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It's always wise and productive to grow in any chosen field for fear of stagnation or being too content with one's laurels. True, it can be a gamble, but when it does pay off, you look back and wonder sometimes why you didn't make that decision to try and tackle the unknown earlier.
If you're a known actor with a decent body of work, it's always about the next part in the next movie. Sometimes, you score huge with both a box office and creative hit, and sometimes you strike out big time. In Hollywood, you're only as good as your last picture, so why not direct the picture yourself?
That's exactly what Helen Hunt did, and she scored in the "plus" box for her efforts here. The onetime TV actress (NBC's "Mad About You") made the pleasant transition from the small screen to the big screen fairly easy, having scored hits with "Bob Roberts" (1992), "As Good as It Gets" (1997) and "What Women Want" (2000).
In her directorial debut, "Then She Found Me," Hunt has chosen a story (based on the Elinor Lipman's 1990 novel) well-suited for her talents both as an actress and at the helm. Helen Hunt has proven her comedic talent through both her television and motion-picture experience, and she knows how to convey to other actors when to be both funny and dramatic. Speaking of casting, Hunt was blessed with a fine group of actors who know both serious and funny very well, without ever being overly nauseating.
Hunt plays baby boomer April Epner, whose biological clock is ticking, and who is the classic epitome of "when-it-rains-it-pours" syndrome.
She's a schoolteacher in the Big Apple, but the students are about the only thing she can have any say about. April's pretty pragmatic about her husband (Matthew Broderick) and their passionless marriage. On the cusp of 40 and wanting a kid of her own, she pretty much makes him a tool for her opportunity to have one, even if her reasoning behind it is somewhat misguided: She was an adopted child and is taking care of her adoptive mom (actress Lynn Cohen).
If you're a known actor with a decent body of work, it's always about the next part in the next movie. Sometimes, you score huge with both a box office and creative hit, and sometimes you strike out big time. In Hollywood, you're only as good as your last picture, so why not direct the picture yourself?
That's exactly what Helen Hunt did, and she scored in the "plus" box for her efforts here. The onetime TV actress (NBC's "Mad About You") made the pleasant transition from the small screen to the big screen fairly easy, having scored hits with "Bob Roberts" (1992), "As Good as It Gets" (1997) and "What Women Want" (2000).
In her directorial debut, "Then She Found Me," Hunt has chosen a story (based on the Elinor Lipman's 1990 novel) well-suited for her talents both as an actress and at the helm. Helen Hunt has proven her comedic talent through both her television and motion-picture experience, and she knows how to convey to other actors when to be both funny and dramatic. Speaking of casting, Hunt was blessed with a fine group of actors who know both serious and funny very well, without ever being overly nauseating.
Hunt plays baby boomer April Epner, whose biological clock is ticking, and who is the classic epitome of "when-it-rains-it-pours" syndrome.
She's a schoolteacher in the Big Apple, but the students are about the only thing she can have any say about. April's pretty pragmatic about her husband (Matthew Broderick) and their passionless marriage. On the cusp of 40 and wanting a kid of her own, she pretty much makes him a tool for her opportunity to have one, even if her reasoning behind it is somewhat misguided: She was an adopted child and is taking care of her adoptive mom (actress Lynn Cohen).
April's husband leaves, and her adopted mother dies, throwing April into a chaotic vortex and leaving her with a void and vulnerability that nothing makes any sense whatsoever.
At this point, you're probably wondering when comedy enters the picture. Enter Frank (Colin Firth), who has had some spousal problems of his own, leaving him to take care of his children. Firth delivers his trademark always-subtle style of dry comedy that plays well off of Hunt's character, who is so skittish she doesn't know what to do with herself.
Bette Midler seems almost typecast as the bawdy Bernice, a popular morning television talk-show host. Oh yeah, she also informs April that she is in fact her biological mom. Now, there's a bombshell. I always have liked Midler's comedy, and here she shines. The chemistry between Midler and Hunt seemed not only very natural, but also genuinely enjoyable to watch. Oh, yeah, Beatrice hasn't seen her daughter since her one-night fling with actor Steve McQueen in the '60s!
Hunt, who co-wrote the screenplay and produced the movie, remains true to Lipman's novel, with some strategic changes by screenwriters Alice Arlen and Victor Levin. The movie easily could have nose-dived into a predictable tearjerker with a woe-is-me attitude, but she smartly avoids the obvious, turning a potential tragedy into a humorous release from all that melodrama.
At this point, you're probably wondering when comedy enters the picture. Enter Frank (Colin Firth), who has had some spousal problems of his own, leaving him to take care of his children. Firth delivers his trademark always-subtle style of dry comedy that plays well off of Hunt's character, who is so skittish she doesn't know what to do with herself.
Bette Midler seems almost typecast as the bawdy Bernice, a popular morning television talk-show host. Oh yeah, she also informs April that she is in fact her biological mom. Now, there's a bombshell. I always have liked Midler's comedy, and here she shines. The chemistry between Midler and Hunt seemed not only very natural, but also genuinely enjoyable to watch. Oh, yeah, Beatrice hasn't seen her daughter since her one-night fling with actor Steve McQueen in the '60s!
Hunt, who co-wrote the screenplay and produced the movie, remains true to Lipman's novel, with some strategic changes by screenwriters Alice Arlen and Victor Levin. The movie easily could have nose-dived into a predictable tearjerker with a woe-is-me attitude, but she smartly avoids the obvious, turning a potential tragedy into a humorous release from all that melodrama.
Keepin' it reel:
<b>Now Playing:</b> "Then She Found Me"
<b>Starring:</b> Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Lynn Cohen and Ben Shenkman <b>Directed by:</b> Helen Hunt <b>Rated:</b> R for language and some sexual content <b>Running time:</b> 100 minutes <b>Howie gives it:</b> 3.5 out of 5 bagels |
Adding to the humor are the brief cameos throughout the movie, including Rabbi Kenneth Stern (as a rabbi, of course) and Salman Rushdie (yes, the novelist who once had a fatwa on his head) as April's obstetrician. I'm looking forward to the DVD extras to see how that piece of casting came to be.
- Howie Nave is host/manager of The Improv comedy club inside Harveys and reviews films for seven radio stations throughout Northern California and Nevada, including Sirius Radio. He hosts "Howie's Morning Rush" on Tahoe's KRLT radio, and you can see his film reviews on RSN. For past reviews, blogs and audio clips, visit www.HowieNave.com.
- Howie Nave is host/manager of The Improv comedy club inside Harveys and reviews films for seven radio stations throughout Northern California and Nevada, including Sirius Radio. He hosts "Howie's Morning Rush" on Tahoe's KRLT radio, and you can see his film reviews on RSN. For past reviews, blogs and audio clips, visit www.HowieNave.com.
