May 21, 1999
Web posted at: 4:01 p.m. EDT (2001 GMT)

By Reviewer Paul Clinton

(CNN) -- Actress Kate Capshaw has probably been best-known in recent years for her role as the wife of filmmaker Steven Spielberg. But now she's back, in front of and behind the camera, as star and producer (with veteran producers Sarah Pillsbury and Midge Sanford), of the new romantic comedy "The Love Letter."

It was Capshaw who tracked down author Cathleen Schine and optioned the rights to her book of the same title, based on a review she read in the New York Times. At that point, her husband, who knows a thing or two about movies, asked if his DreamWorks Studio could have a chance to consider making it. DreamWorks gave it a green light.

The story is set in the fictional New England town of Loblolly By The Sea -- where love is in the air. An anonymous love letter lands in the hands of a local bookstore owner named Helen, played with compassion and intelligence by Capshaw.

Helen is a single mother who's leading a calm and controlled life that doesn't include romantic involvements. But now she's suddenly on a quest to find the writer of this sweet and touching message that's shaken her world. The problem? Who exactly will she find at the end of that quest -- is the letter even meant for her?

Could the letter be from her old friend George, played by Tom Selleck? After all, this divorced firefighter with two young daughters has been in love with Helen for years.

Or perhaps it's from Johnny, played by Tom Everett Scott -- he starred in "That Thing You Do," directed by Spielberg's friend Tom Hanks. Johnny's a young man working for Helen during his summer vacation from college.

Then again, was the letter really meant for Janet? That's Helen's oversexed best friend who's convinced the epistle is for her. Janet, played with grace and humor by Ellen DeGeneres, is convinced that George is secretly in love with her, not Helen.

And how do Helen's mother Lillian (Blythe Danner) and the mysterious Miss Scattergoods (British character actress Geraldine McEwan) fit into all this?

After everyone has chased everyone with some very embarrassing results, all leads prove fruitless. Just who sent the letter? And to whom? The mystery is at last solved in the final reel.

This is a light comedy-mystery guided with an equally light hand by Chinese director Peter Ho-sun Chan ("Comrades: Almost A Love Story"). To borrow a line from "Cool Hand Luke," "What we've got here is a failure to communicate." Nobody in this film is facing or expressing his or her true inner feelings. So miscommunication abounds.

The film gets off to a very promising start and then sags a bit in the middle. It never gets quite as romantic or as funny as it could be, but there's a very strong ending that may well take you totally by surprise.

A special mention must go to actress Julianne Nicholson. She plays Jennifer, one of Helen's bookstore employees who's affected by the letter. Jennifer has a large crush on young Johnny. Nicholson has worked mainly in small independent films, but she brings a magnificent sense of vulnerability and longing to her character here. When she's on screen, it's hard to look anywhere else.

And Gloria Stuart, "Titanic," has the small cameo role of Eleanor, Helen's grandmother.

You might feel sorry for Scott at times. He plays his role just fine. But can you imagine being half-naked and having love scenes with Spielberg's wife in a DreamWorks movie? Talk about performance anxiety!

"The Love Letter" opens nationwide on Friday, May 21 and is rated PG-13 with a running time of 89 minutes.