If Only (film)

If Only
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gil Junger
Produced by	Jill Gilbert, Jeffrey Graup, Jennifer Love Hewitt
Written by	Christina Welsh
Starring	Jennifer Love Hewitt, Paul Nicholls, Tom Wilkinson, Lucy Davenport
Music by	Adrian Johnston
Cinematography	Giles Nuttgens
Edited by	William M. Anderson Padraic McKinley
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release dates	23 January 2004
Running time	92 min
Country	United States, UK
Language	English
Budget	$3 million
Box office	$532,673[1]

If Only is a 2004 romantic fantasy film directed by Gil Junger and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Paul Nicholls.

Plot

Ian Wyndham (Nicholls) is an English businessman who lives with his American musician girlfriend, Samantha Andrews (Hewitt) in London. Taking us through a day in Ian and Sam's life, the film opens by showing different events such as Sam getting burnt on a kettle, Ian's watch breaking, Sam getting Coca-Cola on her and Ian being interrupted by Sam during an important meeting at work. (She thought that Ian had forgotten his presentation folder at home.)

After a busy day, Ian gets in a taxi to Sam’s concert. He asks the driver how he should make Sam happy. The driver says he should just love her. After Sam's concert, Sam gets angry at Ian for his attitude toward her and tells him that she just wants him to love her. Sam leaves the restaurant in tears and gets in a passing taxi, as Ian tries to get in beside her he notices that the driver is the same man who he traveled with earlier that day. The man gives Ian an ominous smile and as the clock hits 11 PM, Ian doesn’t get in the taxi. As he watches the taxi drive away, Ian makes one last attempt to reconcile with Sam and runs after the taxi as it stops at a traffic light. Before he gets there, the lights change and the taxi begins driving again. As it speeds up, the taxi is struck violently by another car. Ian halts and falls on his knees in shock. Sam succumbs to her injuries and dies. Ian goes back to his apartment, finds Sam's notebook and opens it, finding a song she was working on. He falls asleep clutching the notebook close to him. 2. As the next day begins, He is shocked to hear Sam’s voice behind him tell him not to read the notebook. He jumps up and screams, only to see Sam standing in his apartment. After the initial confusion, Ian comes to the conclusion that the previous day must have been a dream. Ian feels happy to have Sam by his side. However, Sam gets burnt by her hair straighteners in the same place she had been burnt by the kettle in his supposed dream. Other events similar to those he already experienced begin happening too, although at different times and in different ways, as Sam gets Coca-Cola spilt on her. But his watch remains in working order. Ian is still cautious. after working, Ian gets into a taxi. After talking to the taxi driver he realizes that the driver is the man from the previous day. again gives Ian an ominous smile, This convinces Ian once and for all, and he runs to Sam,. After convincing her to come with him, they are traveling to Ian's rural home town. In the town below, the two have drinks and Ian tells Sam about his father, who lost his beloved job in 1993 before becoming an alcoholic and dying sometime later. The two travel back to London and Ian takes Sam on the London Eye as another surprise. They then travel back to their apartment and Ian takes a page from her notebook and brings it to a nearby photocopying shop while Sam travels to her concert with her violin. Before the show begins Ian gives the photocopied pages to an organizer. Sam proceeds onto the stage as the orchestra begins to play the song printed on Ian's photocopied sheets. She sings the song she wrote for Ian in her notebook and the crowd burst into applause at her performance. After perfect performances. They go for dinner, when they leave from the restaurant, pourdowning. A taxi pulls up and Sam gets in,Ian gets in too. He gets in next to her. As the taxi approaches the traffic lights, Ian and Sam kiss. He looks forward and sees the clock strike 11 PM and the same ominous smile he has seen so many times already. Sam smiles at him as the taxi pulls away and images of Sam's accident flash through his mind. He sees a car light through his window and grabs Sam tight for the last time. Sam's scream can be heard. In the end it was Ian who was the victim of the accident.

Production and distribution

Filming was done between November 2002 and January 2003. The movie made its world premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival in January 2004. However it was not picked up for US distribution. It went on to play around the world throughout late 2004 and 2005. American audiences were given a chance to see this film when it premiered on the American ABC Family television network on January 15, 2006. The film premiered on UK television on the Hallmark channel, on 28 July 2009.

Production and location

Filming locations in London, where either Ian or Samantha appears include (in chronological order): Kensington Park Road^[2] where the house of Ian and Samantha is located, CityPoint where Ian works, Piccadilly where Ian is seen running towards the Méridien hotel, Westminster tube station exit, the London Eye.

Soundtrack

Jennifer Love Hewitt performed both songs from the soundtrack, "Love Will Show You Everything" and "Take My Heart Back". Jennifer Love Hewitt wrote "Take My Heart Back" (Music by Chris Canute). Jennifer Love Hewitt and Gil Junger co-wrote "Love Will Show You Everything" (Music by Paul Englishby).

References

External links

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