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17 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Very Funny!, 21 August 2004 Author: laynagirl from Windsor, ON, Canada
I read through many of the comments on this movie and decided that I had to see what all the fuss was about. I rented it expecting to hate it as much as everyone else seems to, but found just the opposite. These days, it's rare to find a movie that really makes me laugh, but I found myself actually laughing out loud throughout most of this one. I agree that the scene with Heather Graham bouncing around in her underwear was indeed absolutely ridiculous... but it was still funny! I have yet to see Colin Firth in anything that I didn't absolutely love, and this was no exception. I think it's wonderful that an actor of his caliber doesn't take himself too seriously, and still goes for the fun stuff once in a while. Making a quick buck, you say? If so, what's wrong with that? It's entertainment! I think the problem is that too many people these days expect every film to be a work of art, and have forgotten that the very idea behind making movies is to entertain us. I believe that this film was meant to be pure and simple fun, and it pulled it off beautifully. As far as comedies go, I give this one at least 9/10!
14 out of 19 people found the following review useful: C'mon guys - it wasn't that bad!, 15 December 2003 Author: davek28 from Birmingham, UK
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.
15 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Hopeless, 8 April 2004 Author: George Parker from Orange County, CA USA
"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)
24 out of 40 people found the following review useful: So bad I lost the will to live half-way through..., 12 May 2003 Author: Frederick from London, England
This really could be the worst movie I've ever seen. I went expecting nothing more than Heather Graham in her undies, and although that expectation was happily fulfilled, the emotional trauma I had to suffer during the rest of the picture outweighed the brief (ha) thrill that brought. This film fails on almost *every* level. The script is a ham-fisted, deeply derivative and appallingly unfunny hack job that seems to have been scribbled down hastily in point form on the back of a cigarette packet and then fed into a computer database of dire rom-coms in order to generate the necessary scenes. It's deeply offensive, to men, to women, to all of us as citizens of planet earth. It insults our intelligence by asking us to believe the most childish and it's also very badly shot, strange for a modern Hollywood film, where at least a degree of professionalism extends (usually) to the visuals. Hope Springs (a more agonisingly twee title (yes, the film takes place in a place called Hope Springs and is about a man whose hope... springs...) is unlikely to emerge all year, all decade) seems to have been shot in half-light, and the characters are often placed weirdly within the frame, isolating them from the emotional current of the visual narrative and making them appear to be lost and forlorn characters in some dystopian 70s thriller. NOT the kind of imagery one would expect in a rom-com!The editing is also atrocious. Scenes are hacked together, strange non-sequiturs abound and plot points are left hanging uselessly, unresolved. But the true vitriol MUST be reserved for the script, which is the most trite, hackneyed, insultingly puerile and shamelessly contrived assembly of cliches yet penned by man. I shudder to think back to some of the atrocities committed onscreen, but no, no, I will not name them... Every time the pace flags (every 20 seconds or so) a new, equally vapid hi-energy rock track is blasted through the speakers, desparately trying to bring some energy to the lacklustre proceedings. How humiliating for the actors to have to engage in this nonsense. What absolute ****.It's sad, then, to report that the actors in this tragedy are entirely blameless. Firth does his best to bring some amusing British understatement to procedings, Graham is always never less than appealing (even if her penchant for girl/women - this one loves butterflies and her bedroom could be that of an 8-year old - is beginning to wear a bit thin) and Driver preens and minces successfully enough. There's even the excellent comedienne Mary Steenburgen and underused Oliver Platt on hand to help carry out the bodies. But their efforts are wasted...Half-way through the movie, Heather's exposure sadly over, and the number of painfully unfunny scenes accumulating fast, I resolved to leave the theatre in disgust. I found myself unable to move. What!? In that point of my awareness from which motive force usually sprang, there was only a gaping void. The movie's awfulness had eroded my will to live. I struggled, trying to force myself onto the floor so I least would not have to witness the rest of the horror! But it was no good. The lifeforce had been sapped from me, and I had to endure the nightmare to the end.How strange and cruel life is, to have allowed this film to be released and seen by innocents...
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Come on, wasn't all that bad..., 17 September 2005 Author: movie-miguel from Poland
The movie perhaps wasn't all that brilliant, but it wasn't all that bad after all...It was actually fun.Fun to see Collin Firth making fun of himself, also Oliver Platt being pathetic as the head of the city of Hope...The chemistry was there. The script wasn't just superb, but the actors make it up to you.It's a change from the Briget Jones's Diary, where Firth has to compete with Grant to get a girl. The girls are competing with each other to get him for a change.I've enjoyed it. So has my wife.Good to watch on DVD on a late evening. It'll cheer you up.
8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Great quirky look at Small Town America, 7 September 2003 Author: mimacdon4 from FT. Lauderdale, FL
I finally saw the film!! It was a delightful subtle piece of filmmaking. The movie is based on the book(New Cardiff) by author Charles Webb, of "The Graduate" fame. Mark Hermann, doing double duty as screenwriter and director, does an adequate job of translating the book to film.Colin Firth is on the money as Colin Ware, a jilted artist who comes to America to forget his romantic troubles. He jumps out of the fire and into the frying pan, so to speak. By virtue of the hotel manager, he finds a new romantic interest in Heather Graham who plays Mandy, a 'caregiver' by trade. He gets acquainted with this quirky little town whether he wants to or not.He starts to do portraits of the townsfolk. I found these portrait scenes to be quite entertaining. All is well until now ex-fiancee Vera reappears on the scene in Hope. There is good caustic interplay between Mandy and Vera in their fight over the same man. Good performances from great ensemble cast made of up Oliver Platt, the Mayor of Hope, Mary Steenburgen as oh-so-tacky matchmaking Hotel manager and Frank Collison as her eccentric husband.If you are looking for something more subtle than this summer's blockbuster fare, try this delightful little gem of a film! You won't be disappointed.P.S. For Colin fans out there, he looks gorgeous! I can't wait for the DVD to appreciate him in all his glory. Michele
13 out of 20 people found the following review useful: I loved this film, 2 February 2004 Author: bluzz from Midlands UK
In hindsight this was one of my top 5 films of 2003. It was very, very funny, well acted, but seems to be an undiscovered treasure. Heather Graham has never looked so attractive and Colin Firth has never been better. Go and rent it soon.
10 out of 15 people found the following review useful: My Two Cents Worth.., 1 September 2005 Author: ddeciao from United States
Hope Springs had lots of comedy. I laughed a lot during the movie. The character playing 'Fisher' was hilarious. Colin Firth is gorgeous as ever and funny. Minnie Driver's character 'Vera' drove me nuts! Heather Graham's character 'Mandy' was silly and funny too. I laughed when 'Fisher' stopped traffic so 'Colin' who was carrying 'Mandy' could cross the street safely. Everybody in the movie had funny lines. I discovered this movie in early 2005. I think the movie is a gem and it surely beats all that gun and gang warfare movies with shootouts and death, etc. every 5 minutes for so-called action. I never rely on what others tell me is a good or bad movie for we all have opinions and differing viewpoints.
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: It's not without its charm, 13 January 2007 Author: mjw2305 from England
Colin Ware (Colin Firth) finds that his fiancé, Vera (Minnie Driver) is going to marry someone else. Distraught by the news he goes to the tiny town of hope in New England, where he meets a beautiful young nurse called Mandy (Heather Graham) and both their lives begin to get better. That is until Vera re-emerges with a little surprise for Colin.There are better romantic comedies than this one, it's a little bit generic and struggles to do anything fresh or truly hilarious, but it was enjoyable and it certainly wasn't without its charm.Firth, Graham and Driver all deliver fairly typical performances, playing character types that they have portrayed before; and the direction is perfectly OK for a film of this type, all in all its a decent film that is mildly amusing, entertaining and heartwarming enough.6/10
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Very Much Like the Book--quirky and offbeat, 19 July 2005 Author: yjgeja from United States
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.
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