Hope Springs

Okay, this is not the best movie ever made--even Colin Firth could not make it into a blockbuster hit. Nonetheless, it is quirky, fun and funny movie that is worth renting.

I read the book, New Cardiff, before seeing the movie and I have to admit, the movie captured the spirit of the book very well. Every character in the book came to life on the big screen through the cast. I loved Firth's portrayal of Colin, the artist, and his little dance in the movie. Minnie Driver's character was the most awful and annoying person ever and she does a great job of bring that to life. It is funny and, like I mentioned before, very quirky. Sure, the ending is not the most realistic but that was how the book went. I actually recommend reading the book before seeing the movie. It prepares you well for what the movie is about, just in case you had high hopes for it being an obviously fabulous movie. Instead, you will learn to like it, for all of its eccentricity.

For a romantic comedy, this movie isn't very romantic. And it also isn't terribly funny...

However, there's a certain endearing charm about it. This movie is more 'small town' romantic than 'hollywood' romantic. While there are elements that could have used a bit of work (A LOT of work if you ask many posters here), you're not left unfulfilled at the end of this film.

All I'm saying is: If you happen to be renting movies for a quiet night in with your significant other, make this a THIRD movie pick if you got the time.

It's kinda like a toddler drawing a mural on your wall in crayon... a bit of a mess, but in the end, it's still pretty cute. 7 out of 10

"Hope Springs" is a romcom about a forlorn and jilted English artist (Firth) who travels to a rural New England community where he falls for a babe (Graham) only to find his ex-girlfriend from the UK (Driver) is hot on the trail of reconciliation. The result is a flat, insipid, silly tale of a man caught between two women which fails at delivering quality in either romance or comedy and creates characters who aren't even very likeable. The film has its moments though they're few and far between, good production value, and the camera is in focus throughout. Beyond that there's little good which can be said of this very ordinary film which grows annoying as time wears on and will work best, if at all, for fans of the players, romcom junkies, and sentimentalists. (C)

After reading all the negative posts I just had to see this movie. I have visited beautiful Hope B.C. and I really like Mr. Darcy(sorry, Colin Firth). Both I and my wife found this film quite entertaining and really liked all the quirky characters. At first I didn't quite get the bedroom dance but I attributed it to her being a caring person who felt she had to do something really extreme to cheer this man up. I liked the Minnie Driver character with her constant battle to smoke a cigarette. I guess if I had gone to film school I would have seen something to condemn but as just one who watches movies for fun, I really liked it.

I can't believe that some of the comments in here say it's the worst film ever. It's a cute, amusing little number which has some very funny lines in it (none of which appear in IMDb "memorable quotes" - which they *should*).

My only complaint is that Colin Firth appears to have forgotten to act. Minnie Driver is her usual sparkling evil self, and Heather Graham is her usual naked chicklet self. What more could you people want?

Incidentally, I saw "Love Actually" earlier in the same day, and preferred "Hope Springs".

Well - *I* liked it. 7/10 for pure entertainment value.