Ask any of the women in my life (wife, sister-in-law, friends) who the king of romantic comedy is, and you might be surprised at the answer. Not Hugh Grant of ?Love Actually? fame, and certainly not Richard Gere of ?Pretty Woman? fame. Nope, it?s actually Colin Firth, according to my ?experts,? who seldom seems to grab headlines but always makes his way into romantic films. ?Pride and Prejudice?? Check. ?Bridget Jones? Diary?? Check. ?The Importance of Being Earnest?? Check. The list goes on, but when his most recent romantic escapade, ?Hope Springs,? recently released on DVD, it clearly showed all the non-believers out there why Firth truly rules the romantic comedy roost.
In most of his films, Firth plays second fiddle to actors with more household names. ?Hope Springs,? though, is most definitely his film. For perhaps the first time his film career, Firth isn?t fighting for the leading lady, but he?s having to leading ladies, Heather Graham and Minnie Driver, fighting for his affections. It?s a different role for Firth, but then again, ?Hope Springs? is a bit of a different film when it comes to the ?traditional? romantic comedy.
The movie opens with Firth?s forlorn journey to the small U.S. town of Hope, where he has moved in an attempt to forget his former fiancé¬ who apparently left him for another man back home in the U.K. ? in the middle of their engagement. While several of the quirky small-town residents take advantage of the Briton, the equally bizarre managers of the hotel where he stays opt to instead help him solve his problems. By introducing him to the local ?relationship expert,? of course.
This expert, played by Heather Graham, is actually more of an equally forlorn and gorgeous woman who can?t seem to keep a relationship going herself. Naturally, she?s a perfect match for Firth, in spite of her incredibly bizarre behavior. And, naturally, they fall in love. It is a romantic comedy?.
Thing get complicated, and amazingly comical, when Firth?s former fiancé¬ played by Minnie Driver, comes to the United States to take him back. The comedy is inherent in the situation, especially considering the way Firth?s character has ?loosened up? during his U.S. stay, but when you add the escapades of the small-town residents, the movie gets flat-out hilarious at times. Firth?s solution to his problem is creative and satisfying, and in the end, he gets the girl. Which one? You?ll have to grab the DVD to find out.
After ?Hope Springs? finishes its final credits, fans of romantic comedies will certainly get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside that they?ve come to expect. What?s intriguing about the movie, though, is that its best romantic-comedy moments come in the last 45 minutes. This is a fortunate fact, since that?s what viewers will most remember, but it?s too bad that the rest of the movie doesn?t carry quite the same magic.
Sure, there are funny and mildly romantic moments throughout, but we never quite get the Firth-caliber moments until the end of the film. Perhaps it?s because Firth does comedy so well, and the comedy really kicks in once Minnie Driver reaches the United States. Perhaps it?s because there?s very little character development until that point, when Firth is forced to make some tough decisions and his leading ladies show their true colors. Or perhaps it?s because the opening segments of the movie are just so quirky that it catches by surprise those viewers who are expecting a cookie-cutter romantic comedy. But cookie cutter ?Hope Springs? is not. This is a unique movie based on a new story that is perfectly cast.
The bonus features on ?Hope Springs? are quite sparse (there?s just a short making-of featurette with interviews), but romantic comedies aren?t destined for many bonus features anyway. There are few if any special effects, the soundtracks are pretty straightforward, and there?s by and large very little to really explore when it comes to the behind-the-scenes aspects of this genre. If you?re a DVD-bonus junkie, you?ll probably be disappointed with ?Hope Springs,? but then again, you?re probably not as into romantic comedies as you should be to get this new DVD.
?Hope Springs? is a great romantic comedy, and Firth?s performance and (eventual) character development proves that more directors should cast him in a leading role. The film is warm, charming and unique as only a small-town movie can be, and it?s most definitely recommended for fans of the romantic-comedy genre. If you?re on the fence about such films, this DVD is best as a rental, but the ladies in my life were most certainly happy to add this one to their collection.
