The foundation of Then She Found Me, Helen Hunt's directorial debut, rests upon very simple sitcom-worthy principles. However, the execution is a gentle mix of unsentimental drama and unforced character comedy. Hunt stars as April Eppner, a recently divorced school teacher who has been newly bombarded with a glamorous talk show host claiming to be her mother (Bette Midler) and a charming Englishman who may just be the man of her dreams (Colin Firth). The potential for cheap gags abounds as in when April meets her mother, a mismatch of the highest caliber, and finds herself at odds with the chatty, self-obsessed woman. The scene could be entirely about their disparity. April could be the righteous, composed daughter and her mother could simply be the vacuous narcissist she initially seems. Instead the scene breaths extra life into the characters with a soft vulnerability that, like much of this film, adds welcome dimension to familiar situations.This is especially refreshing in the portrayal of Firth's character, Frank, a father of two whose wife has abandoned him for a life as a world traveling painter. He is neither a sap nor a miser. He has perspective on his situation and yet, in small ways, his bitterness rings out. At times of frustration he fights off callous outbursts of cruelty by walking off his aggression and when this plan fails he delivers blunt truths that reveal he is much more than just a dapper gent who can sweep April off her feet. He is human and thus in possession of his own flaws.
As a director, Hunt is equipped with a easily digestible style that defers to realism when useful and creates moods when necessary. As April is swept back into the arms of her ex-husband just before he leaves for good, Hunt emphasizes romance with foggy, out of focus photography and softly lit closeups. When the pair reunite for an uncomfortable rendezvous later in the film that leads to a tryst in the backseat of April's car there is nothing more scintillating than wide shots of their cramped bodies and the awkward site of entangled legs drooping out of the car door.
As nimble a navigator as she is behind the camera, there is no sight in the film more gripping than Hunt herself in full performance mode. This is probably her first truly rewarding film role since her Oscar winning turn in James L. Brooks' As Good As It Gets. And as masterful and charming as she was there, it was Jack Nicholson's film at the end of the day. This one is hers, through and through. April grounds the film as a restless, vulnerable anchor in the midst of subdued madness. Her transformation from crushed soul to outspoken master of her own fate comes slowly and with superb subtlety. Hunt captures the strength within from the very first frame of the film and then slowly nudges it to the surface, culminating in a delightful, smile worthy finale in which the worn down April experiences the satisfaction she's been chasing all along.
Grade: B
