Then She Found Me
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Movie Reviews of Then She Found Me
Movie Review: Another Biological Clock Ticks...But Hunt Provides Heart and Conviction to Her Directorial Debut
Summary: 4 Stars
Released earlier this year, Baby Mama covers the same emotional territory but in much broader slapstick terms, while this 2008 serio-comedy is driven far more by character than situation. In this case, the protagonist is 39-year-old April Epner, a New York kindergarten teacher who was raised in a close-knit Jewish family and desperately wants the biological connection of a birth child before her alarm clock goes off. She marries fellow teacher Ben, an inarticulate schlub with a terminal case of the Peter Pan Syndrome. After a brief time, he wants out of the marriage, and at almost the same time, April's adoptive mother Trudy dies. Not even a month goes by before April's biological mother suddenly shows up in the form of the brazenly overbearing but genuinely likeable Bernice Graves, a cable talk-show hostess who is something of a local media celebrity. If life was not complicated enough, April also finds herself drawn to Frank, the single father of one of her pupils. Unlike Ben, he feels the same about April but is fighting his own bitterness about his own recent divorce.
Not only does Helen Hunt star as April, but she also co-wrote the screenplay with Alice Arlen and Victor Levin and makes her big-screen directorial debut. Granted she's more impressive as an actress than a filmmaker, but as a director and writer, she makes the most of a storyline that stacks the deck a bit like a Lifetime TV-movie. There are enough realistic surprises that take the plot off the rails in a good way. Looking gaunt and avoiding much make-up, Hunt is really playing a variation of the beaten-down waitress she played in As Good As It Gets, as she carries that same constantly pained expression of disappointment and looks about to explode during moments of emotional duress. However, a decade later, Hunt inhabits the character more naturalistically this time and with a deeper sense of vulnerability and haggard exhaustion. Perhaps to minimize any unnecessary dramatic risk, Hunt cast the other principal roles with actors playing familiar parts. Matthew Broderick effectively portrays Ben as the perpetually dazed man-child he is, while perennial love interest Colin Firth gives texture to the seemingly ideal suitor Frank, especially as he edges toward the breaking point in tolerating the sum of April's foibles.
In one of her increasingly rare screen appearances, Bette Midler gives a scene-stealing performance as Bernice. She lights up the movie with the character's unfettered sense of abandonment while gradually exposing the secrets that threaten to undermine her newly found relationship with her daughter. Other parts are played with minimum fuss - Ben Shenkman as April's physician brother Freddy feeling put-upon for having a biological tie to their mother, and Salman Rushdie (yes, the controversial author of The Satanic Verses which brought him a death sentence from the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989) as April's doctor. Hunt provides the principal actors, especially herself, plenty of good, meaty scenes with opportunities for bravura moments, and they do deliver. It just doesn't quite come together as a whole by the end, and that may be that Hunt is so used to the sitcom format of the long-running series, Mad About You. The incomplete result is that some laughs feel a bit contrived, some scene transitions seem jarring, and some expected character revelations are given short shrift. Nonetheless, the dramatic developments toward the end carry the emotional impact necessary to make the movie truly affecting, and Hunt should be given full credit for a most auspicious debut as a filmmaker.
Movie Review: Another Biological Clock Ticks...But Hunt Provides Heart and Conviction to Her Directorial Debut
Summary: 4 Stars
Having just seen Baby Mama, which covers the same emotional territory but in much broader slapstick terms, this 2008 serio-comedy is driven far more by character than situation. In this case, the protagonist is 39-year-old April Epner, a New York kindergarten teacher who was raised in a close-knit Jewish family and desperately wants the biological connection of a birth child before her alarm clock goes off. She marries fellow teacher Ben, an inarticulate schlub with a terminal case of the Peter Pan Syndrome. After a brief time, he wants out of the marriage, and at almost the same time, April's adoptive mother Trudy dies. Not even a month goes by before April's biological mother suddenly shows up in the form of the brazenly overbearing but genuinely likeable Bernice Graves, a cable talk-show hostess who is something of a local media celebrity. If life was not complicated enough, April also finds herself drawn to Frank, the single father of one of her pupils. Unlike Ben, he feels the same about April but is fighting his own bitterness about his own recent divorce.
Not only does Helen Hunt star as April, but she also co-wrote the screenplay with Alice Arlen and Victor Levin and makes her big-screen directorial debut. Granted she's more impressive as an actress than a filmmaker, but as a director and writer, she makes the most of a storyline that stacks the deck a bit like a Lifetime TV-movie. There are enough realistic surprises that take the plot off the rails in a good way. Looking gaunt and avoiding much make-up, Hunt is really playing a variation of the beaten-down waitress she played in As Good As It Gets, as she carries that same constantly pained expression of disappointment and looks about to explode during moments of emotional duress. However, a decade later, Hunt inhabits the character more naturalistically this time and with a deeper sense of vulnerability and haggard exhaustion. Perhaps to minimize any unnecessary dramatic risk, Hunt cast the other principal roles with actors playing familiar parts. Matthew Broderick effectively portrays Ben as the perpetually dazed man-child he is, while perennial love interest Colin Firth gives texture to the seemingly ideal suitor Frank, especially as he edges toward the breaking point in tolerating the sum of April's foibles.
In one of her increasingly rare screen appearances, Bette Midler gives a scene-stealing performance as Bernice. She lights up the movie with the character's unfettered sense of abandonment while gradually exposing the secrets that threaten to undermine her newly found relationship with her daughter. Other parts are played with minimum fuss - Ben Shenkman as April's physician brother Freddy feeling put-upon for having a biological tie to their mother, and Salman Rushdie (yes, the controversial author of The Satanic Verses which brought him a death sentence from the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989) as April's doctor. Hunt provides the principal actors, especially herself, plenty of good, meaty scenes with opportunities for bravura moments, and they do deliver. It just doesn't quite come together as a whole by the end, and that may be that Hunt is so used to the sitcom format of the long-running series, Mad About You. The incomplete result is that some laughs feel a bit contrived, some scene transitions seem jarring, and some expected character revelations are given short shrift. Nonetheless, the dramatic developments toward the end carry the emotional impact necessary to make the movie truly affecting, and Hunt should be given full credit for a most auspicious debut as a filmmaker.
Movie Review: Who did she find?
Summary: 4 Stars
This film is a promising directorial debut for Helen Hunt. While I found some of the editing to be awkward or sub-par, and dialog to be a bit stilted here and there; the overall film is quite good, and has many layers of meaning and sub-texts to explore.
The title of the film is a good place to start: "Then She Found Me". Who found whom? Was it Helen Hunt's Character (April Epner) finding a new life companion after her husband leaves? Her birth mother (played with panache and humor by Bette Midler) finding April after April's adoptive mother dies? April finding herself? Or (to avoid spoilers) April finding something else? Even her character's name implies a new birth and new beginnings...
The answer to the question is "all of the above"...
The film is, in many ways, about discovery: discovery of what is (and isn't) real, what is truth, what has value, and what it means to be family.
Helen's character works through all of these issues in this film with sensitivity, mild humor, and a performance that exposes April's vulnerability at many different levels as she searches for answers.
I find the portayals of Jewish family life (which is a major component of the framework of the story) to be very well done (no surprise, given that much of the cast is Jewish).
Of particular interest is the performance of Salman Rushdie (the author of The Satanic Verses: A Novel, for which an Islamic Fatwa was issued, calling for his death) as her Gynecologist. While not a professional actor, his presence is a reminder that we're dealing with very human challenges here. Issues that we all face at some point in our lives, regardless of race, religion, or creed. Of particular interest in this vein is the scene where April (as a Jew), her birth mother (as a Catholic) and the Doctor all join together in prayer after April confesses she is angry with God.
One cannot neglect to mention Colin Firth's superb performance here as April's romantic interest. The trauma they each undergo as their relationship grows is fascinating, though I found myself squirming in my seat watching it!
Although the desire for a child is the central goal of April's character, this film is definitely not meant for children to watch. There are a number of reasonably explicit adult situations. Partial nudity - even though tastfully done - is frequent.
"Then She Found Me" has won awards at some Film Festivals, but, though full of promise of greater things to come from Helen Hunt, it is a bit rough around the edges, and too controversial and explicit in some of its subject matter to be in the running for a major award. Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.
I rate this film as a four star performance: an excellent script and excellent performances, despite a few flaws here and there.
Definitely recommended as a "must see" if you and your better half prefer romantic comedies that are more than mindless fluff. ...Just be sure to put the kids to bed first!
Movie Review: Formidable directorial debut
Summary: 4 Stars
Mr. Uyeshima's review provides a wonderful and accurate description of this film. I have little to add, but do recommend Then She Found Me, if the viewer understands that this is not a mainstream Hollywood romance. Those seeking yet another reprisal of a Colin Firth as Darcy to a modern day Elizabeth Bennett treatment probably will be disappointed. The film has many layers, with a primary focus on betrayal, not just formulaic romantic love. I read some complaints that reviewers didn't find the characters likable and found Ms. Hunt not glamorous enough. One of the things I enjoyed most was more realistic, complex portrayal of human foibles than we're often given in film today. I laughed when I read the comments about Ms. Hunt's appearance, because this basically is what you look like when it all comes crashing down around you. You can relate to these characters. They are quite imperfectly human.
I like it. This is a film for adults, which is a such rarity these days. There is a lot of heart to the story and its characters. Lots of lovely subtleties in scenery, music, costuming, etc. The cast is superb, comedy is generally smartly written and well delivered. Formulaic aspects to some story lines, but it was thought-provoking overall, and well worth viewing.
I'm a fan of Helen Hunt as an actress and am proud to see such a strong directorial debut. I hope she continues. I really recommend checking out the Special Features section of the DVD, especially the interviews and featurette. Those interested in film making will enjoy Ms. Hunt's commentary, much of which focuses on the creative detail of telling the story, especially with little budget and limited time.
I think this film deserved more of a chance than it got. It's not a "chick flick," fluffy romance or Lifetime movie. It's an adult comedy-drama with a thought-provoking theme and wonderful performances. Not a perfect film, by any means, but better in its genre than I've seen in awhile.
Movie Review: Tick, tick, tick
Summary: 4 Stars
Helen Hunt, who has grown as an actor, directed herself in Then She Found Me. Loosely based on the novel of the same title, Ms. Hunt plays April Epner, a woman who has made a late marriage that fails in less than a year. She wants nothing more than to become a mother, and now, at age 39, she fears her chances have slipped away when her husband takes off. No sooner does she find herself abandoned than she receives overtures from her previously unknown birth mother, who hopes to develop a relationship with the daughter she so long ago gave up for adoption. Serendipitously, April meets a divorced man with 2 kids of his own, and the attraction is mutual.
The theme of this story has to do with the feelings of an adoptee who wants to give birth to her own child rather than adopt. Naturally, April's emotions are conflicted, and she needs to work them through before she can move forward in her own life. As director, Ms. Hunt admirably prevented this film from becoming maudlin or mawkish. April runs the gamut of emotions, as does her new love interest, Colin Firth, who was unceremoniously dumped by his own wife. Perhaps the most outstanding performance is delivered by Bette Midler, who is larger than life in real life, but restrains herself in the role of April's birth mother, now a spoiled TV celebrity. I don't know if Ms. Hunt is Jewish, but her treatment of the religious overtones in this story is exemplary, also real but restrained. Matthew Broderick does as well as can be expected in the thankless role of April's fickle husband.
The main problems with this otherwise charming movie are the rather dull cinematography and some clumsy editing. My recommendation is to read the novel, watch the DVD, but don't expect the same things from them.