Hope Springs film review

certificate_12A

HOPE SPRINGS

Yorkshire director Mark Herman made his name with a couple of highly acclaimed comedy dramas of the late 90s - Brassed Off and Little Voice. Now, like many talented compatriots before him, he has replied to Hollywood's call and gone across the pond to make his first American feature. However, with the angle firmly on romantic comedy rather than social drama with laughs, the results this time out are decidedly mixed.

Firth plays Colin Ware, an English portrait artist who moves to the sleepy New England town of Hope (can you see where it's going yet?) in order to forget his fiancée Vera (Driver) who has ditched him for another man. He finds a town filled with good old-fashioned quirky Yanks, most notably in the shape of brassy motel owner Joanie (Steenburgen) and her equally oddball husband. Colin's most important encounter, however, is with Mandy (Graham), a 'care' specialist who soon becomes more than a shoulder to cry on.

Newly happy and with an exhibition of his paintings on the way, the artist's idyll is inevitably shattered by the arrival of Vera, who is determined to win him back. The devious baddie to Graham's simple home girl she is the foil for a predictable mix of comic misunderstanding and screwball humour.

But much of said humour falls short of the mark. Adapted from the source novel New Cardiff by Graduate author Charles Webb, there is a definite feeling that much has been lost in translation. The script simply leaves the film down, with characters quickly becoming one-dimensional and plot twists that by even the most mediocre standards leave a lot to be desired.

The lack of a cogent script leaves three performers stranded. Firth looks awkward most of the time while Driver's character is limited to the simplistic and embittered ex. Only Graham really gives any gusto to the film but again with material that is clearly not up to her comic talent.

Further woes come in the shape of some rather poor repeated gags, failed attempts to draw humour from the cultural differences between Brits and Yanks and a general failure to set the right tone. Presumably aimed at a female romantic comedy, it's frankly pretty uninspiring stuff.