Then She Found Me (2007)

April, 39, wants a baby but her husband leaves her. When her adoptive mother dies, she's contacted by her bio mom, a TV talk show host. April starts seeing the divorced dad of one of her students at school.

Director:

Helen Hunt

Writers:

Elinor Lipman (novel), Alice Arlen (screenplay)

Stars:

Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Helen Hunt	...	April Epner
Bette Midler	...	Bernice Graves
Colin Firth	...	Frank
Matthew Broderick	...	Ben
Ben Shenkman	...	Freddy
Lynn Cohen	...	Trudy Epner
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Alan
Salman Rushdie	...	Dr. Masani
Daisy Tahan	...	Ruby
Tommy Nelson	...	Jimmy Ray
Stephanie Yankwitt	...	Stacey
Lillias White	...	Sheila (as Lillias D. White)
David Callegati	...	Gianni
Kenneth Stern	...	Rabbi (as Rabbi Kenneth A. Stern)
Robert LuPone	...	Ted

Storyline

39-year-old April Epner's childish husband and school teacher colleague Benjamin/Ben leaves her, but with her biological clock ticking ever more loudly. Her dying bossy adoptive mother is very vocal about her disappointment, while her natural son Freddy, a doctor, is most understanding. Shy but fascinating British author Frank meets April, his doted son Jimmy Ray's teacher, which soon leads to a full-flung affair. At the same time April's birth mother Bernice Graves locates her and begins attempting to establish a relationship. On top of all these balls in the air, April discovers she's finally expecting Ben's baby.

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Plot Keywords:

biological clock | birth mother | wanting a baby | marital separation | jewish wedding | 

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Taglines:

manchmal kommt alles auf einmal (German tagline)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Tim Robbins directed his first feature film, Bob Roberts (1992), Helen Hunt appeared in a brief cameo as a television news reporter. When Hunt made her feature directorial debut with this film, Robbins returned the favor and appears briefly as one of the interviewees on the Bette Midler character's talk show.

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Goofs

The ultra sound picture at 6 weeks is not developmentally correct. At 6 weeks, you would be unable to distinguish the baby's features (hands, spine, etc). The baby would look more like a bean in shape.

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Quotes

April Epner: There is a Jewish story, an ordinary Jewish joke. A father was teaching his little son to be less afraid, to have more courage, by having him jump down the stairs. He put his son on the second stair and said, "Jump, and I'll catch you," and then on the third stair and said, "Jump, and I'll catch you." And the little boy was afraid, but he trusted his father and did what he was told and jumped into his arms. The father put him on the next step, and then the next, each time telling him, "Jump, ...

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Connections

References Bullitt (1968)

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Soundtracks

Naked As We Came
Written by Iron & Wine (as Sam Beam)
Performed by Iron & Wine (as Iron and Wine)
Courtesy of Sub Pop Records

User Reviews

Deserves a look

Seen at a September 2007 Toronto Film Festival screening.

First time director, Helen Hunt, said this movie was 10 years in the making. Her passion for the film and subject matter is evident, but also sets her up for her biggest downfall. She indulges the movie (her baby) which is interesting given this is relationship themed (mother/ daughter). Had she struck closer to that thread, the movie would have a tighter, more focused feel.

As it is, the outer reach of her film, a foray into her intimate, romantic relationships, with the intent of colouring her main character (April) instead seems like an untrained hand that colours outside of the lines. As a movie director, if this was her greatest weakness; I still give her kudos for doing a pretty good job. The woman took on a heavy load: first time directing, co-producer, co-writing the screenplay, and acting in the main role, all done on a 27 day shoot schedule! I almost feel guilty for any criticism.

At the post-screening Q&A Ms Hunt told us that the original story centred exclusively on the mother/daughter relationship. She wrote in the characters of Ben, her passive husband (Matthew Broderick) and Frank, her 'quickest rebound in history' mate (Colin Firth) herself. Understandablly she wants to add subtext to April's world and all the issues she's dealing with, but I felt somewhat 'pinballed' from scene to scene without feeling a smooth transition. A little more editing of these extra layers would help.

I can't leave it unsaid that what repeatedly struck me was why April loved her husband and continued to connect with him. He was such a shallow and thoughtless person. To me, that particular character was the weakest link in the movie.

Overall, I found many funny and poignant moments in the movie and think it deserves a look by a larger audience.

Details

Official Sites:

Former Official site for the film. [Japan] Former Official site for the film. [United States]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Hebrew Italian French

Release Date:

9 May 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Then She Found Me

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$72,594, 27 April 2008

Gross USA:

$3,735,717

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,443,998

Company Credits

Production Co:

Odyssey Entertainment, Killer Films, John Wells Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1