Review: Then She Found Me

Director: Helen Hunt
Writers: Helen Hunt, Vic Levin, Alice Arlen
Producer: Helen Hunt, Pamela Koffler, Katie Roumel, Connie Tavel, Christine Vachon
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Ben Shankman
MPAA Rating: R
Running time: 100 min

As with any other human being with a heart, I long for a story of love. We see them pop up on film relentlessly but more often than not, they’re passing interests or side stories within a larger story that leave a sour aftertaste. Even worse, they’re often half-baked unbelievable romantic comedies with laughs but little heart and though occasionally a few succeed, more often than not they fail to be either romantic or funny. I didn’t set out to find a good romantic film but walking away from Then She Found Me, I realized that that’s exactly what I had just seen.

I went into Helen Hunt’s film to see if Hunt could actually direct. She’s won an Oscar and a whole load of Emmy’s so apparently she can act, though I don’t recall seeing her in anything particularly memorable, but I didn’t expect to find a touching and realistic account of a modern woman. Based on a novel by Elinor Lipman, the film is the story of April, a woman on the brink of middle age, recently separated and in a panic to have a child before her biological clock stops ticking. It’s no surprise that Hunt has taken the juicy lead role for herself. We’ve often complained about the lack of good roles for women, never mind for women over the age of 30 and here we have April, an independent and intelligent woman, shaping her own life without a man. But April isn’t perfect – she begins a new relationship mere days after her husband leaves her, she cheats on said new love interest with ex-husband, she’s bull headed and she jumps to conclusions yet she feels like a real woman even when the situations surrounding her are as far from reality as one can get.

Enter the biggest flaw of the film: the unbelievably of the events surrounding this very real character. They say bad things come in threes but it’s ludicrous to think that this many life-altering events would come so close together. April gets dumped by her husband, a few hours later she meets a new love interest, a few days later her mother (adoptive) dies, a few days after that her real mother comes out of the woodwork and wants to be a part of her life. If that’s not enough, there’s also the pregnancy that comes as a result of her last encounter with her husband – on the day he dumps her. Yes, there are a few too many what ifs in this story but the events in the film are only secondary to the real gem: the characters.

The film is a character study more than anything else and Helen Hunt manages to capture April’s ever-changing moods beautifully. She’s strong and sure one moment, a bumbling mess of emotions the next but they all feel like the same person and beyond that, April feels like a woman we know, one we can relate with. Colin Firth is fabulous as the easygoing love interest and though there’s never any doubt that they’ll end up together, I was happy to see some depth given to his character - a character that could easily have been typecast. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Matthew Broderick who plays the bumbling, child-like ex-husband. He’s given very little to work with and though his performance is good, it feels flat and one-dimensional. The same is also true for Bette Midler whose performance is excellent as the loud biological mother but her character also feels flat and it’s obvious that Midler was cast for comedic relief.

Hunt’s directorial debut isn’t perfect but it’s surprisingly good. Pin it on the material or the script that is mostly good, except when dealing with side characters, or the acting but the final package is solid. Hunt displays a good eye for capturing moments – she knows when to hold the camera on a character and how to frame a scene to say what she wants it to say but above that, she seems to have a way with actors, getting a good performance from them even when the material they’re working with is mediocre at best.

Then She Found Me is agood first feature. Hunt’s first step behind the camera is a successful one and I’m interested in seeing if she’s capable of accomplishing a similar feat with her next film.

Links:
IMDb profile
Official Site
Flixster Profile for Then She Found Me