It’s rare for an actor’s first foray into the writer/director scene to be so fresh and original. Indeed, upon finishing this movie one wants not only to watch it again, but to immediately seek out her next project.
Hunt’s First Try Is a Solid One
Interviews with the stars of her movie (in the special features section of the DVD) reveal her as a highly involved director with a very clear vision of what the movie should be. Obviously experienced and critically acclaimed as an actress, she has a head start on knowing how to communicate with her actors. On the role of April Epner, Hunt said she initially wanted to avoid the “rookie mistake” of starring in your own film. Regardless, she took the role because she didn’t think there would be time to explain to someone else what she wanted for the character. As a new mother herself, Hunt had taken quite a personal interest in the story, even coming onboard as one of the screenwriters.
A New Take on Motherhood, From Both Sides
Hunt plays a woman who is advancing in age and becoming desperate to have a baby. Her character was adopted as an infant and yet she is opposed to the idea of adopting a child herself. In the first few scenes of the film she suffers a handful of personal tragedies: divorce, loss of her adopted mother, and the unwanted introduction of her birth mother, played by Bette Midler. Hunt manages a delicate (and perhaps illogical) balance of this character who deeply longs to have a baby and is also pushing her own mother away every chance she gets.
Colin Firth Is Even More Charming Than Usual
Firth’s character (Frank) is from the very start a loveable disaster. He plays a father of two, recently divorced and devastated by his now entirely absent ex-wife. He is an emotional wreck when he meets April, but assesses her situation quickly and begins dispensing advice before she can even catch her breath. Their ensuing relationship is heartbreaking and sweet, both of them so vulnerable they can hardly stand it.
Matthew Broderick plays April’s ex-husband, and he is a completely nonchalant villain. The movie opens with their wedding, but her leaves her almost immediately for another woman, and does nothing but cause trouble for April throughout the story. Broderick and Firth show their strengths as comedians in these roles, making even the most awkward of moments laughable.
Then She Found Me Does Its Best to Defy Genre
There are too many laughs, too many ironic moments, to really call this movie a drama. On the other hand, there is too much tragedy to be filed under comedy. More than a few will shed tears watching this movie. Some will be tempted to call it a chick flick, but this ignores the dominant realism throughout. Thanks to the happy ending, it is sure to be a crowd pleaser, whatever assignment it receives.
