THEN SHE FOUND ME

Helen Hunt directs, stars in, and co-writes this film about a woman whose marriage breakup is accompanied by the unexpected appearance of her eccentric birth-mother (Bette Midler). It is intelligent, mature, and comes with a healthy stock of both poignant and funny moments, but lacks focus and comes across more as a rich collage of adult relationships than something story-driven. Colin Firth wins at everything, and one wonders whether Hunt didn’t write the part and cast Firth simply to force him into being charming and English at her for the length of the shoot. Midler’s initial caricature is hard to swallow, even with the clear stylistic choice to make her that way, but she matures appropriately with the film. (Evin Donohoe)