Hope Springs | | Cast : | Colin Firth, Heather Graham, Minnie Driver, Mary Steenburgen | | Director : | Mark Herman | | Studio : | Buena Vista Home Vid | | Format : | Color, Surround Sound, Dolby, Widescreen, Digital Sound | | Released Date : | January 01, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | September 07, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 06, 2005 | | Summary | What the heck???? | Content
 | I watched this movie on HBO last night since there was nothing good on. Did I miss something here? This film gave no explanation to so many things. It's like they cut scences from this movie??? But HBO is as I'm correct does not cut scences from movies and who would be stupid enough to cut that much.
This movie was so ultra boring & ultra trashy.
Movies like this annoy the crap out of me.
If you think you can fall in love with someone just by having sex with them watch this movie and be err moved but otherwise overlook this one. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 15, 2005 | | Summary | Don't bother with it | Content
| This movie was quite honestly one of the worst movies I have ever seen. As a huge Colin Firth fan originally from a small town in Vermont, I thought that no matter what I had heard about the film I would enjoy it. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
The main problem of the film was characterization. There were oftentimes no motivations or explanations whatsoever for the character's actions. One minute, the small town girl played by Heather Graham is working at a nursing home, then she's downing alcohol, then she's jumping around naked for absolutely no apparent reason (in fact, she doesn't even seem drunk), and all this entices the character Colin Firth to jump into bed with her. I think the Heather Graham character is supposed to be quirky, but because of the script and the way the film is cut, she comes off as schitsophrenic and unlikable. Then suddenly they are in a serious relationship which Colin dives into wholeheartedly even though he is supposed to be recovering from a breakup with his fiance (and this is no rebound relationship). Basically, the movie continues along this vein, with Minnie Driver showing up as the dark-haired British ex-fiance who you can't see ever having had a relationship with Colin (both actors are better in the much superior movie Circle of Friends). In any case, there are many more unexplained actions and wierd breakups/get back togethers before the movie thankfully ends.
Additionally, the setting is completely misused, beginning with the sign that says more than 18,000 people live in Hope. In New England, that does not classify as a small town. They could have used the autumn setting and American-ness of the people as restorative to the Colin character. The suggestion of that is there, but it is never demonstrated - instead, they go to a spot that is supposed to be nice and the Heather Graham character downs a bottle of booze, and Colin Firth's character has no real explanation or feeling in his portraits of the town's people. Although the hotel owners are fun, if unrealistic, the mayor has been written as if he were a cartoon character.
Finally, I don't neccessarily blame the actors for this awful movie, with the wierd cutting, it may have seemed like a good idea at the time. I think Colin Firth does his best at being an ambigious, but still likeable guy. Heather Graham, aside from not coming off as a small town girl at all, has absolutely nothing to work with, so you can't even blame her for the horrendous character she has. And everyone else, including Minnie Driver, is a complete caricature, although Minnie Driver incites some of the few amusing moments in the film.
I feel bad to judge this movie so harshly, but it is unneccessarily bad, and I had been hoping for something at least fun. These actors all have much better movies out there.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 20, 2005 | | Summary | OK story with lots of Colin Firth screen time(!) | Content
| Colin plays a fish-out-of-water Brit who, when jilted by his fiance, travels to a New England town to forget her. He finds solace in a wacky (and rather annoying) townie played by Heather Graham. Unfortunately, almost nothing about the plot was realistic expect for the fact that Colin Firth could arrive stateside and snag a date within hours of his plane touching ground (as occurs in this film). Minnie Driver is wickedly funny and of course Colin is charming, handsome and adorable as always. This film was made by the same people behind "Brassed Off"and "Little Voice." If you liked those films, you'll probably like this as well--it has the same understated feeling and makes good use of it's small town location. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 07, 2005 | | Summary | Absolutely delightful! | Content
| When I go to the movies or I watch a movie, I want to be entertained. For that brief period of time I'm involved somewhere else. I don't care about all the minutiae that the critics tell me I should care about. Was I entertained or not?
I was delightfully entertained by this movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 14, 2005 | | Summary | Major Colin Fan | Content
| How could Colin and Minnie been coereced to do such garbage?ß And to be cast along Heather graham (Boy, she really can't act!!) Such a dumb character. A pathetic attempt, if the director was aiming to come up with a british sort of comedy or whatever kind of comedy, it was not funny at all, just plain ridiculous!! Even Colin's gorgeousness and good acting could not make up for it.
Colin Firth, please stop doing hollywood chick films, it lowers you, it ruins you! |
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