"Then She Found Me"
Rated: R
Runtime: 100 minutes.
Directed by: Helen Hunt
Cast: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Salman Rushdie
her directorial debut based on Elinor Lipman's novel "Then She Found Me," Helen Hunt stars as April Epner, a 39-year-old kindergarten teacher living in New York City. April is desperate to have a baby with her husband (Matthew Broderick) who leaves her. Soon after her adoptive mother passes away, April is confronted by a famous local talk show host, Bernice (Bette Midler), who announces that she is April’s biological mother. Bernice, not the most honest person, tells April that she is the product of a one-night stand with Steve McQueen. Meanwhile, April starts a romance with the father of one of her students (Colin Firth). But she accidentally turns up pregnant by her juvenile soon to be ex. Then She Found Me follows April's emotional struggle as she decides which man to choose, forges a relationship with her new Mom and deals with the challenges of her infertility.
Rated: R
Runtime: 100 minutes.
Directed by: Helen Hunt
Cast: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Salman Rushdie
her directorial debut based on Elinor Lipman's novel "Then She Found Me," Helen Hunt stars as April Epner, a 39-year-old kindergarten teacher living in New York City. April is desperate to have a baby with her husband (Matthew Broderick) who leaves her. Soon after her adoptive mother passes away, April is confronted by a famous local talk show host, Bernice (Bette Midler), who announces that she is April’s biological mother. Bernice, not the most honest person, tells April that she is the product of a one-night stand with Steve McQueen. Meanwhile, April starts a romance with the father of one of her students (Colin Firth). But she accidentally turns up pregnant by her juvenile soon to be ex. Then She Found Me follows April's emotional struggle as she decides which man to choose, forges a relationship with her new Mom and deals with the challenges of her infertility.
As a director, Hunt allowed herself to be photographed in a less-than-flattering manner showing her age and wearing almost no make-up. It's refreshing to see an actress in her age group who isn't Botoxed to death. Hunt gives us a touchingly real performance as a devout Jew. Although, I did find her skeletally thin frame a bit distracting. Her inexperience as a director showed a bit as segues between scenes were a bit choppy instead of smooth. But the benefit of being an actor in the director’s chair enabled Hunt to coax pitch-perfect performances from Broderick and Firth. Broderick plays the ex like a big whiny baby, but with just the right amount of appeal to make you understand her attraction to him. Firth wins you over as the sweet-natured, attentive single father desperate to connect with someone romantically again. Then he also surprises you with a brilliant angry outburst. Midler’s over the top style works well in the comic relief scenes. However, she’s also believable in the more serious and subdued scenes showing a real warmth and tenderness we rarely see from the divine Miss M.
Then She Found Me has so much plot going on, it almost plays like a Soap Opera. But there’s just the right amount of laughs to offset the dramatic surplus. All in all, Then She Found Me is smart, well balanced and entertaining. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Colin Firth was really good in this and it might have been the first time I did mind Helen Hunt that much.
Great review.
Bette as the Mom-- she was nuts.