It's a romantic comedy, it's a mother-daughter drama, and most importantly, it's an unpretentious, gentle, moving film.
Then She Found Me (2008)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:112
Fresh:57
Rotten:55
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: A threadbare story anchored by strong performances, Then She Found Me is a mostly successful directorial debut by Helen Hunt.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, and some sexual content.
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 25, 2008 Limited
Box Office: $3,728,972
Synopsis: The move from actor to director can be a difficult one, but actress Helen Hunt makes the transition seem effortless with THEN SHE FOUND ME. Hunt, who also produced and cowrote the film, plays April... The move from actor to director can be a difficult one, but actress Helen Hunt makes the transition seem effortless with THEN SHE FOUND ME. Hunt, who also produced and cowrote the film, plays April Epner, a down-on-her-luck schoolteacher who longs to have a child. April's chances of bringing a baby into the world are diminished when her husband, Ben (Matthew Broderick), leaves her, and more bad news follows when her adoptive mother dies. The beleaguered April subsequently forms an unexpected bond with her real mother, the overbearing TV host Bernice (Bette Midler), and takes tentative steps towards motherhood with a new man in her life, the bumbling Frank (Colin Firth). Hunt's film, which is based on the novel of the same name by Elinor Lipman, is likely to win over fans of classic rom-coms such as WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and YOU'VE GOT MAIL. At its heart the film poses some thoughtful observations on what a late-30s woman goes through when she is facing a possibly childless future. But Hunt also stirs some generous scoops of humor into the plot, providing light relief from her central character's plight, and also demonstrating her range as a writer/director. The cast members are uniformly excellent throughout, with Firth and Hunt giving strong performances that are helped along by a supporting cast that provides most of the comic relief. Hunt even finds time to provide a small role for the writer Salman Rushdie, who plays a doctor. [More]
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick
Starring: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Ben Shankman
Director: Helen Hunt
Director: Helen Hunt
Screenwriter: Helen Hunt, Vic Levin, Alice Arlen
Producer: Pamela Koffler, Katie Roumel, Christine Vachon, Helen Hunt, Connie Tavel
Composer: David Mansfield
Studio: ThinkFilm
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Reviews for Then She Found Me
A grim, grey little affair of people who aren't interesting failing to achieve catharsis in the banal, depressing problems of their lives.
Finding a way to compartmentalize your bitterness while keeping your heart open to enlightening relationships is a more difficult task than facing Ivan Drago. In Russia. On Christmas Day. For no money.
... might be viewed as a symptom of a Hollywood system in which women of a certain age are devalued and ignored.
There’s nothing exceptional about it, but there’s a warmth and intelligence here which sets it aside from most other romantic comedies around.
The anxieties and angst of middle-class, middle-aged women remain rich, underexplored cinematic territory, but Hunt's instantly forgettable film does little to make this deep vein of cultural experience seem vital or exciting.
Midler plays an extrovert with heart and brains, but the twists and turnarounds in this mother-and-child reunion arrive right on schedule; in the end, she's less a mother than a show-biz fairy godmother.
What ought to be a bittersweet movie about a woman's momentary unraveling feels like a workout class: Cardio melodrama.
Sharing ace chemistry with Hunt, Midler's scenes are the jewels of the film; a reminder of how impressive her talent is and how much her recent career direction has failed to capitalize on her gifts.
It's a romantic "dramedy" that treads some familiar ground, but does so smartly and thoughtfully.
What at first seems a morose if witty romantic comedy for adults ends up being an altogether more serious piece about a woman acquiring children but leaving behind childish things.
Both role and movie fit [Hunt] as comfortable as a favorite bathrobe, and she wins us over long before the final tiny twist of the ending.
This adaptation of an Elinor Lipman novel is Hunt's feature directing debut, and under the circumstances she might have been wiser to give the lead role to someone else.
Hunt has what it takes to direct; you can see it here, in small doses. In an arena filled largely with men, it will be interesting to see what she does next.
There's a gentle realism that makes room for laughs, drama and the slightest touch of farce, never spilling into the comically cheap and managing to explore subtler issues involving adoption
An impressive directorial debut for Helen Hunt that takes an intelligent look at the ways we survive unspeakable grief and play hide and seek with love.
Tries to say too much all at once, but great performances from Firth and Midler carry it.
Sometimes charming, occasionally funny, it never draws attention to itself as the work of a director with training wheels on.
Latest News for Then She Found Me
September 19, 2008:
UK Critics Consensus: Tropic Thunder Soldiers On; Then She Found Me Is Found Out
This week's UK releases, expect big laughs as Ben Stiller's star-studded Hollywood satire comedy blasts onto our screens in Tropic Thunder. The sound of a big old biological... More...
May 25, 2008:
Helen Hunt makes decent directorial debut with bittersweet romantic comedy. ![]()
More...
April 21, 2008:
Then She Found Me a Labor of Love for Helen Hunt ![]()
After some time away from the spotlight, Helen Hunt has re-emerged as the producer, director, co-writer, and star of an adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel Then She Found Me. More...
April 13, 2008:
Trailer & Poster review ![]()
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