Product Description

Based on Elinor Lipman's best-selling novel and directed by Academy Award ® winner Helen Hunt, Then She Found Me follows one woman's touching and unlikely path to personal fulfillment. After separating from her husband Sam (Matthew Broderick) and the death of her adoptive mother, schoolteacher April Epner (Helen Hunt) manages to find comfort in the arms of divorced single parent Frank (Colin Firth). But things get complicated when Sam can't quite bring himself to let go of their marriage and April's life is turned completely upside down when the unexpected arrival of Bernice Graverman (Bette Midler), a brash and glamorous talk show host who claims to be her birth mother. Even worse, Bernice seems determined to pick up her maternal role where she left off, starting with April s tangled love life...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2869 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-02-23
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

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 co-wrote 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 romcoms 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 humour 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.

Customer Reviews

Then She Found Me
I found this film refreshing, as its not like the usual rom-com or chick-flicks of recent times. April (Helen Hunt), the main character, embarks on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the film, as she comes to terms with the rise and fall of her marriage, the death of her mother, the discovery of her biological birth mother, and her desire to experience motherhood for herself.

Characters come in and out of play and each bring something new to the storyline - Frank (Colin Firth) is an emotionally unstable and overfunctioning single father of two, with his own set of problems and his own odd way of dealing with things. The insight into Frank's relationship with his children, and the relationship of April, Frank and the kids is carefully analysed and well written. Sam (Matthew Broderick), April's soon-to-be-ex husband, flits in and out of the scenes, bringing with him a complex set of emotions which are so outlandishly childish you have to wonder where the line between adulthood and childhood are. Bernice (Bette Middler) is overbearing, borderline hysterical and highly strung character who has obviously missed out on April's life, but in her efforts to reconsile this she often confuses good and bad.

All in all, this film seemed to be quite philosophical and psychological in its analysis of relationships between different groups of people; parents with each other, parents with their children, and children with each other, across differing age ranges and stages of emotional progression. It's quite a deep film, not easy to grasp in the first instance and takes a few watches to be appreciated. The plotline moves very quickly, and the understanding of the delicate interrelationships between human beings is paramount to the films enjoyment.

Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler and Matthew Broderick carry this film exceptionally well, and take this film from a complicated flop into a superb study of life. Helen Hunt has also written and directed the film (though it is based on a book) and this is an excellent introduction to her skills. More please, more!!

Worth watching
I bought this film because I am a fan of both Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.
Colin Firth gives a fine performance in his role as a single father, deserted by his wife and left to care for his two young children. There is a wonderful tenderness between him and Helen Hunt - they are so natural together. Both find themselves in traumatic situations and their connection is touching and wholly believable.
Matthew Broderick's role as Hunt's husband is smaller but provides a necessary contrast. As a previous 'real-life' partner of Hunt's, their scenes together feel natural and spontaneous.
Helen Hunt is lovely. With very little make up and lank hair for much of the film she gives such a touching and, at times,pained performance that is really beautiful. Her commentary on the film is also well worth listening to and gives a real insight into what she hoped to create as a director.
There is so much to recommend in this film. Buy it now!

No Subtitles!!!!
As with other reviewers the fact that there are no subtitles on this film made it a total non runner for me as I am deaf. So can't even begin to comment on the storyline as I just couldn't watch it! Please amazon include this information on product info because it will prevent me from purchasing again so as not to waste money.