JOHNNY: "I'VE NEVER FELT THIS WAY BEFORE."

HELEN:"OF COURSE NOT. YOU'RE TWENTY."

After all that folderol about Rockport (and environs). . .for those of you who'd like to get a good gander up on the silver screen (or hi def plasma TV if you're so blessed) there's always the 1999 movie "THE LOVE LETTER". I like this movie a lot mainly because almost every scene is shot at a place I recognize in Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-sea. In fact, I was actually up there when they were filming some of it. While driving through Manchester-by-the-sea one day, a road was blocked off due to filming. Also there's a little breakfast bistro in Rockport down by the Peg Leg Inn which Tom Selleck favoured every day; they've got his picture hanging up in it. . .or at least they did the last time I was in it. I didn't go this trip.

And speaking of Tom Selleck (which is something I NORMALLY never do), "THE LOVE LETTER" actually features a nice little cast including Kate Capshaw as the "older" woman who has been celibate for much too long. Also running around the screen are Tom Everett Scott, Ellen DeGeneres, Blythe Danner, Gloria Stuart, Julianne Nicholson, and Geraldine McEwan.

The mysterious appearance of an old love letter sends almost the entire town into a tizzy. Luckily, the movie isn't soppy at all and has quite a nice sense of humour. The script, in fact, is quite witty at times. It's filled with quirky, oddball characters in a comedy of misunderstandings and complex relationships which hold one's interest throughout. Everyone in the town seems to have SOMETHING that provides a roadblock to their happiness and love life; and the anonymous love letter which is passed around from hand to hand seems to provide the battering ram to smash these obstacles down. And YES, we do actually find out the original writer of the love letter by the final reel. And the story behind the letter.

So, while the background location is a HUGE draw for those of us who have been to Rockport, Gloucester and Manchester-by-the-sea, the film itself is still worthwhile viewing for everyone else.