He Loved Her Like There Wasn't A Tomorrow. Review on If Only Movie

Every one has their take on love. To some it’s all about feelings, which are born and which die, where systems are built and, in turn, collapse. Some take it as an attitude, to be freely adopted at will.

For most though, love and relationships serve as a soothing quotient that makes life and its ways easy to sail through.

“If only”is a story of two people Ian(Paul Nicholls) and Samantha(Jennifer Love Hewitt) deeply in love with each other. However, the glitch is Ian is awfully bad at expressing his love for her. The good thing is he is aware of this but doesn’t know how to strike a balance between his love and his work. As per Samantha, she is his very high sec

If Only

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ond priority.

This is a story of one day in their lives. Ian is a businessman and Samantha is a music student. On this particular day, Ian has a big presentation lined up. And the same evening Sam has her final graduation concert which without any doubt our boy has completely forgotten. She sadly walks off. Ian gets into a cab, driver of which senses his dilemma, offers an advice and asks a very simple question. What if the person whom you love walks off after a small fight and later you never get to see that person ever again. Ian gets a jolt and decides he will go for the concert.

He does make it to the concert to show that he truly loves her. At dinner, small altercation happens and she walks out of the restaurant. Outside she gets into cab crying and waits for Ian to join her. He keeps looking at her and delays getting into the cab. The cab moves and at the very next signal, the cab meets with an accident and in front of Ian’s eyes, Sam dies. Within a span of few minutes, things changed. Ian comes to an empty home and sleeps off whilst reading Sam’s diary in which she had written everything about them and the song which she had composed to sing some day for Ian.

Next morning when Ian wakes up, he gets horrified to see Sam sleeping next to her. He jumps up from the bed screaming and it takes few moments and a huge assurance from Sam to make him realize that she indeed is there. So, whatever happened so far was a nightmare. Ian holds her and sobs uncontrollably. She is clueless about happenings and asks him about his sudden outburst. He doesn’t tell her exact things but said he had a dream which did not end nicely. Ian is now happy but his happiness is short lived when things started happening the same way like the dream. From Sam burning her finger while making breakfast to their walk together till his office wherein a passerby spills coke on her coat, things were happening in similar fashion. Sometimes few things did not happen and Ian feels happy about that, but sometime later it happens in a different order and it starts donning on him that the sequences from dream are indeed happening and this makes him realize that by end of today she would die and he tries everything possible to deceive the destiny. I am trying hard to hold myself here by not revealing the second half as I always tend to tell ALL in my reviews. However, this time I won’t as the end is a bit shocking and a lot upsetting. The dream and the reality are amazingly woven into each other. Initially, you feel sorry for Sam showing her love and Ian failing to reciprocate back. When tables turn in the second half, Ian does everything possible to cheat the destiny and makes her feel loved. The penultimate scene where Ian tells her how she taught him to love and to be loved will make all lovers worth their salt take a bow.

Now, its just a simple love story with a simple plot. Why should it be watched? I am sure we all at some point in life loved someone or were loved. Be it any kind of relation or love for anyone. And also, we would have stopped ourselves from letting them know it. Our actions and words matter a big deal. We tend to bottle up our thoughts and expressions instead of showcasing it to the person. Our egos play a big role here. Have you ever realized how easy it is to break with friends? Both friends will think the other is busy and will not contact thinking it may be disturbing. As time passes both will think let the other contact. After that each will think why should I contact first. Then memories will go weak. They forget each other. One fine day they will meet and blame one another.

And one day in those dark times, in the moment of helplessness, you will all be alone. You will sit and look for a hand on your shoulder but you will be alone, The person would have gone. A tear will flow down and you will break down into pieces. Each bit of you will wish to dissolve into nothingness. You will lose control over emotions. Now, you will say this will happen any which ways. Nothing is permanent. But, at least you will not repent for losing the person and not letting them know how much they meant? Ideally things were supposed to be perfect, unconditional love. One instance, and you lose it all. And all those constraints will remind you ’what could have been’. Move on, Be strong, Will get advised. You will smile, you will shrug. But at the end of the day, when you are by yourself all the advices and wise words will fly out of window. Logic will fail. Reason will surrender. And you will cry courtesy someone you loved but never expressed and the person is gone now.

In the end, all I like to say is do not hold yourself, stretch out that hand, hold the person and tell them how much you love them. And leave you with the song Sam had written and composed for Ian. In fact Jennifer has not just acted but also produced and co wrote the songs. This Gil Junger movie is a must watch for all those who ever loved or are in love or understand the word ’LOVE’, others who do not understand this word ain’t human enough for me.

Today I bet my life, you have no idea what I feel inside.

I won’t be afraid to let it show

For you’ll never know, if I let it hide.

I love you, you love me. Take this gift and don’t ask why.

Love will show you everything.