Written by: Ashtyn at 12:26 am
Movie Info:
Writer: Alice Arlen, Victor Levin
Director: Helen Hunt
Cast: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Ben Shenkman, Lynn Cohen, John Benjamin Hickey, Salman Rushdie, Daisy Tahan, Tommy Nelson
Rating: R
Studio: THINKFilm
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: April 21, 2008
DVD Release Date: September 2, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $19.99
Then She Found Me is one of those puzzling movies that offers so many good and bad things that it’s hard to tell whether or not you like it enough to watch it more than once. Helen Hunt, an Oscar winning actress that has all but fallen off the map lately, returns to co-write, direct, produce, and star in this independent film that is in many ways reminiscent of a Lifetime movie. While the movie plays out better, there is still that mediocre feel that sits behind the surface. Anyone that has seen a Lifetime movie knows how pathetic they can be. While Then She Found Me is certainly a step up from that, the thing that manages to keep it from sinking that low is more about the acting and less about the story, writing, or overall filmmaking that usually manages to hit the mark.
The most pleasant part of the movie and the show stealer was the presence of Bette Midler. Midler doesn’t seem to show her face in movies very often these days so it’s nice to see her in this one. Granted, this is something rather bittersweet considering the movie isn’t the best, but it’s nice to see her in something nonetheless. She played her part well and made the movie worth watching.
Other than Midler, solid or at least decent performances were turned in by Hunt, Matthew Broderick, and Colin Firth. While there was a lot of promise here, it seems that this movie is going to be the most popular with middle-aged women and possibly older women that want kids, but don’t have them. In other words, this is probably going to work best for people that can relate to the film. The problem is that means it’s only going to be for a very limited amount of people.
This is a movie and a role that is not out of Hunt’s comfort zone. While not nearly as good, Hunt’s character here has a lot of melancholy similarities to that of her sullen waitress in As Good As It Gets. There is nothing wrong with that, but if comparisons are made between the two characters, then comparisons between the movies will cause this one to fall severely short.
Then She Found Me had promise, but in the end I wasn’t any better or worse for having seen it. I saw it and that was it. Once it was over I was ready for the next movie. It’s hard to recommend anything that affects you so little. It’s not bad. It just is what it is and these days that isn’t enough.
The Then She Found Me Plot
Hunt plays April Epner, a Brooklyn Kindergarten teacher that is anxious to become a mother. She is devoutly Jewish and was adopted into a loving home as a child. Despite her good life, her biological clock is ticking and she doesn’t want to adopt. She wants to have a baby herself. This is just the smallest of her problems though because her mother dies and her husband, an immature schoolteacher named Benjamin (Broderick) wants a divorce. While all this goes on, her biological mother Bernice (Midler) arrives on the scene to make things even harder.
Bernice is a semi-celebrity, local talk show host that thinks she has all the answers and wants to build a relationship with the daughter she gave up years ago. April still has other issues though, namely Frank (Colin Firth), a moody divorcee father of one of her pupils. Frank and April share an obvious interest with one another though Frank is struggling with his issues and is not so sure that dating is a good idea for him.
After April has breakup sex with Benjamin, things go from a troubled two-some to a love triangle with April being unsure of who the father is. This takes up one half of the movie. The other half deals with the mother-daughter relationship between April and Bernice. Think of it as a character driven coming of age piece. This would be fine if the main character was of any interest. The most interesting and well acted character seems to be Bernice. The others are humdrum enough to leave behind without much of a second glance. It seems that the characters have a lot in common with the movie as a whole.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Like the movie as a whole, the video and audio quality is nothing to write home about. At the end of the day the job is done, but it’s nothing mind blowing enough to forget that the movie was plain, at best. The video quality is handled with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio in anamorphic widescreen. There is some grit and moments of grain. These things aren’t normally out of the realm of possibility for independent films. The problems aren’t so distracting that they are an issue but they are there. Otherwise, the color palette is decent and the image quality is generally fair.
Audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and plain stereo tracks. The audio is standard. It’s not overly dynamic in either form. In fact, I did not notice too many differences from one sound to another. This could be mainly due to the fact that the movie is dialogue driven. The 5.1 was a nice addition even though it was unnecessary. Little volume toggling was necessary. Subtitles have also been included in English and Spanish.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
The audio commentary for Then She Found Me was done solely by Helen Hunt. I am not a huge fan of commentaries, but I will say that she did a nice job. She talked a lot about the path of a first time filmmaker. She discussed budget and other issues, but most importantly, she seemed comfortable talking in her commentary. There wasn’t a lot of dead space and she seemed at ease, which made it easier to listen to. This is followed up by a selection of sound bites done by the major actors in the film. This basically praises the film and the filmmaker.
Four interview sections with all four of the major actors are included, as well. These interviews range in time from just over four minutes to just under three and a half minutes. Helen Hunt’s interview is the longest, naturally. Then, in order from Hunt’s interview are Colin Firth, Bette Midler, and Matthew Broderick. Each interview is interesting to watch so if you liked the movie you should check them out.
Things finish up with the theatrical trailer for the movie and a small series of trailers for other upcoming or just released films.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Then She Found Me had a lot of promise, but didn’t manage to deliver in the way I had hoped. The worst thing about this movie is just that it’s average. The coinciding storylines don’t work with the characters as they are presented. With a little more work this could have been a whole lot better. If you are going to watch this, I highly recommend renting it before you decide to make a purchase. Some people are going to love this, but the demographic is limited, and for the ones that don’t love it, there is a good chance that they won’t like it at all.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Chick Flick, Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Adopted, Character Driven, Colin Firth
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.
