HOPE FLOATS Directed by Forrest Whittaker Stars: Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr., Gena Rowlands Rated: PG-13
A friend invites you to a movie. This film would evade the explosions and special effects of standard summer fare, and be grounded in reality. The plot is as follows: after a terrifying incident, a mother and her independent daughter separate from the father and move away from the city. They need fresh air to get some perspective, maybe to start over. Romance begins to brew, however, as one of the locals, played by an international superstar in rugged clothing, sparks things up, (especially at a country-western slow dance). It stars a rising young starlet, helms a good cast, and is directed by one of the better actor-turned-directors in Hollywood.
You accept. You jump at the opportunity to see, what you believe to be, _The Horse Whisperer_. But, poor moviegoer, you have been conned. Alas, you find yourself watching, incredulously, _Hope Floats_. Oh, woe. Your hope has sunk.
Why was this movie made? Why was it released? It is a travesty on nearly every level, and has the authority to sink the careers of nearly everyone involved. At the hands of a better script, the film could have been a gem. But it is clueless as to what it is about, and only succeeds in transferring same cluelessness to us poor viewers.
_Hope Floats_ stars Sandra Bullock as Birdy, who, after discovering her husband has been cheating on her with her best friend (on national television no less), takes her daughter and drives back to her home, helmed by a countryish bumpkin eccentric played by Gena Rowlands, (she decorates with stuffed wildlife). Birdy's nephew, Travis (played by _Leave it to Beaver_'s Cameron Finley), is under her custody, and in one of the film's many failed in-jokes, is always seen wearing a different Halloween costume.
What is the point of this? Does it make any sense? Is it supposed to be funny? The point of the film is to show that the family is eccentric, but I was convinced that the grandma should have been locked up for endangering the mental welfare of a child.
All of this undercuts the plot, of which there is none. There are only many scenes that are supposed to register emotion. There's the scene where Birdy, who used to be the prom queen, is humbled by approaching a peer she once mocked, for a job. There's the scene where Birdy dances with her father, in the hospital for Alzheimer's. And then there's the sentimental scenes with Justin, played by Harry Connick Jr., who is taking a liking to her again, showing her a beautiful pad that he built from scratch.
And during each of these scenes, I was sidetracked by my earlier question. What sort of eccentric grandmother go through such great pains as to provide a dog costume, a Kermit costume, a cowboy costume (with whip), and a full furred Barney costume for her grandson to wear during dinner? What sort of warped ramifications would this lead for the rest of his life?
Outside of this, there are other sure signs of screenwriters block. When the daughter stands up to the bully at school. When Birdy almost loses her job. When the family pulls in a goofy lip-synch to cheer someone up. When someone dies. When the daughter cries, (no, wails) in exasperation that her father is not coming back. In a movie like this, you notice the strings being pushed, and you sit there, comatose, hoping it will end.
Who can survive such a debacle? I worry for Bullock's career, which has been running on auto-pilot for the last few years. She has an attitude, a solid perkiness, and can drive a bus--but she can't handle the emotional scenes, much less hold a Southern accent. Harry Connick, Jr. is worse--stick with singing, or get some acting lessons, please!
Gena Rowlands is the best part of the film. But she's such a good actress, that it staggers the mind that she's weighed down by such lukewarm material here. It would be a severe tragedy if the recurring star of John Cassavettes' great films is known for this film.
Two notes to Forest Whittaker: (1) Cut the slow-motion sequences. There are twelve times where you undercut your own direction by such a failed trick. Have you done so, you could have shaved off ten-minutes of this almost unbearable debacle. (2) You've had to know something was wrong if your cinematographer's filter makes the candlelight appear like little "x"s. You're not a bad director, but you can't change a terrible script.
There's a recurring scene where Birdy, working at the neighborhood Fotomat, finds the machine go wrong, and image after destroyed, warped, dark image appear. Think about it. A succession of destroyed images may have been more entertaining than this movie.
Nick Scale (1 to 10): 3
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