Hope Springs (2003) User Reviews

It's not without its charm

[mjw2305 · 6/10 · 13 January 2007]

Colin Ware (Colin Firth) finds that his fiancé, Vera (Minnie Driver) is going to marry someone else. Distraught by the news he goes to the tiny town of hope in New England, where he meets a beautiful young nurse called Mandy (Heather Graham) and both their lives begin to get better. That is until Vera re-emerges with a little surprise for Colin.

There are better romantic comedies than this one, it's a little bit generic and struggles to do anything fresh or truly hilarious, but it was enjoyable and it certainly wasn't without its charm.

Firth, Graham and Driver all deliver fairly typical performances, playing character types that they have portrayed before; and the direction is perfectly OK for a film of this type, all in all its a decent film that is mildly amusing, entertaining and heartwarming enough.

6/10

Come on, wasn't all that bad...

[movie-miguel · 6/10 · 17 September 2005]

The movie perhaps wasn't all that brilliant, but it wasn't all that bad after all...

It was actually fun.

Fun to see Collin Firth making fun of himself, also Oliver Platt being pathetic as the head of the city of Hope...

The chemistry was there. The script wasn't just superb, but the actors make it up to you.

It's a change from the Briget Jones's Diary, where Firth has to compete with Grant to get a girl. The girls are competing with each other to get him for a change.

I've enjoyed it. So has my wife.

Good to watch on DVD on a late evening. It'll cheer you up.

Hoped For Better

[Ulleskelf · 5/10 · 7 June 2003]

The story so far: Broken-hearted English artist flies to a small New England town he just picked off the map to run away from a fiancée that hurt him. He meets up an an American girl and then ex-fiancée arrives and lots of fun etc etc etc

This *should* have been a good film. Three lead actors who, on their day, are more than excellent, and a script that, although formulaic in the rom-com mould, has enough changes to at least make it interesting.

So why does it fail?

None of Colin Firth, Heather Graham or Minnie Driver actually make us believe their character. I'm guessing that the film was pitched on the strengths of Firth in 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Bridget Jones' Diary' without realising that Colin Firth actually isn't Hugh Grant - mind you Grant would have failed at this film too. It needed somebody who wasn't a 'name' but then, of course, it wouldn't have got made.

In the role of the evil ex-fiancée I wonder who else they considered; Minnie Driver was an interesting choice that seemed not to work - whilst not exactly pure evil, you know the script-writers called for Cruella de Ville with a hint of niceness. Heather Graham was slightly more believable as the kooky girl-next-door type, but the stars of the show were Mary Steenburgen and Frank Collison as Joanie and Fisher.

The entire film strikes me as a money-making exercise for the studio. Throw an Englishman that the American rom-com demographics have heard of and sit back and hope the dollars come in.

Great quirky look at Small Town America

[mimacdon4 · 7 September 2003]

I finally saw the film!! It was a delightful subtle piece of filmmaking. The movie is based on the book(New Cardiff) by author Charles Webb, of "The Graduate" fame. Mark Hermann, doing double duty as screenwriter and director, does an adequate job of translating the book to film.

Colin Firth is on the money as Colin Ware, a jilted artist who comes to America to forget his romantic troubles. He jumps out of the fire and into the frying pan, so to speak. By virtue of the hotel manager, he finds a new romantic interest in Heather Graham who plays Mandy, a 'caregiver' by trade. He gets acquainted with this quirky little town whether he wants to or not.

He starts to do portraits of the townsfolk. I found these portrait scenes to be quite entertaining. All is well until now ex-fiancee Vera reappears on the scene in Hope. There is good caustic interplay between Mandy and Vera in their fight over the same man.

Good performances from great ensemble cast made of up Oliver Platt, the Mayor of Hope, Mary Steenburgen as oh-so-tacky matchmaking Hotel manager and Frank Collison as her eccentric husband.

If you are looking for something more subtle than this summer's blockbuster fare, try this delightful little gem of a film! You won't be disappointed.

P.S. For Colin fans out there, he looks gorgeous! I can't wait for the DVD to appreciate him in all his glory.

Michele

pretty, picturesque but not as engaging as it could have been.

[triple8 · 5/10 · 3 December 2005]

SPOILERS THROUGH:

Hope Springs is a sweet, pretty movie, both a romance and a comedy and it takes place in New England. The movie's strongest points are the vivid beautifully photographed country scenes. The photography is vibrant and the movie is visually lovely throughout. Also a plus was the casting of Heather Graham as the down to earth Mandy. Graham sparkled as brightly as the many hills and trees seen throughout. Mandy is likable from the beginning and we want her to end up with Firth.

But the biggest problem with the movie as a whole is the lack of energy. Firth and Graham don't have a whole lot of chemistry and while there is an occasional funny line, the movie's not consistently funny enough as a whole, to be a serious comedy. Neither is it romantic enough to be a serious romance. It's definitely pretty and picturesque but there is something curiously flat about the movie as a whole.

I had heard this was originally a book and the funny thing is, I could really see this being a very fun and enjoyable book. But the story as a movie just didn't work as well as it could have. It wasn't as funny as it should have been. The wit that should have been there in the bantery back and forth scenes between various characters was not, for the most part, present and Minnie Driver's character just really got on my nerves. This movie is watchable but really not all that great and I'd rate it about average.

Why does every post HATE this movie so much?

[Gimmickthegnome · 7/10 · 25 May 2004]

For a romantic comedy, this movie isn't very romantic. And it also isn't terribly funny...

However, there's a certain endearing charm about it. This movie is more 'small town' romantic than 'hollywood' romantic. While there are elements that could have used a bit of work (A LOT of work if you ask many posters here), you're not left unfulfilled at the end of this film.

All I'm saying is: If you happen to be renting movies for a quiet night in with your significant other, make this a THIRD movie pick if you got the time.

It's kinda like a toddler drawing a mural on your wall in crayon... a bit of a mess, but in the end, it's still pretty cute. 7 out of 10

Hopeless

[=G= · 5/10 · 8 April 2004]

"Hope Springs" is a romcom about a forlorn and jilted English artist (Firth) who travels to a rural New England community where he falls for a babe (Graham) only to find his ex-girlfriend from the UK (Driver) is hot on the trail of reconciliation. The result is a flat, insipid, silly tale of a man caught between two women which fails at delivering quality in either romance or comedy and creates characters who aren't even very likeable. The film has its moments though they're few and far between, good production value, and the camera is in focus throughout. Beyond that there's little good which can be said of this very ordinary film which grows annoying as time wears on and will work best, if at all, for fans of the players, romcom junkies, and sentimentalists. (C)

C'mon guys - it wasn't that bad!

[davek28 · 7/10 · 15 December 2003]

I can't believe that some of the comments in here say it's the worst film ever. It's a cute, amusing little number which has some very funny lines in it (none of which appear in IMDb "memorable quotes" - which they *should*).

My only complaint is that Colin Firth appears to have forgotten to act. Minnie Driver is her usual sparkling evil self, and Heather Graham is her usual naked chicklet self. What more could you people want?

Incidentally, I saw "Love Actually" earlier in the same day, and preferred "Hope Springs".

Well - *I* liked it. 7/10 for pure entertainment value.

Such a Shame.

[RedRoadster · 3/10 · 1 December 2008]

My girlfriend has this movie on Video and has hammered on at me to see it for some time. Last weekend I finally watched the shambles that is "Hope Springs." The Plot is fairly straight forward, English artist (Colin Firth) has his heart broken by his fiancée so goes to a small American town in the middle of no where to get over his pain. Once there he meets a care nurse of sorts (Heather Graham) and they begin to have feelings for one another. Then.... the ex turns up (Minnie Driver) and the "fireworks" begin.

To echo previous reviews, I think this film fails on every level. The story is so achingly simple that with the right actors and a sharp, witty script this could have been a hidden gem. However, it just plays like a movie that should have been shelved by the studio. Its that bad.

Colin Firth seems to still be "dining out" on the fact that he made an impression in the publics mind as Mr Darcy in the BBC version of Pride and prejudice in 1995. He keeps playing the same half arse bumbling Brit no matter what role he appears in. The audience is supposed to believe that Minnie Driver and Heather Graham are desperate to snag this man. Ridiculous. The afore mentioned ladies do a reasonable job with what they're given, Driver coming across as smolderingly sexy in a few scenes which stands out amongst the other very average performances.

Mary Steenburgen and Oliver Platt are absolutely wasted in their supporting roles which is criminal given that they would both have been capable of saving this mess with more to do. The editing is poor, certain plot points are introduced and left dangling without resolution and the continuity is puzzling. The events that unfold feel so stage managed and preposterous that you'll be left shaking your head in disbelief.

I wish I could find something positive to say about this film, but how can you praise a "romantic comedy" that neither tugs at your heart strings nor inspires laughter.

Completely inconsequential and silly, yet a quirky rom-com with delightful performers...

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 16 February 2010]

British artist, broken-hearted over the dissolution of his engagement to a brash Welsh sexpot, comes to America to relieve his sorrows; he picks the city of Hope ("18,459 people live in Hope") to begin a series of charcoal sketches on the locals, and naturally meets a new girl anxious to help him get over his lost love. Writer-director Mark Herman, adapting his script from the novel "New Cardiff" by Charles Webb (author of "The Graduate"), begins his film with a few "Graduate"-styled visual touches which are quite clever (see if you can find them). His use of soundtrack music is a bit jarring, and the editing seems flagrantly sloppy in the movie's early stages, but these faults are quickly corrected as the characters take shape. In the lead, Colin Firth works his scruffy adorableness to wonderful advantage; with his slightly crooked mouth and low-keyed impatience, he's amusingly antsy and befuddled. The ladies in his life (Heather Graham and Minnie Driver) compliment Firth nicely, while the screwballs who dot the supporting cast are enjoyable without being overtly colorful. We've been down this road before (boy-loses-girl, boy-meets-new-girl, first-girl-comes-back), and a story thread involving a faked family tree doesn't quite come to fruition, but the rest of "Hope Springs" is daffy, frisky, and often funny. *** from ****

I should have paid attention to the first comment posted! Awful!

[HarrietUlph · 1/10 · 13 August 2006]

This is written as a warning for those of you who (like me), decide that despite reading a poor review like the one previously posted here, you should give it a go anyway...

The basic plot was tiresome, disjointed and insipid. At times it felt like the game I played at school where you write the line of a story, fold it over and pass it on unseen to the next player so they can add the next part... My husband banged his head on the chair arm a few times after we decided we would see it through to the end in the hope that it improved, or we perhaps weren't giving it enough of a chance. I think I smiled once in the entire film, and that was at one of the minor characters.

The three main characters (played by Heather Graham, Minnie Driver and Colin Firth) were so unrealistic that I didn't feel the least bit of empathy towards any of them, and despite the quality of actor - what is it they say? You can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear...

So that's it. I've seen hundreds of trashy, cheesy rom coms, and on a rainy Saturday night I love nothing more than a bit of easy watching. But this really was pretty much tripe, and so bitterly did I feel I had wasted an hour and a half of my life watching it that it has compelled me to write, for the first (and probably only) time, a review here to prevent others doing the same if they feel they may have better things they could be doing. Like washing up.

Very Funny!

[laynagirl · 9/10 · 21 August 2004]

I read through many of the comments on this movie and decided that I had to see what all the fuss was about. I rented it expecting to hate it as much as everyone else seems to, but found just the opposite. These days, it's rare to find a movie that really makes me laugh, but I found myself actually laughing out loud throughout most of this one. I agree that the scene with Heather Graham bouncing around in her underwear was indeed absolutely ridiculous... but it was still funny! I have yet to see Colin Firth in anything that I didn't absolutely love, and this was no exception. I think it's wonderful that an actor of his caliber doesn't take himself too seriously, and still goes for the fun stuff once in a while. Making a quick buck, you say? If so, what's wrong with that? It's entertainment! I think the problem is that too many people these days expect every film to be a work of art, and have forgotten that the very idea behind making movies is to entertain us. I believe that this film was meant to be pure and simple fun, and it pulled it off beautifully. As far as comedies go, I give this one at least 9/10!

Very Much Like the Book--quirky and offbeat

[yjgeja · 6/10 · 19 July 2005]

Okay, this is not the best movie ever made--even Colin Firth could not make it into a blockbuster hit. Nonetheless, it is quirky, fun and funny movie that is worth renting.

I read the book, New Cardiff, before seeing the movie and I have to admit, the movie captured the spirit of the book very well. Every character in the book came to life on the big screen through the cast. I loved Firth's portrayal of Colin, the artist, and his little dance in the movie. Minnie Driver's character was the most awful and annoying person ever and she does a great job of bring that to life. It is funny and, like I mentioned before, very quirky. Sure, the ending is not the most realistic but that was how the book went. I actually recommend reading the book before seeing the movie. It prepares you well for what the movie is about, just in case you had high hopes for it being an obviously fabulous movie. Instead, you will learn to like it, for all of its eccentricity.

Colin Firth looks embarrassed to be seen in this film

[jam-47 · 2/10 · 11 April 2004]

An actor the quality of Colin Firth should be embarrassed to be associated with this poorly directed and badly scripted film. In fact, he looks embarrassed to be on screen, barely muddling his way from scene to scene. Mary Steenburgen, a very talented actor who is currently playing the wonderful part of the mother in Joan of Arcadia, should be ashamed of her performance, and from what I saw of Minnie Driver (as I couldn't stomach watching the whole movie) this was her worst performance ever. What were they all thinking?! The plot certainly makes no sense, and the characters in the town are despicable - witness the mayor and the couple at the hardware store. Don't bother with this movie.

So bad I lost the will to live half-way through...

[YouRebelScum · 1/10 · 12 May 2003]

This really could be the worst movie I've ever seen. I went expecting nothing more than Heather Graham in her undies, and although that expectation was happily fulfilled, the emotional trauma I had to suffer during the rest of the picture outweighed the brief (ha) thrill that brought. This film fails on almost *every* level. The script is a ham-fisted, deeply derivative and appallingly unfunny hack job that seems to have been scribbled down hastily in point form on the back of a cigarette packet and then fed into a computer database of dire rom-coms in order to generate the necessary scenes. It's deeply offensive, to men, to women, to all of us as citizens of planet earth. It insults our intelligence by asking us to believe the most childish and it's also very badly shot, strange for a modern Hollywood film, where at least a degree of professionalism extends (usually) to the visuals. Hope Springs (a more agonisingly twee title (yes, the film takes place in a place called Hope Springs and is about a man whose hope... springs...) is unlikely to emerge all year, all decade) seems to have been shot in half-light, and the characters are often placed weirdly within the frame, isolating them from the emotional current of the visual narrative and making them appear to be lost and forlorn characters in some dystopian 70s thriller. NOT the kind of imagery one would expect in a rom-com!

The editing is also atrocious. Scenes are hacked together, strange non-sequiturs abound and plot points are left hanging uselessly, unresolved. But the true vitriol MUST be reserved for the script, which is the most trite, hackneyed, insultingly puerile and shamelessly contrived assembly of cliches yet penned by man. I shudder to think back to some of the atrocities committed onscreen, but no, no, I will not name them... Every time the pace flags (every 20 seconds or so) a new, equally vapid hi-energy rock track is blasted through the speakers, desparately trying to bring some energy to the lacklustre proceedings. How humiliating for the actors to have to engage in this nonsense. What absolute ****.

It's sad, then, to report that the actors in this tragedy are entirely blameless. Firth does his best to bring some amusing British understatement to procedings, Graham is always never less than appealing (even if her penchant for girl/women - this one loves butterflies and her bedroom could be that of an 8-year old - is beginning to wear a bit thin) and Driver preens and minces successfully enough. There's even the excellent comedienne Mary Steenburgen and underused Oliver Platt on hand to help carry out the bodies. But their efforts are wasted...

Half-way through the movie, Heather's exposure sadly over, and the number of painfully unfunny scenes accumulating fast, I resolved to leave the theatre in disgust. I found myself unable to move. What!? In that point of my awareness from which motive force usually sprang, there was only a gaping void. The movie's awfulness had eroded my will to live. I struggled, trying to force myself onto the floor so I least would not have to witness the rest of the horror! But it was no good. The lifeforce had been sapped from me, and I had to endure the nightmare to the end.

How strange and cruel life is, to have allowed this film to be released and seen by innocents...

Pretty Brutal

[Derek_V · 10 April 2004]

After seeing Colin Firth on SNL the other night I decided to give this a chance. I rented it expecting a tyical "chick" flick - a semi-stereotyical direct-to-video experience. But this movie is a mess. Not only does it succeed in making me not feel anything for the protagonist, but every other character in the film (except for Oliver Platt)lagged any real quality about them.

Colin Firth has potential, I mean he has the charm of Hugh Grant mixed with the Physical humor of Eric Idle. But he has absolutely nothing in this. The script gives us a sense of humor that we're more for rolling our eyes at (in a bad way) than like. And Heather Graham not only looks like a Barbie doll but acts like one as well.

Stay away from this movie. I usually send support out to those movies made in Canada, and the way they used the Fort Langley town hall was a nice surprise. But that doesn't make up for the groans I gave and the pain I felt for some of these actors for being in this film.

I'm sorry I don't usually like giving BAD reviews, but this one was worthy.

Idiotic, childish and simple, but in a way rather cute

[fanye · 6/10 · 22 February 2004]

This movie was far from exceeding expectations, but then I might have expected a bit too much of it, purely due to Colin Firth. His character was as almost all his characters are, just a lot more lost than usual. None of the main characters, except maybe for Mary Steenburgen's, really knew what or who they were. The plot was rather idiotic, really (no one takes their clothes off in front of a stranger just because they feel so happy), but when a bunch of British/American stereotype jokes and a bucket full of clichés were added, enough to make a somehow cute story. Not gripping or remarkable, but cute. I think it was the childishness that appealed to me. And somehow in this era of epic movies its comforting to know that they still make these small simple movies.

A cute comedy

[fatehsmann · 5/10 · 3 December 2010]

Okay, before I go on I must confess, the movie doesn't deserve a 7 star rating. Maximum I would have given it is a 6.5. But then I saw it's IMDb rating, and I thought hey, the movie isn't that bad. And I kind of wanted to raise it's rating a little bit.

And it isn't. Yes, the plot isn't terribly original. Yes, the romance doesn't melt your heart. Yes, the comedy doesn't make you roll on the floor laughing. But it does make your smile. The little game that Heather Graham and Colin Firth play, beating about the bush is cute and the chemistry between them is pretty good. The plot is pretty predictable but Heather's portrayal of the vivacious and bubbly Mandy does liven it up. In the end, it's not a terrible waste of time. You won't regret having seen it.

not bad but could have been much better

[antoinebachmann · 6/10 · 3 July 2011]

(warning: mild spoilers)

take a simple but cute idea, the desperate guy abandoned by his fiancée, flies from the UK to the US (supposed to be Maine, but actually filmed in British Columbia), chooses his destination because the town is called "Hope", and on day two meets the cutest sweetest girl in the whole region, but also with a wild fun side so you don't get bored.

add some pretty solid names in acting: Colin Firth (sure he was less famous then), Minnie Driver. Add a cute blonde who can act namely Heather Graham. In the "supporting" roles put actors of such caliber that they can do much better than just "support": Mary Steenburgen, Frank Collison, and of course Oliver Platt (who was nicely leaner back then).

so, in theory, you could have done something bordering on the very good, cute, touching, powerful, and so on.

but, unfortunately, the script lacks power, the direction lacks power, the whole plot logic could have been made both better and denser.

so at the end of the day, we're left with a film which is fine to watch on a lazy evening with the wife, and has its cute moments - but could have been seriously better. Maybe it was too ambitious, too big budget a film, to good a crew of actors, for director Mark Hermann. Too bad.

Not worth the time

[dillont-707-745315 · 1/10 · 9 June 2013]

This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It came as part of a 3 pack of movies and it had Colin Firth in it so I thought I would give it a try. It was ridiculous....a total waste of film.

Colin is an English artist and has come to America because his ex-fiancé says she has run off with someone else. Apparently, he is invited to the wedding or something but he never goes there.

He immediately meets Heather Graham's character and on the first "date" she gets drunk and they have sex....so they are having sex....there's not much else to their relationship....and Minnie Driver (the ex-fiancé) shows up and says that she was just kidding about getting married to someone else...she just wanted Colin to get jealous and finally marry her. Apparently they have been together for years. So Minnie Driver's character is supposed to be this total bitch which makes you wonder why she and Colin were together in the first place.

The main characters are shallow. They are not very likable. Colin has strung Minnie's character along for years. He sleeps with Heather Graham and they eventually become engaged but you really don't see much chemistry between them. Minnie's character stays around and bugs the couple even after it obvious that she and Colin have nothing left....kind of pathetic. The story is boring. The best character is the mayor. The hotel owners are also more interesting than the main characters.

Good all around, fun movie

[richandjen · 7/10 · 16 August 2005]

The movie runs an age-old premise but, what the heck, it is well acted and we loved the British humour and British influence. Had to 'laugh out loud' in several places ... and I hope Americans can pick up some of the nuances. Some adult content but generally a good, clean, but not-for-young-kids, movie. Don't believe I've seen Colin Firth in any other movie but will certainly look for him again. I recognized another couple of faces from the TV ... No violence, no bad language .. what a nice change! I heartily recommend this movie if you want to be entertained without having to think about the plot or wonder who's doing what to who!

Easy, cheap, effortless

[TheOtherFool · 1/10 · 4 August 2004]

This movie must've been made within 2 days, writing included. It's is so stupid, superficial, boring and annoying, it's one of the worst movies of recent years.

Colin (Colin Firth) goes to the USA to forget about his fiancé Vera (Minnie Driver), and meets up with Mandy (Heather Graham). But Vera is traveling after her fiancé... who will he choose?

Panic must have arisen in the minds of the people who made this crap, because within 10 minutes Graham is stripped to her undies for no apparent reason. Well, it will work for some I suppose.

What really bugs me though is the easiness of it all. These days a movie can be made without any story, any humour, any sense, any tension, as long as you have 3 (semi) big names in it.

Bottom 100 material, 1/10.

My Two Cents Worth..

[ddeciao · 10/10 · 1 September 2005]

Hope Springs had lots of comedy. I laughed a lot during the movie. The character playing 'Fisher' was hilarious. Colin Firth is gorgeous as ever and funny. Minnie Driver's character 'Vera' drove me nuts! Heather Graham's character 'Mandy' was silly and funny too. I laughed when 'Fisher' stopped traffic so 'Colin' who was carrying 'Mandy' could cross the street safely. Everybody in the movie had funny lines. I discovered this movie in early 2005. I think the movie is a gem and it surely beats all that gun and gang warfare movies with shootouts and death, etc. every 5 minutes for so-called action. I never rely on what others tell me is a good or bad movie for we all have opinions and differing viewpoints.

I liked it.

[eagleeyedcritic · 7/10 · 19 March 2011]

I'd give this movie a 6.5

I thought it was a fun romantic comedy.

I think Colin Firth does a good job as usual.

I don't even care for Minnie or Heather however, I thought they both gave good performances.

**spoiler alert** I didn't think there was any need to show Heather Graham chugging down a bunch of booze on their first date - seemed a bit off to say the least. I get that was the intent but was a bit excessive and off the character I thought.

I liked it. It was silly but not overly so.

No actor could save the sinking script

[kayzia · 3/10 · 6 June 2003]

It was just plain awful, the plot line was bizarre in the extreme and yet made even more odd by complete misnomers that sprung up randomly. For instance, the alcoholic scene, for which no justification is given, which seems completely irrelevant, and is never mentioned again. Also, not content with creating a happy ending for the hero and heroine, they have to create another one for the unchosen one so that she doesn't just run away crying at the end, so they do it in the form of an insane consolation prize which 1) she has no reason to win and 2) no reason to want to win. The whole thing is just terrible. It amazing that three such strong actors would want to associate themselves with such dribble. They did their best, but sadly it was dead in the water.