Hope Springs (2003)

My Review

“Hope Springs” is a romantic comedy about an English artist who flees to a small Vermont town to escape his former fiancee. While starting up a successful art business, he becomes involved with a local woman. Meanwhile, his ex-girl friend arrives in town to win him back, with the comedy and drama proceeding from there. British director-screenwriter Mark Herman (“Brassed Off” 1996) put together an entertaining comedy with enough laughs and drama to keep viewers interest up throughout the 92 minute running time. It was adapted from the 2002 novel “New Cardiff” by Charles Webb.

The stars include Colin Firth as the Anglo-Saxon artist, Heather Graham as his American girl friend, Minnie Driver as the Welsh ex-fiancee, Mary Steenburgen as the store owner, Oliver Platt as the mayor, Frank Collison as Mr. Fisher, and William Joseph Firth (Colin’s son) as a boy on the airplane. The watchable low-budget comedy “Hope Springs” was not successful at the box office for Touchstone Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, and The Walt Disney Company. It was filmed in British Columbia, Canada.