This movie failed to deliver. With Colin Firth and Bette Middler, two of my all-time favorite actors, in prominent roles, I had high expectations that were tempered somewhat by the lead being played by Helen Hunt. When the opening credits rolled and I saw she directed, I lowered them even further (in that this was, to my knowledge, her first effort at directing). Even with that in mind, I was not prepared for how awful this movie turned out to be. Hunt's performance was stilted and one dimensional. Her voice grated on me as she tended to speak in monotone for most of her dialog. There was a complete lack of any depth to her character. She obviously needs the guidance of a good director to elicit a decent performance, something she apparently cannot do for herself. She should never direct herself again. Ever. In fact, she shouldn't ever direct again at all as no ones performance was up to their usual standard.
There are long, and I do mean long, awkward moments in the story. One glaring example is at the first ultrasound. The camera lingers on the monitor far too long, and then on Hunt as she is looking at the image on the monitor. Moments like that are milked for all they are worth and long past the point where the moment dries up.
This movie definitely has a permanent place in my list of top 5 worst movies I have ever seen.
There are long, and I do mean long, awkward moments in the story. One glaring example is at the first ultrasound. The camera lingers on the monitor far too long, and then on Hunt as she is looking at the image on the monitor. Moments like that are milked for all they are worth and long past the point where the moment dries up.
This movie definitely has a permanent place in my list of top 5 worst movies I have ever seen.