Helen Hunt. Bette Midler. Colin Firth. Matthew Broderick. That's a big name cast! "Then She Found Me" piqued my interest, especially after yesterday's adoption movie news. Nothing against Jennifer Garner but the storyline of "Juno" leaves much to be desired. Is there hope for this movie? Let's look at the general synopsis, shall we?

A New York schoolteacher (Hunt) hits a midlife crisis when, in quick succession, her husband leaves, her adoptive mother dies and her real one, an eccentric talk show host, materializes and turns her life upside down as she (April) begins a courtship with the father (Firth) of one of her students.
From IMDB.com

I foresee that snip-it being rewritten as the movie nears it's March 2008 release. Surely the general public will frown upon a birth mother being referred to as "real." Okay, sounds interesting. Even more interesting? It's based on a 1991 book by Elinor Lipman, bearing the same title. I figured we could learn a little more about the story line by hitting up the book review. The editorial review from Amazon.com states:

Meet April Epner, the serious, scholarly, adopted daughter of two equally staid parents. They die, but April finds that she's far from orphaned when her birth mother, Bernice Graverman, comes to claim April's heart and improve her wardrobe and love life, too. April is a Latin teacher, given to wearing flannel jumpers. Bernice is hostess of a third-rate daytime talk show and wears designer labels and toad-sized earrings. She descends upon April's quiet life with the tact of a size-six locust, and the delightful and surprising results of this unlikely reunion will keep you turning pages long after bedtime.

While a quote from Publisher's Weekly (on the Amazon.com page) gives us this little bead of hope:

"Raising laughter and tears with acutely observed characterizations and dry, affectionate wit, Lipman also keeps dealing out the surprises, leaving readers smiling long after the last page is turned."

Curiouser and curiouser, I'm intrigued. Midler, of course, is the eccentric birth mother. Is there room for humor in reunion? Is humor necessary to get through reunion? Will humor do a disservice to those untouched by adoption as they watch this movie? Or will it endear them to the characters? My mind is racing with possibilities. I see promise in the storyline for the book. Will the on screen version do it justice?

The author of the book, Lipman, has been updating the Amazon page with information on the book and says that she enjoys the changes from page to screen. (Of interesting note, Helen Hunt, who stars in and directed the movie, spent the past ten years of her life trying to get it to screen. Is it really THAT good? How interesting!)

It was a hit at the Toronto Film Festival, securing the first big sale. I don't always agree with the movie critics, so I guess I'm going to just have to see this one and decide for myself. That said, the book is available at my library. It's going on the list. I'll get back to you with a review in the next month or so.

Meanwhile, someone answer the question as to why adoption is suddenly popping up all over the silver screen. Interesting, indeed!

//
For more, read:

1. Movie Refers to Adoption as "Unusual and Bizarre."

3. Adoption in the Movies: The Italian.

3. Charlotte's Web.

//
Photo Credit.