Chick Flick worth the wait

Then She Found Me

Director: Helen Hunt

Cast: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick, Colin Firth

It took ten years for this story to reach the screen and even if it falls into the Chick Flick category it has been well worth the wait.

The film’s success lies with Hunt who co-wrote, co-produced, directed and stars in it. Her choice of fellow performers is also top class.

The story has a strong Jewish family feel to it, with lots of atonement and redemption and fun running through it.

Hunt plays April, a New York schoolteacher whose life begins to unpick at the seams: her wimpish husband (Broderick) takes off, her adoptive mother dies, her real mother, Bernice (Midler) returns on the scene and the father of one of her students, Frank (Firth), becomes her main squeeze.

There’s a lot going on in this movie, and most of it is good … the down side comes after the half-way point when the drive of the opening half isn’t maintained.

But it’s a small niggle since everybody plays it for real. Midler is quite wonderful as the local TV chat-show celeb, Broderick does woeful to perfection and Firth, as always, turns in a sterling performance as the ‘perfect’ love replacement.

And the busy Hunt shows that she can handle such a story and its cast with some style.

Star Rating: 4/5