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Movies / On DVD / Then She Found Me
Then She Found Me

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Then She Found Me (2008)

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Reviews Counted:27

Fresh:15

Rotten:12

Average Rating:5.5/10

Consensus: A threadbare story anchored by strong performances, Then She Found Me is a mostly successful directorial debut by Helen Hunt.

Australian Rating: M [See Full Rating] Moderate sexual references and coarse language

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Comedies

Australian Theatrical Release:
Jul 24, 2008 Wide

US Box Office: $3,728,972

Synopsis: The move from actor to director can be a difficult one, but actress Helen Hunt makes the transition seem effortless with THEN SHE FOUND ME. Hunt, who also produced and cowrote the film, plays April... The move from actor to director can be a difficult one, but actress Helen Hunt makes the transition seem effortless with THEN SHE FOUND ME. Hunt, who also produced and cowrote the film, plays April Epner, a down-on-her-luck schoolteacher who longs to have a child. April's chances of bringing a baby into the world are diminished when her husband, Ben (Matthew Broderick), leaves her, and more bad news follows when her adoptive mother dies. The beleaguered April subsequently forms an unexpected bond with her real mother, the overbearing TV host Bernice (Bette Midler), and takes tentative steps towards motherhood with a new man in her life, the bumbling Frank (Colin Firth). Hunt's film, which is based on the novel of the same name by Elinor Lipman, is likely to win over fans of classic rom-coms such as WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and YOU'VE GOT MAIL. At its heart the film poses some thoughtful observations on what a late-30s woman goes through when she is facing a possibly childless future. But Hunt also stirs some generous scoops of humor into the plot, providing light relief from her central character's plight, and also demonstrating her range as a writer/director. The cast members are uniformly excellent throughout, with Firth and Hunt giving strong performances that are helped along by a supporting cast that provides most of the comic relief. Hunt even finds time to provide a small role for the writer Salman Rushdie, who plays a doctor. [More]

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

Starring: Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Ben Shankman

Director: Helen Hunt

Director: Helen Hunt
Screenwriter: Helen Hunt, Vic Levin, Alice Arlen
Producer: Pamela Koffler, Katie Roumel, Christine Vachon, Helen Hunt, Connie Tavel
Composer: David Mansfield
Studio: ThinkFilm

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Reviews for Then She Found Me

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1 - 16 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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The overt stylistic flourishes are so few that they have a special impact, particularly the moment when the camera slowly tracks towards April after she receives a piece of devastating news.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
06/07/08
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

To its credit, this is a romantic comedy with a more serious side than most. But in her seriousness, Hunt loses sight of the need for laughter.

Full Review Source: The Australian | comment Comment
05/28/08
David Stratton
David Stratton
The Australian
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Happily, Helen Hunt takes the “ick” and “ick” out of chick flick.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine Australasia | comment Comment
05/15/08
Michael Adams
Michael Adams
Empire Magazine Australasia
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There’s nothing exceptional about it, but there’s a warmth and intelligence here which sets it aside from most other romantic comedies around.

Full Review Source: At the Movies (Australia) | comment Comment
05/15/08
David Stratton
David Stratton
At the Movies (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Words get in the way of true emotions in this comedy drama that marks Helen Hunt's directing debut.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
05/12/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
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Unexpectedly sharp, light and appealing; a testament to Hunt's skills behind the camera.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
10/18/08
Carina Chocano
Carina Chocano
Los Angeles Times
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It's not the only misstep in Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt's first film as director, which is a shame because she does a lot of things right.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
09/19/08
Cath Clarke
Cath Clarke
Guardian [UK]
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The tut-tuttingly dull script refuses to supply a single happy line until Hunt squares up to the sudden arrival of Bette Midler.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
09/19/08
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
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There’s food for thought in the pregnancy plot, although the narrative drags its heels towards a misty-eyed conclusion.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/19/08
Anna Smith
Anna Smith
Empire Magazine
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Suffers from, if anything, a lack of pure confidence in the story, the actors or the audience.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
05/16/08
John Anderson
John Anderson
Washington Post
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Hunt draws some good performances from the cast and wisely chose a low-key personal story for her directorial debut.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
05/09/08
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today
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It’s the kind of film that practically invites you to forget about it two days after you’ve seen it.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
05/05/08
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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Hunt has what it takes to direct; you can see it here, in small doses. In an arena filled largely with men, it will be interesting to see what she does next.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
05/02/08
Teresa Budasi
Teresa Budasi
Chicago Sun-Times
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With the screenwriters Alice Arlen and Victor Levin, Hunt adapted the story from a 1990 novel by Elinor Lipman, and has turned the material into a fine, tense, unpredictable comedy of mixed-up emotions and sudden illuminations.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
04/28/08
David Denby
David Denby
New Yorker
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A bizarre, overcooked broth.

Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal | comment Comment
04/25/08
Joe Morgenstern
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
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Then She Found Me, a serious comedy, is more impressive for what it refuses to do than for its modest accomplishment.

comment Comment
04/25/08
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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A low-key comedy in which characters always seem just one misstep away from full-out tragedy.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/01/07
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
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1 - 16 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Then She Found Me

September 19, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Tropic Thunder Soldiers On; Then She Found Me Is Found Out
This week's UK releases, expect big laughs as Ben Stiller's star-studded Hollywood satire comedy blasts onto our screens in Tropic Thunder. The sound of a big old biological... More...

May 25, 2008: Helen Hunt makes decent directorial debut with bittersweet romantic comedy. Opens in new window
More...

April 21, 2008: Then She Found Me a Labor of Love for Helen Hunt Opens in new window
After some time away from the spotlight, Helen Hunt has re-emerged as the producer, director, co-writer, and star of an adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel Then She Found Me. More...

April 13, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

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