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Then She Found Me
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - ThinkF!lm Review written by and copyright: Pat Pilon (9th October 2008). |
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The Film
 Simple woman April Epner (Helent Hunt) gets dumped by her husband (Matthew Broderick) and loses her adoptive mother (Lynn Cohen) in the same week. Before her husband leaves her, they make love. What follows for her is a confused journey of self-discovery after unjust betrayal. After losing the two most important people in her life, April doesn't know what do to and who to believe. What follows is a simple, sometimes strange journey with her ex-husband, her new friend Frank (Colin Firth) and her 'truth-challenged' mother (Bette Midler). Six weeks after dating Frank, April leans she's pregnant with her ex-husband's baby. This doesn't help her much, because she still has feelings for her ex, but is developing feelings for Frank. Her adoptive mother only wanted April to have a child, either naturally or through adoption, but to only have a child. Her real mother contacts her and as they meet, April learns that she may not be as honest as she may seem. April, is not, in fact, Steve MacQueen's daughter, and this is only the beginning. Having the one person that has to love you for all her life give you up for adoption, and then lie about why and how it happened never helps. The more she learns about her real mother, the less she wants to learn about her until her desperation forces to ask a difficult question. By the same token, she doesn't seem to know or understand her relationship with Frank. Her decisions regarding Frank and her ex are not always understandable but then again, that's the point. She doesn't know what to do or who to turn to until it may be too late. She must figure out her life before she can decide anything else. This is Helen Hunt's movie, and she does a very good job directing. She handles things very simply and keeps things pretty direct. She adds in a few quirky moments and bits of subtle comedy, which may seem slightly out of place, but are a nice touch. She also managed to catch a very nice set of actors, making the acting very strong in this movie, and bringing a nice realism to the characters. Life is never easy. Life also usually simple. It's people that make it complicated. This movie reflects that. April is a simple girl, and sees her life simply. She never complicates her life beyond what's comfortable for her. This may be an asset, but it may also be a fault. In the end, she has to figure out what she wants before she can be happy, just as each of us must do.
Video
1.85:1 widescreen, using the MPEG4/AVC codec. The picture shows no real problem. The picture is slightly soft, but that may be due to the source, which looks to be high-def video. The picture shows no specks, scratches or any defects of the sort, which again indicates high-def video. The colours are accurate, but slightly muted, and skin tones are accurate. The few dark scenes are rendered very nicely, with good contrast. The level of detail could be a bit better, but for a small movie the transfer is very nice.
Audio
The main track is an English DTS-HD Master 5.1 track, but there's also a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 track to choose. From the start, the track is very active and atmospheric. The track brings the environment into your living room very well. The dialogue is clear and clean, and the side and back speakers are used for very low-level environmental sounds like birds and the distinctless noise of city streets. Party scenes have minglers around you. These are also lower than the main sounds, like dialogue. The music is light and comes through at the right level. The mixers did a very good job making the movie sound natural. English and Spanish subtitles are also present.
Extras
Though this is a very small movie, ThinkF!lm has given the disc a few nice extras. First off is an audio commentary by director/screenwriter/actress Helen Hunt. She gives a sober, though insightful, commentary. She talks throughout the movie, expanding on many, many scenes in their meaning and how she added meaning to the scenes (like April's car being an extension of her wardrobe, for example). She talks about what she likes about how she shot certain scenes. She mentions locations, budgetary restrictions and maximising every shot of shooting such a small movie. She also talks a lot about the actors and the various crew that helped on the shoot. It's a very informative track, and though may seem a bit dry, it's a good listen. Four Interviews are next, with Helen Hunt (4:09), Bette Midler (3:26), Colin Firth (3:59) and Matthew Broderick (3:25). Mrs. Hunt talks about the project and how and why it came about. She also talks about what the movie means to her. The other three talk about their character, the movie and Mrs. Hunt. It's a nice set of interviews, though very short. A Featurette (11:44) is next. It's a standard making-of. The actors all variously talk about the movie, the comedy inside the movie, the plot, their characters and having Helen Hunt as the leader of the ship. You see nice behind the scenes clips, and talking-head interviews. The information given is nice enough, though slightly fluffy. Lastly is the film's Theatrical Trailer (2:33). This is a very nice trailer, and shows you what to expect, though makes the movie look a little bit more quirky than it really is.
Overall
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