Ainsi va la vie

One of the things that truly irks me are some people's rapid willingness to typecast actors and actresses, and dump on them when they try something new. While it has to be said that Sandra Bullock does not avoid exploding buses, or have to hunt down any cryogenically frozen bad guys in this picture, "Hope Floats" is a better movie than most give it credit, and Ms. Bullock and the supporting cast put in fine performances of their own to make a very touching and poignant film.

Forest Whitaker (acting in such films as "Blown Away" and "Phenomenon" sits in the Director's chair on this one and crafts a tale that deals with many different emotional themes, carried earnestly by sensitive and character revealing performances from his leading lady and the supporting cast.

While it must be said that Ms. Bullock provides some very memorable scenes in this film (especially when drunk) the casting of Gena Rowlands, Harry Connick Jr, and Michael Pare provide more ballast with fine performances delivered from all.

But the highlight for me in this film - young Mae Whitman and her performance as Ms. Bullock's on-screen daughter. At the conclusion of one very moving scene near the end of the film I could only watch her and wonder at just how bright this young actress' future will be.

So, if blood, bombs and action is your scene, then "Hope Floats" may not be your scene, but if you are into drama with solidly acted and well crafted characters by very fine actors, then "Hope Floats" is for you. It will leave you very satisfied that you took the time to see this very finely made and acted film.

Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr., and Gena Rowlands star in "Hope Floats," a 1998 film directed by Forest Whitaker.

Bullock, who 13 years ago looks exactly as she does now, plays Birdee Pruitt, a small town beauty queen and cheerleader who married the star of the football team, Bill (Michael Pare) and left for the big city. They have a daughter, Bernice (Mae Whitman). When Birdee is invited on a talk show, she is led to believe it's for a makeover. However, it's a Jerry Springer type show, and when she gets there, her best friend tells her that she's been having an affair with Birdee's husband - and they're in love. Bill verifies it.

Angry and hurt, Birdee packs up her daughter and moves back to Texas with her outspoken taxidermist mother (Gena Rowlands). An old flame (Harry Connick Jr.) reappears, but Birdee is unable to move forward. She's in love with her husband and wants him back.

This film seems to have low scores on IMDb, giving validation to my theory that a) reviewers on IMDb are mostly men; and b) young men; who c) like action, special effects, futuristic, and science fiction films.

"Hope Floats" is actually a very sweet movie with lovely performances from everyone involved. Bullock is warm and likable as a depressed woman who comes back to town in disgrace and has to face up to people she wasn't particularly nice to in high school. Connick is handsome and charming. Rowlands does a terrific job as Birdee's confident and sometimes overbearing mother who deeply loves her daughter and granddaughter. Mae Whitman as the child Bernice is fantastic as a hurt little girl waiting for her daddy to take her home.

Some of the best scenes occur when Birdee visits her demented father in a nursing home.

I thought this was an effective film. No bombs, no violence, just some poignant real life - a single mom, a father with dementia, and what it's like to go home and start over.

I love films like "Speed," "Inception," "Salt" and films of the classic era. There's room for all kinds of films, and there is room for an actress with the warmth and charm of Sandra Bullock. If you're not a fan, skip it. If you are, you'll love it.

"Hope Floats" is too dramatic to be a romantic comedy. It's more of a character drama about Birdee (Sandra Bullock) moving back home and the main story line being a romance with Harry Connick Jr.

Birdee, and the film, are very down-to-earth. Although she lived in Chicago, she's much more suited to the small-town life that she grew up in in Texas. They don't go for much of the obvious comedy of big-city girl versus small-town country girl. And that's a good thing.

The young daughter can get annoying, and the romantic comedy angle is transparent from the beginning. But the natural drama that Birdee goes through in trying to rebuild her life after a public divorce is done well enough that it makes "Hope Floats" worth watching.

I went into this movie last night expecting nothing but mush, and maybe a few laughs. Which I got. I did not expect the pure corny-ness of it. It was like it was following a set guideline for the cliche of this type of movie. Everything happened in the places you'd expect it to. People dying, people breaking up, bad things happening, lahdy dah, no surprises. It started off really well but when downhill from there and dragged. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it for what it was. Just don't be expecting anything more than mush. Powerful? Huh? Were we watching the same flick? Worth crying over? Hardly.

Birdie (Sandra Bullock) has just returned to her hometown in Texas. Once the belle of the city, homecoming queen, etc., Birdie is now licking the wounds of a painful marital separation. She has brought her young daughter Bernice with her and both of them are quite puzzled by life and what it may hold for their future. Fortunately, Birdie's mother welcomes them with open arms and lots of love. Then, too, Justin (Harry Connick, Jr.) is delighted that Birdie is back in town. Will the two distraught females, Birdie and Bernice, learn to look forward instead of dwelling on the past?

This slow, understated movie may be a difficult watch for the action film crowd. It is definitely a character study and, in that, it excels. Bullock gives an excellent portrayal as the prom queen who learns that life is not an endless picnic. She also looks utterly beautiful throughout the film. The young actress playing her daughter is also quite good as the troubled and confused child of a broken home. Rowlands and Connick, Jr. lend ample support. No, please don't look for car crashes or chase scenes. Instead bask in the film's simple pleasures, such as fishing on a quiet lake or dancing at a county fair. Those who like romance will be satisfied but the growth of the female characters is worth much more. Ladies, send the men off to the bowling alley and invite your friends over for a girlie get-together. This film is definitely one that women will enjoy while holding hands and celebrating the joys of ya-ya sisterhood.