Then She Found Me (2007) User Reviews

Deserves a look

[wxgirl55 · 6/10 · 18 April 2008]

Seen at a September 2007 Toronto Film Festival screening.

First time director, Helen Hunt, said this movie was 10 years in the making. Her passion for the film and subject matter is evident, but also sets her up for her biggest downfall. She indulges the movie (her baby) which is interesting given this is relationship themed (mother/ daughter). Had she struck closer to that thread, the movie would have a tighter, more focused feel.

As it is, the outer reach of her film, a foray into her intimate, romantic relationships, with the intent of colouring her main character (April) instead seems like an untrained hand that colours outside of the lines. As a movie director, if this was her greatest weakness; I still give her kudos for doing a pretty good job. The woman took on a heavy load: first time directing, co-producer, co-writing the screenplay, and acting in the main role, all done on a 27 day shoot schedule! I almost feel guilty for any criticism.

At the post-screening Q&A Ms Hunt told us that the original story centred exclusively on the mother/daughter relationship. She wrote in the characters of Ben, her passive husband (Matthew Broderick) and Frank, her 'quickest rebound in history' mate (Colin Firth) herself. Understandablly she wants to add subtext to April's world and all the issues she's dealing with, but I felt somewhat 'pinballed' from scene to scene without feeling a smooth transition. A little more editing of these extra layers would help.

I can't leave it unsaid that what repeatedly struck me was why April loved her husband and continued to connect with him. He was such a shallow and thoughtless person. To me, that particular character was the weakest link in the movie.

Overall, I found many funny and poignant moments in the movie and think it deserves a look by a larger audience.

Another Biological Clock Ticks But Hunt Provides Heart and Conviction to Her Directorial Debut

[EUyeshima · 7/10 · 5 May 2008]

Having just seen "Baby Mama", which covers the same emotional territory but in much broader slapstick terms, this 2008 serio-comedy is driven far more by character than situation. In this case, the protagonist is 39-year-old April Epner, a New York schoolteacher who was raised in a close-knit Jewish family and desperately wants the biological connection of a birth child before her alarm clock goes off. She marries fellow teacher Ben, an inarticulate schlub with a terminal case of the Peter Pan Syndrome. After a brief time, he wants out of the marriage, and at almost the same time, April's adoptive mother Trudy dies. Not even a month goes by before April's biological mother suddenly shows up in the form of the brazenly overbearing but genuinely likable Bernice Graves, a cable talk-show hostess who is something of a local media celebrity. If life was not complicated enough, April also finds herself drawn to Frank, the single father of one of her pupils. Unlike Ben, he feels the same about April but is fighting his own bitterness about his own recent divorce.

Not only does Helen Hunt star as April, but she also co-wrote the screenplay with Alice Arlen and Victor Levin and makes her big-screen directorial debut. Granted she's more impressive as an actress than a filmmaker, but as a director and writer, she makes the most of a storyline that stacks the deck a bit like a Lifetime TV-movie. There are enough realistic surprises that take the plot off the rails in a good way. Looking gaunt and avoiding much make-up, Hunt is really playing a variation of the beaten-down waitress she played in "As Good As It Gets", as she carries that same constantly pained expression of disappointment and looks about to explode during moments of emotional duress. However, a decade later, Hunt inhabits the character more naturalistically this time and with a deeper sense of vulnerability and haggard exhaustion. Perhaps to minimize any unnecessary dramatic risk, Hunt cast the other principal roles with actors playing familiar parts. Matthew Broderick effectively portrays Ben as the perpetually dazed man-child he is, while perennial love interest Colin Firth gives texture to the seemingly ideal suitor Frank, especially as he edges toward the breaking point in tolerating the sum of April's foibles.

In one of her increasingly rare screen appearances, Bette Midler gives a scene-stealing performance as Bernice. She lights up the movie with Bernice's unfettered sense of abandonment while gradually exposing the secrets that threaten to undermine her newly found relationship with her daughter. Other parts are played with minimum fuss - Ben Shenkman as April's physician brother Freddy feeling put-upon for having a biological tie to their mother, and Salman Rushdie (author of "The Satanic Verses" which brought him a death sentence from the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989) as April's doctor. Hunt provides her actors, especially herself, plenty of good, meaty scenes with opportunities for bravura moments. It just doesn't quite come together as a whole by the end, and that may be that Hunt is so used to the sitcom format of the long-running series, "Mad About You". The result is that some laughs feel a bit contrived, some scene transitions seem jarring, and some expected character revelations are given short shrift. Nonetheless, the dramatic developments toward the end carry the emotional impact necessary to make the movie truly affecting, and Hunt should be given credit for a most auspicious debut as a filmmaker.

And Then What?

[moutonbear25 · 6/10 · 4 May 2008]

We've all had our share of bad weeks and I've heard numerous times before that when it rains it pours but yet that still doesn't seem to account for what happened to April Epner (Helen Hunt). A mere ten months into her marriage to Ben (Matthew Broderick), he decides he made a huge mistake. The next day, she goes to work, a school where she and Ben both taught to primary students, to find that he never showed up and is nowhere to be found. Within the week that follows, her adopted mother (Lynn Cohen) dies and her birth mother (Bette Midler) makes contact with her for the first time. It's no wonder the bags under April's eyes are so heavy.

Hunt's directorial debut, THEN SHE FOUND ME, begins so tragically but attempts then to lighten the mood with awkward comedy and untimely romance. The combination is a bizarre contradiction that just falls flat. It doesn't feel right to laugh just yet as there hasn't been time to mourn but we don't want to mourn either as we only just met these folks. We don't know how to feel or where to go and neither does the direction of the film. When the dust from April's disastrous week finally begins to settle, the film finally begins to breathe normally again and finds a particular charm in its decidedly neurotic voice. Still, it is more unsettling than it is satisfying.

While Hunt may be overly sentimental as a director, she finds a certain harshness in her acting style that becomes the film's most unifying source. As put upon as she is at this juncture in her life, she manages to juggle everything reasonably well by balancing between protecting herself, demanding what she deserves and allowing her defenses down at just the right moments and only to those who deserve entry. The woman deserves happiness, be that in the form of a new love with troubled suitor, Frank (Colin Firth), or by realizing her longtime desire to have a child, but her life only gets continuously more complicated, sometimes by her own doing. I would ordinarily want to hug someone in April's position but mostly I just wanted to shake her.

What ultimately undermines THEN SHE FOUND ME is its own air of self-loathing. Hunt spends so much time trying to incite sympathy for April by dumping so many hard realities on to her at once but then punishes her when all she has done is try to keep her head above water. It's hard to feel love for a face on the screen when the woman who put her there hasn't made up her mind herself.

Bonding: Necessities and Consequences

[gradyharp · 6/10 · 4 September 2008]

In a featurette on the DVD release version of THEN SHE FOUND ME writer (with Alice Arlen and Victor Levin) /producer/director Helen Hunt shares a ten year journey to have a film made of a novel by Elinor Lipman. Her cast shares in the very sentimental story of Hunt's devotion and seemingly endless charisma and abilities. The explanation for making this budget film are in many ways more successful than the film, a work the cast seems determined to classify as a comedy but a work that is far more a human drama.

April Epner (Helen Hunt) is married to fellow schoolteacher Ben Green (Matthew Broderick) and longs to have a baby before her advancing age prevents her dream. April was adopted as an infant by a Jewish couple who subsequently gave birth to April's brother Freddy (Ben Shenkman): April has always longed to have been Freddy's biological equal, wondering what it would feel like NOT to be adopted. April's busy life implodes: Ben has decided he doesn't like his life and leaves April, April's mother dies, April meets Frank (Colin Firth) a recently divorced writer and father of two children, and April is contacted by a man who can put April in touch with her birth mother - popular TV talk show hostess Bernice Graves (Bette Midler). And if these turns of events weren't traumatic enough, April discovers that she has become pregnant by Ben and Ben is unsure whether he can handle the restructuring of his life to accommodate April. Cautiously April and Frank begin a rather tenuous courtship which is almost immediately threatened by April's discovery of her pregnant state. April and Bernice meet, exchange backgrounds, and make pacts to test their biologic relationship. How each of these characters makes promises that eventually damage each other and then resolve in unexpected ways becomes a study of the meaning of love and compassion among fragile human beings.

While not a satisfying story on every level and a film too cluttered with inconvenient editing choices, the cast is strong and obviously committed, and the story (neither a comedy or a drama but a mixture of the two) tests credibility. But there are some fine moments and the lessons in human behavior are worth examining. Not a great movie but a strong little small budget film. Grady Harp

A Sleeper

[[e-mail] · 6/10 · 18 September 2011]

If "Then She Found Me" got any real notice when it came out, it certainly passed by me. I didn't know what to expect when I chose the streaming video version, mainly because I've always liked Helen Hunt, and she's backed by a pretty impressive cast. Although it's certainly no blockbuster, the film is well worth seeing. Since it is immediately disclosed, I don't feel I'm spoiling anything in saying that Hunt plays the part of an adopted woman whose marriage at age 39 fails almost immediately because her groom (Matthew Broderick) is completely immature. Hunt's character (April Hepner) is unexpectedly confronted by her birth mother (Bette Midler) and also finds herself in a potentially romantic relationship with Frank (Colin Firth), a single father with two children whose wife left the family to travel around the world with her lover. April desperately wants to have a child, and time is quickly running out. Complications ensue on several fronts -- with her birth mother, with the husband from whom she is separated, and with Frank and Frank's kids. Hunt directed this film and co-wrote the script. Although she's a little old to be 39 again, she's still slim, beautiful, a skilled comic actress and believable in a serious, emotionally wrenching role. I can't give the movie more than a 6 but I liked it. The ending, which I won't describe, is plausible but a little too abrupt. However, I'll concede that filling the gap could not have been done quickly. And that's a potent argument for ending it without an explanation as they chose to do.

Wretched Script Cannot Be Redeemed by All Star Cast

[Danusha_Goska · 3/10 · 20 March 2009]

"Then She Found Me" is a wretched movie, and it should not be. The talent here is undeniable: Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler. The problem? An unforgivably awful script. Can anyone in Hollywood read? Hollywood is a world capital of entertainment, of magic; there is so much talent there. And yet, year after year, these awful scripts are greenlighted and talented writers starve. What gives?

The main character, April Epner (Helen Hunt) is never fleshed out. What we do know about her makes her incredibly unappealing. She's obsessed with her plump, middle-aged, boy-man husband (Broderick) who has left her to live in his mother's house. April is shrill and rude to her dying mother. She's manipulative and callow in her interactions with Colin Firth, the man all sensible women love and would treat like the treasure he is. In a particularly painful scene, Frank (Firth) makes a poignant confession of love to April, and she blows him off in order to gripe to her husband in a cell phone call. I was literally shouting at the screen, "Run, Colin, run! Get away from this nasty loser female as fast as ever you can!" It doesn't stop there. April attempts to have a quickie with her husband in the back seat of a car. On a busy city street. In broad daylight. With the car door open. It was such an ugly, gratuitous scene. It marked April as someone suffering from borderline personality disorder. But it doesn't stop there. April casually invites both her husband and her boyfriend to her gynecologist's office for an exam, in stirrups and johnny coat, to ascertain that she is pregnant, by her husband. WHY should we care about this woman? Why should Colin Firth be attracted to her? What inspired his poignant love confession? Nothing. There is nothing on screen, nothing in the script, that ever fleshes his attraction out.

Speaking of "flesh" … if you read comments here or on the web, you can see that most viewers were fixated on how haggard Helen Hunt looks. She is very thin, and time has not been kind to her face. In some scenes, it is impossible to look at her and not want to sit her down and get some food into her, she looks that much like a refugee from some catastrophe. Some viewers applauded Hunt for being "brave" and allowing the camera access, but focusing on Helen Hunt's courage utterly detracts from ever registering April Epner as a flesh and blood human being. You're not thinking about April Epner, you're thinking, "Hmm…how could Helen Hunt change her look?" Similarly, Bette Midler is never convincing as the character she is playing. She is always Bette Midler, bodacious saloon singer, breezing through a film with a script that is decidedly unworthy of any attempt on her part to bother to pretend to be anyone but Bette Midler.

Failed films like this are so painful because there are so few movies made for women over forty. The glory days that could produce a script like Mankiewicz's "All About Eve" are long behind us. Drek like this make us miss classics like that all the more. Older women do lead interesting lives. There are so many real questions that this film could have explored for a forty-plus schoolteacher whose husband wants to leave her. This film ignored all of those real questions and just plopped Colin Firth, the perfect man, and Bette Midler, STAR, in as phony, bogus attempts to stir up some kind of a plot. Sorry – without writing talent and insight, which this script utterly lacks – even starpower like Firth's and Middler's can't create a worthy film.

A Very Modern Woman

[merylmatt · 7/10 · 13 August 2009]

This is a realistic portrayal of people in everyday situations. Things change quickly, decisions are made with the best of intentions but don't always turn out for the best. Life can be messy, Helen's character has to find ways to make the puzzle pieces fit even when they don't.

Helen Hunt has talent. In this movie, she stars, directs, has a hand in the script. It is nice to see things from a woman's perspective. Slightly reminiscent of Sex in the City, life in New York is fast paced, confusing, frustrating. But there is hope, there is redemption, there are second chances. That is what this movie is about and what makes it enjoyable.

POSSIBLE SPOILER: It has a happy ending.

Hunt used her Oscar clout for this?!?!

[MBunge · 3/10 · 26 April 2010]

Wow, does Helen Hunt look bad in this movie. I mean really bad. It's like she spent 6 months in a forced labor camp before doing this film and then spent every night during production sleeping inside the machine used to make freeze dried milk. Hunt is so unappealing here, she makes her puffy, sexagenarian co-star Bette Midler look like a dewy ingénue.

Hunt produced Then She Found Me and I've seen actresses get naked in that situation to jazz up their own pictures. Here, a beautiful woman decided to make herself as unattractive as possible, which might not have been so disconcerting if everyone else in the cast were similarly uglied up. But the rest of the actors all have the normal make up jobs and look as good as they do in any other film you've seen them in. I mean, Matthew Broderick is actually older than Hunt and has not aged all that well, yet Hunt could almost past for Broderick's cancer-stricken mother in this movie.

I suppose I shouldn't go on and on about it. It's not exactly nice to focus so intently on the physical appearance of a performer. But the way Hunt looks in this film is, by far, the most striking thing about it. When you're watching Then She Found Me, you can't help but wonder "Why did Helen Hunt co-write, direct and produce a movie where she resembles a piece of dehydrated gristle?"

There is one good thing about Hunt's bizarrely homely look in this picture. It does somewhat district you from her otherwise quite noticeable deficiencies as a storyteller. The film has an uneven tone, is oblivious to how pathetic most of its characters are, never settles on what it's about, is littered with failed attempts at humor and wraps things up with a lovers' reconciliation that's turns into a powerful argument for celibate solitude.

April Epner (Helen Hunt) is a 39 year old Jewish school teacher who desperately wants kids. The movie opens with her marriage ceremony to Ben (Matthew Broderick). There's a very brief scene where it's established that April was adopted and therefore wants her own biological child. Then Ben leaves her after they have break-up sex on the kitchen floor. The same day Ben departs, April meets the divorced dad (Colin Firth) of two of her students and it couldn't have been more apparent that the two of them will fall in love if the film had stopped at that point and the words "These two people will fall in love" appeared on the screen for a full minute.

Shortly after Ben's abandonment and April's initial flirting in a theatrically awkward way with Frank (Colin Firth), April's birth mother decides to contact her. She turns out to be local TV personality Bernice Graves (Bette Midler), who appears to have been transplanted into this movie from a very different film. Midler plays Bernice with the sort of over-the-top pushiness and self-centeredness you might tolerate in a broader and louder comedy. In this quieter and intentionally quirkier story, Bernice comes off like a woman who is both unpleasant and unbalanced. Imagine a worn out Jamie from Mad About You being paired with George Constanza's mother from Seinfeld.

Anway, as April tries to get closer to Frank while dealing with the annoying and stalkerish attempts at bonding of Bernice, she gets pregnant. That brings Ben back into the equation, though only for a few very cheap lunges at a laugh and a really unbelievable plot twist. What happens to April, her baby and her complicated family situation is way too contrived to get into. Suffice it to say that the film offers up a happy ending despite all logic and reason to the contrary.

As a director, Hunt is adequate when it comes to things like framing a shot and that's about as far as she goes. Her narrative decisions are almost uniformly awful. Let me just take what happens with April and Ben as an example. Hunt never explains why April fell in love with a pudgy weakling like Ben or why Ben wanted to marry an emaciated-looking woman like April. It's never explained why Ben decides to leave her or even how long there were together before they got to that point. And by having April and Ben's marriage and separation happen within the space of two or three minutes, it only emphasizes how little you know or understand either of them. After Ben leaves, he reappears in only 6 more scenes in the whole film and he functions as nothing more than a plot device or a punchline in any of them. After his final scene, where absolutely nothing about his relationship with April is resolved or even addressed, Ben vanishes from the story and is never heard from or referred to again.

The idea of a woman being caught between a man she's always been with and a man she's meant to be with, while hearing her biological clock tick-tick-ticking away, is a decent enough start for script. Hunt not only botches that, she also needlessly clutters things up by including the whole "zany birth mother returns" nonsense. The two separate plot threads don't have any connection or resonance and create a confused mess of a film.

After winning an Oscar, an actor or actress usually gets one chance to make the movie they want to make, the way they want to make it. Hunt wasted her chance on Then She Found Me and there's nothing here to suggest she should ever get another opportunity.

An AAA for effort but a C+C+C+ for quality

[mauricebarringer · 7/10 · 18 May 2008]

I want to praise Helen Hunt for directing this unpretentious character study of people with real problems at a time when big budget super hero movies with all plot and no character development are the mainstream.

Unfortunately, I felt that Bette Midler and Helen Hunt were acting in 2 separate films as the mother and daughter. Midler seemed to be acting in a big budget over-the-top romantic comedy while Hunt was understated and subtle as a complicated lady in a small movie that was a fine character study. The 2 ladies didn't seem to be on the same planet.

Also I felt that the performances were stilted at times and there were too many scenes involving over-acting. An example was the fine actor Colin Firth yelling and cussing toward the end of the film after having been so contained the rest of the film.

I do want to again compliment Helen Hunt for this sincere and intelligent film but feel that it was quite uneven at times. I will give her an A grade for effort and sincerity but a C+ grade for the script and performances.

Everyone has an opinion, but come on!

[actorsneedwriters · 2/10 · 14 August 2009]

Do not watch this movie. If you want comedy, this is not it. If you want human drama, this is not it. This is manufactured drivel. Every few minutes I had to think-you've got to be kidding.

This was not real humanity as so many of these reviews have stated. It was too much, too over the top. All of this crap coming down on the same person at the same time might really happen, but come on. It was like what else can we throw in?

Rat bastard husband, but he's irresistible, said regrettable words to mom then she dies, must have a baby, won't adopt, but can't get pregnant, loony adoptive mother turns out to be a liar, she's forgiven, but turns out to be a liar again, luckily she's rich and can help with fertility treatments, despite all this let's fall in love with a quirky but perfect man who is of course, the father of one of your students (yes I'm a public servant, of course, and poor) then screw it up, then work it out, oh hello-now I'm pregnant with a baby by my loser husband, so it's complicated with my new man-I just don't know what to feel right now so I'll try to have sex in the backseat of a car in broad daylight on a neighborhood street with loser husband, but then- surprise, surprise -a miscarriage.

Throw in a let's curse Christianity "Jesus f'ing Christ" and God damns, I thought God was nice, but he's not rant, life is so unfair, followed by a I'm going to be spiritual anyway-it's OK to be Jewish prayer, slap a happy ending on I've adopted a Chinese baby girl after all and ended up with my man in the end even though this goes against his character because he was the only one with enough sense to stay away from my crazy life, all the while with Helen Hunt's overdone screwing up of the face, hand wringing, and variable tone- which can be charming, but not here in such large doses.

This movie was awful. How was it believable? It was just one thing after another and on and on with a Hollywood ending. This was a "I'm not wearing make up, I'm a real person and a real movie making artist, not just some Hollywood actress, let's make a movie about real life that will touch people and make a few statements" movie.

If this was real life and all that drama happened to a real person I'm not thinking you would be wrapping it up that neatly with a bow at the end. Life can be complicated, people have strange feelings, and humans make mistakes, but this film didn't make me or my spouse feel anything but regret for having watched this turd. I only gave it two stars because Colin Firth had a couple of good moments. Save yourself from this!

Hooray for Helen Hunt

[jjcremin-1 · 10/10 · 15 April 2008]

Actually, it's very unlikely if "Then She Found Me" will take in the bucks that a new James Bond or Indiana Jones movie might do. But I just saw an advanced screening last night through Film Independent with Hunt present for q and a. I must say I was extremely satisfied. A chick flick this is, but it's a masterful one and I highly recommend it. Gestating for ten years, she took the plunge as co-producer, co-writer, played the lead character and made her directorial feature debut of this tale of broken trusts and betrayals.

I will do my best not to reveal any spoilers as there are many surprises here and probably best seen without even seeing the trailer. I will say there's a strong Jewish theme that the novel this was based on had and Hunt saw no reason to change that. In fact, atonement is very big in the Jewish faith. It starts off with her getting married to Matthew Broderick and we quickly find out that he's totally pathetic and selfish.

Hunt gets outstanding performances from Colin Firth and Bette Midler whose own characters have their own baggage that Hunt's character is forced to deal with. That in itself is what makes "Then She Found Me" so refreshing. We human beings are so imperfectly perfect and the issues the players here play with are quite believable. On top of everything else, Helen Hunt's character has a baby time clock and she's no longer a spring chicken.

As an actress, she is as good as she was in "As Good As It Gets". Actually, there is some "borrowed" dialog towards the ending from that, but that's a moot point. It's perfectly acceptable to repeat what one has done before especially if it was done well. How many times has Woody Allen copied himself and seems to get more self centered each time? With this film, Helen Hunt has proved a woman can also make an excellent film of fractured relationships, a genre he did help invent.

In closing, I do hope this film gets the attention it deserves. Like a lot of geeks, I sit through a lot of films and most disappoint or I find myself looking at my watch. Not so with this one, I found this to be very insightful and entertaining.

Great movie, especially for the married, divorced and close to forty set

[cloudymorning · 7/10 · 3 May 2008]

I popped into the theater one night because I happened to be driving by and had some time to myself. I hadn't seen a movie in a while and had no idea what was playing or what "Then She Found Me" was about, but 'Colin Firth' and 'Helen Hunt' caught my eye so I figured I couldn't go wrong.

I was expecting your typical light-hearted rom-com, but instead found myself engrossed in a very moving and believable story, thanks to the marvelous acting of Firth and Hunt. Still romantic and still on the lighter side, but with nice balance of despair and heartache to remind you that life sucks sometimes.

In my humble opinion, however, Matthew Broderick came across as a bit blank and not quite believable as the "one person in the world" that could make Helen Hunt do anything. And quite frankly (I know I'll get slammed for this), Bette Middler bore my socks off. Does she ever play any other type of character? It was like "Beaches" all over again. That being said, Firth and Hunt were still able carry out a damn good movie.

Helen Hunt shouldn't cast herself

[MdlndeHond · 1/10 · 22 August 2010]

Helen Hunt I always considered a very mediocre actress and general a miss cast in every production. I guess that makes me bias. When a bad actor is also a poor director and then casts her self as the lead character..now that is just aiming for disaster. And in all fairness it doesn't have to be, Ben Affleck: horrible actor-great director.

The story, resembling a season of Days of our Lives in a nutshell doesn't become deeper than a wading pool and Hunt making painful faces makes just for a lot of smurking. On top of that character April Epner is so annoying that you don't understand why people are making any effort for her. Colin Firth looks way too young and too sparkly for his part. And although she keeps saying that she is 39, Hunt obviously is far too old for her part and looks it. Firth and Midler are playing her off the screen and wasting their talents here. Dreadful waste of time.

Pleasant directorial debut from Helen Hunt

[ametaphysicalshark · 6 August 2008]

The first forty or so minutes of "Then She Found Me" are quite excellent, with Hunt showing impressive skill for a rookie director, the score standing out as quite good, and the acting being very good. The script is surprisingly funny for the most part, and has a sense of authenticity and realism that works in favor of the film. The main problem with the film going past the halfway mark is that little of any real interest is happening, and nothing really stands out. It's still amusing, still well-made, still not a bad film by any stretch of imagination, but there's also absolutely nothing that left me wanting to see it again.

6.5/10

An unmarried woman

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 2 June 2008]

Consider poor April Epner, she gets married late in life to Ben, a man that will prove emotionally unstable. April's desire to be a mother consumes her. She realizes her chance for conceiving is almost nil after Ben leaves her; this man is a mamma's boy, if ever there was one. What is April to do? As if it weren't enough, April receives a blow when her adoptive mother dies suddenly. She learns the hard way about who her real mother is: an egotistical television hostess. At the same time, April, who is a school teacher, begins seeing a single father, Frank, who seems to be the perfect man for her. Is it too much for April to hope for some happiness in her own life? Watching the last frames of the film one realizes that all what she wanted does indeed comes true.

Helen Hunt, the director and co-adapter of the novel by Elinor Lipman, does good work with her first assignment behind the camera. After all, Ms. Hunt has been behind the action for a great part of her life. She proves she has a voice to be considered, even if this effort doesn't satisfy as a whole.

Ms. Hunt, who appears as Helen, had the tough task of being in two places, something than even more experienced people have not been able to pull. Her April shows a resolute individual who was born to be a mother, yet nature had a way for denying her wish. Matthew Broderick, who is seen as Ben, the boyish man, makes an impression for bringing that character to life. Colin Firth, a distinguished presence in any film, plays Frank, the man who cares for April. Even Bette Midler, who is April's biological mother, shows restraint in a role that would have been wrong played by someone else.

This film debut shows Helen Hunt in a dual capacity. Ms. Hunt deserves another chance and one could only hope for a good source for the material of her next project.

Hunt shines in a mixed-bag comedy/drama

[Buddy-51 · 6/10 · 17 February 2011]

Played by first-time director Helen Hunt, April is a 39-year-old elementary school teacher in Brooklyn whose biological clock has been ticking so loudly it's been keeping her up at night. But that's just the beginning of her woes. Her husband of just a few months (Matthew Broderick) has left her; her adoptive mother has just died; and a crazy lady (Bette Midler) - a local TV talk show host - is claiming to be her biological mother (with Steve McQueen as her father, no less). Then, just as her midlife crisis is coming to a boil, in steps a conveniently abandoned father of two (Colin Firth) - one of whom is April's pupil - to sweep her off her feet, though he comes with his own share of problems as well.

Though "Then She Found Me" is not quite as shopworn and trite as that synopsis may make it sound, it's still an uneasy mixture of insightful drama and plot-tweaking contrivance. In fact, the Alice Arlen/Victor Levin/Helen Hunt screenplay, based on the 1990 novel by Elinor Lipman, tries so hard to be unconventional that it often winds up feeling fake. On the positive side, though, the acting is good (why have we seen so little of Hunt on screen since she won her Oscar fourteen years ago?); the characters skew a little older than your typical romantic comedy figures; the story ends on a tremendously sweet note, and there's just enough genuine humor and charm in the movie to make it worth a look-see.

One side note: the movie makes a continuity error by claiming that April was conceived in 1966 when McQueen was off in China filming "The Sand Pebbles," but later we're told she was conceived when her mother was at a drive-in showing of "Bullitt," which wasn't even released until 1968!

Not her best effort

[shelleys-7 · 3/10 · 4 May 2008]

Although I've heard a lot of gushing about the quality of this movie, I was very disappointed in the final result! I think Hunt was trying to duplicate the tone and tempo of "As Good as It Gets", but as when most people try to duplicate anything, there is failure. I think Helen should stick to acting and forget about directing. Matthew Broderick's character was miscast and he never figured out who he was or even what he was doing in the film. Colin Firth wasn't allowed to reveal his true nature either. Bette Midler, a monumental talent was just under-used. All points to poor direction in my book. The touching moments are a bit maudlin and the funny parts aren't that funny. You can skip this one and rent it on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

By definition alone, it be bittersweet.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 25 August 2009]

For her first feature length directorial picture, Helen Hunt adapts from Elinor Lipman's best selling novel of the same name. Casting herself along side Colin Firth, Bette Midler and Matthew Broderick, Hunt's film follows the uneasy emotional path to fulfilment of April Epner {Hunt}. Shortly after separating from her husband Sam {Broderick}, April's world is further shaken by the death of her adoptive mother. Yet solace is in the offering in the form of divorced single parent Frank {Firth}, but things start to get complicated by the sudden appearance of Bernice Graverman {Midler}. A bold showy talk show host who just happens to claim to be April's birth mother! All that and now Sam is having second thoughts about letting their marriage go..........

Then She Found Me achieves that rare bittersweet thing of managing to blend its humour comfortably with its warm and intelligent core. Also boosted by having its fine cast performing well with the material, it's a film just waiting to be discovered by more people than it evidently has thus far. That's not to say new viewers will instantly become fans of it, because for sure there are problems in the screenplay. But being tagged, as it has in some quarters, as the female bedfellow to Sideways is possibly about right. Which ultimately makes for an interesting viewing experience at the very least. Hunt's picture, as light as it is in the main, has a touch of sadness to it, certainly the characters are rather difficult to like, not because they are defined by who they are, but by what they do. It's an oddity in the film that surprisingly helps the film along. Apparently different from the source novel in terms of dialogue and the Frank/April axis, the film has much to say about the foibles of a woman approaching middle age. A woman who suddenly finds herself at the crossroads of her life, to which it's being influenced by other sources.

The direction is steady and Hunt manages to garner fine turns from her cast. There is nothing tricksy or technically brilliant within the piece. But it is a notable humanistic film that is content to let its earthiness see it home. Not a comedy to split your sides with, and not a drama to shake you to your very core. It's a sweet, intelligent picture that is worth the time of day if you be interested in this type of human story. 7/10

The worst movie I've seen in a long time

[hillary1-2 · 1/10 · 13 November 2008]

By far, the absolute *worst.* Helen Hunt, who I normally like, looks like something out of Dachou in this abomination, but I digress. Where to start, so many things were bad? Acting was passable, although Broderick was wooden and Midler hammy. But...what was the POINT? It just wanders aimlessly with no amchor, not even trying to be a syrupy mess like the unwatchable "Autumn in New York," which is what I was thinking about as I watched it. Bad, bad, bad. No real plot line to speak of. Everybody has the same affect, except when they were shouting at each other. Absurdities like the rejected daughter insisting her mother pony up thousands so she could have in vitro fertilization after a potentially fruitful storyline about being pregnant with her ex-husband's baby abruptly goes up in smoke. No real reason to care about anybody in this flick. Don't waste your time.

Truthfully considered emotions and family conflicts adorned with a sitcom bow...

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 19 April 2009]

Helen Hunt does wonderful work starring in this romantic comedy-drama which she also directed, co-produced and co-wrote, based upon Elinor Lipman's book. She's a 39-year-old Jewish schoolteacher, childless and about to be divorced from her 'best friend,' who harbors old wounds about being adopted (and has conflicted emotions about adopting a child herself). After reuniting with her biological mother, a well-meaning TV celebrity, Hunt begins dating a new guy, only to find herself pregnant by her soon-to-be ex-husband. Although the film's conception is overly-precious, with editing choices and scene transitions designed to be flippant or cute, Hunt gets terrific performances from her cast (most notably from herself, as the actress has not been this flexible or willowy on-screen in years). New love-interest Colin Firth is bursting with anxieties and torments, and yet it's easy to see why Hunt considers him the one man who truly understands her: their self-doubts and insecurities match and mellow each other out. As with most modern movies, these working people seem to have unlimited time at their disposal for reunions, heartfelt conversations or angry confrontations. Still, some of the dialogue is testy in the exact right way, as if the characters are challenging one another to drop their pretenses and tell the truth. The film has intricate problems--and it jumps too far ahead in time near the finish to make it a wholly satisfying or moving experience--but it does have Hunt and Firth, and they are lovely to watch. *** from ****

Then She Found Me

[rajdoctor · 5/10 · 5 July 2008]

I had like Helen Hunt a lot in - As Good as you get – where she won her best actress Oscar in 1997. So, when I heard that she is directing a movie, that interested me. I saw the trailers, and though they did not immediately attract me, I decided to give this movie a go.

In her late thirtees, schoolteacher April Epner (Helen Hunt) - seeking to be pregnant and be a biological mother - marries Benjamin (Matthew Broderick), but things do not work out her way and they saperate. April's step mother dies, and she gets traced by her biological mother Bernice (Bette Midler) after 38 years. After that, April meets Frank (Colin Firth) – father of two children; both fall in love. Soon she realizes that she is pregnant with the child of her ex-husband Benjamin. April's is undecisiveness between Benjamin and Frank. In meantime – she mis-carries the child, and after a small triffle with Frank, then she realizes adopting a child and being with Frank. That's how the movie ends.

Ten years have passed since Helen won the Oscar. The burden of Oscar always mounts on all those who have won it – they want to do it one more time, and with no strong scripts coming by – they venture into self produced or self directed movies – to showcase their talents – one more Oscar…one more feather of appreciation. Helen's movie as director is such an attempt.

The movie has a story line that is linear, and the characters are complex – but they are not exciting. All of them have acted well. Helen Hunt is a very sensitive actress and she acts brilliantly even with the twitch of her eyes or lips. Bette Midler always fills in the character that becomes her. Colin Firth has mastered the role of one of the other man in a triangle love story and always delivers good performance. Matthew's role is comparatively small.

I could not understand the motivation of Helen's indecisiveness, and that looked foolish to me. Another thing that distracted me from her performance was her aneroxic physic – at times though she calls herself 39 (at her current age of 44 years) – she looks 49. Is becoming so thin something Hollywood actresses learn to do? If done with purpose, I think, they all look terrible. I think Helen could have taken another actress – and the movie would had been much better.

The love scenes and kisses are also felt as if 'breakers' in the flow of the movie. Nothing great about editing, cinematography or music – quite okay and normal.

The movie presents the complexities of middle aged women and their biggest fear of not getting pregnant before time. It also gives a message that 'adopting' a baby is always a good option.

The movie might be liked by women and those men like me - who can sit through a feminine story, trying to understand the other half and their emotions. I will go with… (Stars 5.5 out of 10)

a grounded in reality chick flick that is terrific

[soutexmex · 8/10 · 7 July 2008]

This movie is not bad at all.

I caught the first 10 minutes as I waiting for the film I came to see started. I was intrigued and came back the following week to see this little gem of a movie.

With Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick playing against type, it was a relief not to see them so admirable in their roles. Yes, Bette Midler played the typical yenta shrew but hey, at least we see Bette. She's been away from the screen for far too long.

I'll be the first to tell you I have never been a Helen Hunt fan at all. I have never even seen her hit t.v. series, Mad About You. Something about her just rubbed me the wrong way in the movies I have seen her in. But then, I saw this movie and I loved it and she did a terrific job in her production.

Seriously. All these people who are criticizing her are slamming her for the wrong reasons. Why? This is one of those FEW films in life in which it's neither the director, writer, or actor's fault. If there is any downside, it's the editor's fault. Yes, it is.

Why? Because the editor chopped up the scenes. In the editing room, a director can become a genius or a fool. This is one of those cases. I do not fault Helen's direction. I fault the editor here. Some of these scenes should have been allowed to breathe on their own, not jump cut from one emotion to the next.

Despite that editing distraction, this chick flick has heart, it does have emotion. How do I know this? I heard a lot of sniffling, tears of sorrow and joy in the audience when this film ended. That is what a film is suppose to do, make you feel something, be a participant, not a witness.

Helen Hunt portrays again a role of the overwhelmed middle-aged woman living through a crisis period.

[JohnRayPeterson · 7/10 · 5 September 2011]

Most moviegoers have seen Helen Hunt's Oscar winning role as Carol the waitress in "As Good As It Gets"; after all the movie was nominated for seven Academy Awards, two of which (best male and female actors) it won, not to mention countless other awards. In "Then She Found Me", her April Epner character much reminded me of Carol the waitress. Here she plays a school teacher going through a much more trying period of her life than Carol did, and even more than that of her character Jeannie in the 2010 movie "Every Day", a film I raved about in an earlier review this year. She also directed "Then She Found Me" with a cast I'm sure she appreciated, which included Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. I did not know that Salman Rushdie did any acting, yet to my surprise, he did okay as Hunt's gynaecologist. Colin Firth's character Frank played Hunt's love interest; that couple was as unlikely as the Nicholson-Hunt match. Frank is a neurotic father of two young children and estranged from his wife who left him for a life a debauchery which of course was the source of his barely manageable neurosis. That love interest is volatile and passionate. Oh, what a delight to watch it was to me. I took a liking to Shawn Colvin's music in this movie.

Top 5 Worst Movie

[ScriptiSandy · 1/10 · 28 January 2009]

This movie failed to deliver. With Colin Firth and Bette Middler, two of my all-time favorite actors, in prominent roles, I had high expectations that were tempered somewhat by the lead being played by Helen Hunt. When the opening credits rolled and I saw she directed, I lowered them even further (in that this was, to my knowledge, her first effort at directing). Even with that in mind, I was not prepared for how awful this movie turned out to be. Hunt's performance was stilted and one dimensional. Her voice grated on me as she tended to speak in monotone for most of her dialog. There was a complete lack of any depth to her character. She obviously needs the guidance of a good director to elicit a decent performance, something she apparently cannot do for herself. She should never direct herself again. Ever. In fact, she shouldn't ever direct again at all as no ones performance was up to their usual standard.

There are long, and I do mean long, awkward moments in the story. One glaring example is at the first ultrasound. The camera lingers on the monitor far too long, and then on Hunt as she is looking at the image on the monitor. Moments like that are milked for all they are worth and long past the point where the moment dries up.

This movie definitely has a permanent place in my list of top 5 worst movies I have ever seen.

This movie manages to be turgid and silly at the same time

[tomgrant3 · 3 September 2008]

"Then She Found Me" is an insult to the intelligence. At least with the "American Pie" and "Saw" franchises you know what you're in for. A cast like this leads one to expect some degree of quality -- or at least coherence. Wrong! Helen Hunt is an unsmiling, self-absorbed, masochistically willing victim. Matthew Broderick is meant to be a feckless Peter Pan but doesn't convey a scintilla of that. Bette Midler is woefully miscast in a role that completely ignores her comedic and dramatic talents. Colin Firth's character -- also grumpy and funereal in demeanor -- acts and reacts entirely without plausible motivation. John Benjamin Hickey flits around enigmatically like some latter-day Tinker Bell. It's as if all the characters were just put in front of the camera without directorial discussion of the movie's message, plot or intent. I'm not sure it's fair to blame Hunt (as director) because the screenplay is unrelievedly lousy. Not only is it poorly plotted, the "cute" dialog is in fact just plain dumb. This film will appeal only to those willing to suspend even subatomic levels of disbelief.