Hope Floats (1998)

Birdee Calvert must choose between her morals and her heart after her husband divorces her and a charming young man, who her daughter disapproves of, comes back into her life.

Director:

Forest Whitaker

Writer:

Steven Rogers

Stars:

Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands

3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sandra Bullock	...	Birdee Pruitt
Harry Connick Jr.	...	Justin Matisse
Gena Rowlands	...	Ramona Calvert
Mae Whitman	...	Bernice Pruitt
Michael Paré	...	Bill Pruitt
Cameron Finley	...	Travis
Kathy Najimy	...	Toni Post
Bill Cobbs	...	Nurse
Connie Ray	...	Bobbi-Claire
Mona Lee Fultz	...	Teacher
Sydney Berry	...	Orange Julia
Rachel Snow	...	Big Dolores (as Rachel Lena Snow)
Christina Stojanovich	...	Kristen
Alissa Alban	...	Debbie Reissen (as Allisa Alban)
Dee Hennigan	...	Dot

Storyline

Birdee Calvert-Pruitt is back in her hometown of Smithville, Texas, after discovering that her husband is having an affair with her best friend, Connie. The entire town knows what happened to flawless beauty Birdee since Connie let her know about the affair on a national talk show. Back in town, she's dealing with catty old friends and acquaintances from high school who can't help rubbing it in her face that she isn't as perfect as she thought while still trying to get back on her feet with her daughter, Bernice. Deeply depressed, she runs into an old friend, Justin Matisse, who tries to help her through, but is still in love with her. Birdee must make a new life for her and her daughter, but will Justin be able to be part of it?

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Plot Keywords:

small town | return to hometown | funeral | betrayal | adultery | 

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Taglines:

When life fell apart, love fell into place.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vientos de esperanza

Filming Locations:

201 E. Eighth St. Smithville, Texas USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,210,464, 31 May 1998

Gross USA:

$60,053,195

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$81,471,882

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, Fortis Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two versions of the song "Make You Feel My Love" were used in this film. The first is by Garth Brooks, and the second is by Trisha Yearwood. The two recording artists married one another in 2005.

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Goofs

When Birdee goes to visit her father alone, her hair and clothes are completely dry, but just before that she walked under heavy rain. It's impossible to be that dry in so little time without help.

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Quotes

Ramona Calvert: Boy, she had a face on her like a bucket of worms.

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Connections

Referenced in Hello, He Lied & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches (2002)

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Soundtracks

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing
from the Twentieth Century Fox Motion Picture Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
Words and Music by Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster

User Reviews

Too dramatic to be a romantic comedy, and that saves the film

"Hope Floats" is too dramatic to be a romantic comedy. It's more of a character drama about Birdee (Sandra Bullock) moving back home and the main story line being a romance with Harry Connick Jr.

Birdee, and the film, are very down-to-earth. Although she lived in Chicago, she's much more suited to the small-town life that she grew up in in Texas. They don't go for much of the obvious comedy of big-city girl versus small-town country girl. And that's a good thing.

The young daughter can get annoying, and the romantic comedy angle is transparent from the beginning. But the natural drama that Birdee goes through in trying to rebuild her life after a public divorce is done well enough that it makes "Hope Floats" worth watching.