who died for leaving you and then the guilt of that, plus the ultimate pain as you realise they have gone, never to be seen again. It's over and you can do nothing about it. The unfairness of it all . . .The way I saw it was that Stevenson went a little mad and imagined her loved one had returned. I did as well so that bit rang so very true. The staying away from work, the sudden mood swings, the secretive bits and the loss of days at a time were all there for me. I didn't see my loved one, but I talked to her at times and felt, believed in fact, she replied. That part of the film, which went through most of it, showed me how near I'd got to madness.Whilst Rickman returns in her mind there are differences, ones she can't cope with. Eventually she manages to move on, so perhaps there was hope after all.This was one of the most agonising experiences I've ever had watching a film. When the lights turned up I had to just sit there to come back to life myself. Silly though it sounds I had to force myself to breath at times. I've since bought the DVD but it has the cellophane still around it after a number of years.I'd suggest it is not one to watch if a loss of a loved one is still raw with you, certainly keep sharp knives in a locked drawer, as it is in many ways morbidly depressing. There is a little brightness, a fair bit of humour, some lovely words and beautiful music. But there's no running away from the fact that it can be like someone sticking a finger in a recent wound and digging deep.Seen without the recent loss of someone close you will experience a gem. Beautifully acted, with a very clever script. The pacing was superb. It is a triumph but one that came too early for me. It took me ages to forgive Rickman.In some ways a chick-flick, especially given the bloke whom she takes up with, but well worth watching none the less.

gwsmith36 This is one of my favorite films of all time. Juliet Stevenson gives a stunning performance as a kind, intelligent, talented, and usually lively woman who cannot lift herself out of the grief of losing her husband. Alan Rickman and the other cast are also excellent.The writing is wonderful and very fresh. There are plenty of delightful, quirky characters and unusual plot twists to keep you entertained. The sets and London views are also great, in keeping with the characters and story, everything beautifully photographed, visually rich and engaging.This movie is really really REALLY funny, too.I could say more, but I don't want to give away the plot. I agree with the other reviewer: Resist the temptation of reading the back of the DVD box until after you've seen the movie.This film is altogether a treasure. I've watched it many times and it's never stale.