I have to admit I thought the adoption-impregnation drama Then She Found Me was going to put the “ick” and “ick” back into chick and flick. But, really, I couldn't have been more mistaken.
April Epner is a primary school teacher on the verge of 40 and desperate to have a child. But her new marriage to man-boy Ben is failing and her adoptive mother is about to die. Worse, April's birth mother Bernice has just shown up on the scene, and she's a glib TV talk show host who seems to lie as easily as breathing.
Into this strange mix comes Frank, the single father to one of April's students, who wants to share his life with her.
In synopsis, Then She Found Me sounds pretty sudsy. But this adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel has been smartly directed, produced and co-written by Helen Hunt, who also takes the role of April.
Ten years ago, Hunt was a huge star – in 1998 she won the Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe for As Good As It Gets and TV's Mad About You. Since then she's worked occasionally, but she's lost none of her on screen believability. I especially admire her for looking her age – there's no Botox in her wonderfully expressive, character-filled face and she's not afraid of her close ups.
In just this fashion, Then She Found Me is unafraid to admit the road to parenthood can be heartbreaking, which is something that the more simplistic movies in the recent match-and-hatch genre have avoided.
Hunt makes April touchingly real and uncertain about what she should do about her newfound mother, the men in her life, and her motherhood aspirations.
As a filmmaker, Hunt ensures that the jokes are nicely balanced with sincere emotion, and that Bette Midler, Matthew Broderick and Colin Firth don't overplay what could've been stereotypical roles.
Then She Found Me is a little gem, definitely worth finding, and rates four stars.
