The Love Letter

PG-13

Released May 21, 1999

1 hr. 28 min.

Romance

LGBTQ+

List

33%

51 Reviews

Tomatometer

38%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A bookstore manager (Kate Capshaw) in a small town finds an anonymous love letter and searches for the person who wrote it.

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Premiered Apr 17

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Critics Consensus

Poor character development and scripting hamper any romantic chemistry.

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Audience Member

A great movie that has held up well over time. Feels like a European movie. Sweet and warm.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Entertaining. Great cast. Kate Capshaw is a delight to watch.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/16/21

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a charming film with a multi generational script. The letter is found and ignites feelings again and again as different characters find it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

Full Review

steve d

There is little story here and definitely no interesting characters.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It would have been great. It seemed to be in the romantic comedy genre, but romantic comedies are supposed to have happy endings. To me, the only ending that was happy was the protagonist's mom--and the very minor policeman character. I wanted the protagonist to wind up with someone different and felt bad for the person she didn't wind up with. I also wanted the young girl to wind up with the man she wanted. The movie was more like real life. We watch romantic comedy for a happy break from real life when the world is crashing down around us. The premise was otherwise great. The scenery was beautiful, and the acting was good.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I think the critics were too harsh. Talented cast and interesting plot twists- my husband and I both enjoyed it a lot.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

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Peter Ho-Sun Chan

Director

Kate Capshaw

Helen

Blythe Danner

Lillian MacFarquhar

Ellen DeGeneres

Janet Hall

Geraldine McEwan

Miss Scattergoods

Julianne Nicholson

Jennifer

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Globe and Mail

Rated: 2/4

Mar 22, 2002

Full Review

Susan Stark

Detroit News

A scattershot account of unexpected, confusing romantic love that spreads like a virus!

Rated: 1/4

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Joe Leydon

Variety

An especially affecting love story!

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

To call this 'a romantic comedy-drama' is to imply an involving emotional core and a witty sense of humor that simply aren't there.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 10, 2009

Full Review

Mark Halverson

Sacramento News & Review

Rated: 3/5

Aug 7, 2008

Full Review

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

Rated: 4/5

Feb 8, 2003

Full Review

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Synopsis

A bookstore manager (Kate Capshaw) in a small town finds an anonymous love letter and searches for the person who wrote it.

Director: Peter Ho-Sun Chan
Executive Producer: Beau Flynn, Stefan Simchowitz
Screenwriter: Cathleen Schine, Maria Maggenti
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG, United International Pictures, Universal Home Entertainment, CIC-Taft Home Video, Argentina Video Home
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 21, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.3M
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

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