Whitaker's film 'Hope Floats' sinks after promising opening

By Rayya Makarim

JAKARTA (JP): Never trust any television show that involves waiting backstage and being blindfolded. You never know what may be in store.

Forest Whitaker's Hope Floats opens on the set of a sleazy talk show where Birdee Pruitt (Sandra Bullock) is in the wings waiting for a free makeover. Instead, she learns on national TV that her best friend has been having an affair with her husband for over a year. Seems like a promising beginning. However, the plot is lunged into fast-forward and the film transforms into a completely different movie, with an entirely different tone.

Birdee decides to leave her husband Bill (Micahel Pare) taking her daughter, Bernice (Mae Whitman). As the car drives away, Bernice turns around in her seat to see the house in the distance. "Don't look back sweetheart, it's bad luck." They proceed on their journey to Smithville, Texas, where Birdee was once crowned Corn Queen three years in a row. Nostalgically Birdee reminisces: "Once upon a time your mama knew what it meant to shine."

The story unfolds from the eyes of Birdee who married her high school quarterback sweetheart at a young age, and is now left with nothing. She has no clear knowledge of who she is, because before she was old enough to build her own self she became the shadow of someone else.

Birdee's existence has always been defined by those around her -- first, her husband, then her daughter. Her identity has been based on being a perfect wife and mother, so when one of the criteria crumbled, the only thing to do was to start all over again. Where? Well, where she started.

The characterization in this movie is particularly commendable. Bullock plays Birdee with a natural sensitivity that successfully illustrates a woman's struggle to gain back respect and some sort of self-worth. After days of depressed roaming around the house in her bathrobe, Birdee finally gets her act together and looks for a job.

Incidentally, the owner of the employment agency is "Polka Dot" (Dee Hennigan), a classmate whom Birdee used to make fun of. Dot tries to be civil and professional, but behind her forced smile is someone who is still hurt and angry about high school. Tension laces the encounter where Dot expresses unspoken resentment, and Birdee shows embarrassment and desperation. This is one of a number of scenes where Bullock moves malleably across a mix of emotions that her character requires.

In another outstanding scene, in an attempt to search for herself among people who know her, Birdee visits her father who is recovering from a stroke and suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

They sit down together and Birdee shows him a picture of Bernice. He stares blankly at the woman sitting beside him holding the photograph. A feeling of hopelessness creeps into her expression when she realizes that her own father does not recognize her. Birdee then tries to put her life in perspective, talking to herself, wondering where she fits in, when suddenly her father stands up and opens his arms to dance with her. This scene shows that Birdee's choice to go home is indeed the right decision. Although her father does not remember her, Birdee starts to feel the essence of who she is.

Besides the complexity of Birdee, the film is filled with other colorful characters. Birdee's mother, Ramona (Gena Rowlands), is a taxidermist who delivers some of the best lines. After being accused of disliking her son-in-law, she casually tells her daughter: "I like all of God's creatures. I just like some of them better stuffed."

There is also Birdee's little nephew, Travis (Cameron Finley), who dresses up as a different character every time he comes on screen. Harry Connick Jr. who did so well in films like Little Man Tate and Copycat, however, fails miserably as the tall, dark, handsome, wise, honest, romantic, patient Justin Matisse. Connick tries too hard to be the perfect image of southwestern macho, and as a result his dialog becomes as stiff and contrived as his walk in those tight jeans. Justin is a high school friend who had a crush on Birdee back in the days. His role here is to teach Birdee how to "breathe", how to look differently at life.

Hope Floats has all the potential to be great. It starts boldly with the shocking televised talk show, and then continues into what seems to be a woman's battle to overcome her misfortunes and find her destiny. Unfortunately, Whitaker's drama is not satisfied to deal with just the women.

Screenplay writer Steven Rogers underestimates the strength of a woman in Birdee's position, reducing the script to a conventional Hollywood formula, and the role of women to a stereotype. Good old Birdee is back to square one, where a man reminds her of who and what she is. It is the oldest story in town, done, redone and overdone. Yes, we all need a Justin Matisse to help us start loving ourselves again!