Hope Floats (03 August 1997)
directed by Forest Whitaker
starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Gena Rowlands, Mae Whitman, Michael Paré, Kathy Najimy
|
MPAA rating: Studio: 20th Century Fox Script: Steven Rogers Music: Dave Grusin Running time: 114 minutes Tags: carpentry; comedy; divorce; Drama; Family Crisis; romance Tactical strength: [3/10]
|
for thematic elements
Birdee Pruitt (Sandra Bullock) appears on a talk show where she learns that her husband and best friend are having an affair. Birdee's life then seems to fall apart from there. She returns with her young daughter to her rural home town, where everyone has seen the talk show, and tries to start her life over.
With this material, you could have a good heart-tugging romance or satire, but instead, Whitaker turns this plot into mellodramatic mush. Boring, painful, and not worth any amount of money unless you absolutely have to see Sandra Bullock wearing very short shorts or oversized men's shirts. The romantic element bored me. Justin Matisse (Harry Connick Jr.) repeatedly attempts to woo Birdee; she repeatedly turns him down. But, of course, his persistance results in a sex-before-marriage relationship.
In weak attempts to stir up the plot and the viewer's emotions, Rogers has Birdee's mother die, and Whitaker devotes too much screen time to a scene where Birdee's daughter crys and pleads with her father not to leave or to take her with him.
Dull performances by all. Lackluster cinematography. Don't waste your time.
Related Items from Amazon.com
  VHS [Full screen] |   Soundtrack |
