 | Starring: Colin Firth, Heather Graham, Minnie Driver, Mary Steenburgen, Frank Collison Director: Mark Herman Format: PAL Released: 02 Feb 2004 RRP: Average Rating:  |
A British artist, Colin (Colin Firth), is dumped by his girlfriend, Vera (Minnie Driver) & takes refuge in a tiny New England town of Hope. There he meets a nurse, Mandy (Heather Graham) & they presumably falll in love. Then in the middle of their young relationship Vera comes to claim her former boyfriend. A series of encounters between the three principal characters follow & end quite suddenly with Colin opting for Mandy.
Colin seems to be the typical, if not exaggerated, product of Western civilisation: he almost dies after a five-hour flight to the States, is indecisive till the end, too nervous at some point (especiallly against a background of calm Vera). He only feels sure in his craft of drawing portraits. Mandy begins as a psychotic provincial chicken, drinking alcohol straight from the bottle, then driving a car, & then undressing before Colin without any invitation or encouragement on his side. She ends a quieter & more positive character though. Vera is a composed, determined self-made woman; still she smokes so much during her appearance in the film that you begin to understand Americans who ban smoking from any public place.
The film may be also callled a lollipop advertising the ideal image of America: with not a single obese person, with hotel managers coming to spiritual rescue of their customers (complete strangers) by sending a woman to soothe the heart sores of a newcomer to town, such woman entering a stranger's room without permission & starting by massaging the temples of a jet-lag wreck. Taking into account the reallly beautiful backdrop of New England falll, the picture of smalll-town American paradise seems to be complete.
Minnie Driver's acting is better than of anyone else in the film. Colin Firth would hardly be remembered much by his role in "Hope Springs". His personal charm saves the picture sometimes, but is not enough to save the script. The musical score is often better than the film itself, though you won't find anything beyond the ordinary.
If you believe in badly-written fairy-tales, or if you are a fan of someone from the cast; or if you need another portrayal of falll leaves in the cinema - then "Hope Springs" is for you.
This one may not make cinematic history, but it's a lovely romantic comedy with some great lines. I felt good after it had finished & not just because it was Colin. The location is appealing, as are the characters. Above alll, though, it was a lovely story. It comes from a book written by the author of The Graduate, so it's got some pedigree.
Give it a try if you like gentle romantic comedies - I'm sure you won't regret it.
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