Hope Floats

"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.

Firstly, I LOVE Sandra Bullock. I'll watch any and every movie starring Sandra Bullock. She's the entire reason I gave this movie a chance. I really like old rom-coms as well. There's a certain charm to them. I rated this movie what I did because, in my opinion, there's no real, fluid chemistry between Birdie and Justin. Everything seems so forced and it's just very off putting to me. I also don't like how Justin practically forces Birdie to be around him and make physical contact with him even though she is clearly uncomfortable and has said no to him many times. Gives me the ick to the highest degree.

Was Bill Pruitt totally mad to want to leave Birdee (Sandra Bullock)? I mean, if you're going to make a movie about a cuckolded wife, you can't do it effectively using Sandra as your actress. She is the most desirable woman on the planet - not just in looks but as a genuinely sincere person - not to mention a damn good actress. Heck! I can't look at a woman without comparing her with Sandra (which, I guess, is why I'm single - no one meets the standard!)

Even in this movie, I can't help feeling that Birdee has a lot of the real Sandra in her. Even though she is beautiful, she is not conceited or vindictive. Harry Connick Jr. as Justin is equally sensitive and doesn't stalk her, even though he clearly counts his blessings that he has a second chance to have what he was too slow to get the first time. He genuinely woos her in the real old-fashioned way which is quite a pleasant change from most so-called romance movies these days.

And Mae Whitman as Birdee's 9-year-old daughter, Bernice shows her to be the star that she has, since Hope Floats was made, become. It always amazes me how young children are able to act so convincingly in traumatic domestic situations such as Bernice had to. Full marks to Mae!

Of course, a true queen of the silver screen, Gena Rowlands as Birdee's mum, is everything we have come to expect of her - a tender, all-knowing matriarch who holds everything together.

All in all, a fine movie that, in my opinion, is worth more than the 5.8 that viewers have given it. Definitely a movie I will happily watch again, and again over the years.

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.

I'm surprised at the harsh reviews and low rating of this movie!

Unlike other so-called "chick flicks", this movie has an authentic appeal to it and a real heart. Sandra Bullock is a shamed and distraught mother returning to her hometown after being dejected by her husband on national television. She is the beauty queen turned humiliated housewife and her old neighbors don't hesitate to rub it in. Sandra's strong-willed and adorable daughter is played wonderfully by Mae West. Their dysfunctional relationship is a central plot element throughout the film. Sandra finds strength in her own mother and finds new romance with a strong, sensitive cowboy type played surprisingly well by Harry Conick Jr.

Sandra must come to terms with her changing identity and role as mother while her daughter fights for a false allusion of Sandra's husband. An impending divorce between Sandra and her husband and the struggles of Sandra's daughter and nephew, create many heartbreakingly touching moments and at last - an intriguing story with a sense of humor.

Living in Texas and having visited a few small towns, I can state that the movie's portrayal of small town life is a very realistic one which only adds to the films' effectiveness.