Hope Floats (1998)
-
24% of critics liked it
(33 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(59,990 ratings)
Actor/director Forest Whitaker (Waiting to Exhale) helmed this romantic drama about a one-time high-school beauty queen who returns to her hometown of Smithville, TX. The Steven Rogers screenplay begins in Chicago, where blonde Connie (Rosanna Arquette, uncredited) appears on a trashy daytime talk… More Actor/director Forest Whitaker (Waiting to Exhale) helmed this romantic drama about a one-time high-school beauty queen who returns to her hometown of Smithville, TX. The Steven Rogers screenplay begins in Chicago, where blonde Connie (Rosanna Arquette, uncredited) appears on a trashy daytime talk show and tells a nationwide TV audience about her affair with the husband of her best friend, Birdie Pruitt (Sandra Bullock). Walking into the ambush, Birdie is paraded forth for a public humiliation as Connie's claim is confirmed by husband Bill (Michael Paré). Birdie and her young daughter, Bernice (Mae Whitman), then move back to Texas to live with Birdie's eccentric mother, Ramona (Gena Rowlands), a taxidermist who has filled the house with stuffed animals. Since most of Smithville saw the TV show, embarrassment keeps Birdie sitting around the house in her pajamas; however, her moment of glory as the homecoming "Queen of Corn" has not been forgotten by handyman Justin Matisse (Harry Connick Jr.), the first guy who kissed her back in high school, so a romance soon begins. "Just give hope a chance to float up and it will," says Birdie. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Directed By
- Forest Whitaker
- Written By
- Steve Rogers
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
- In Theaters
- May 29, 1998 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
-
Carly Kocurek, Common Sense Media
Redemptive drama ready made for family viewing.
-
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
... just horrible, horrible, horrible.
-
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
The plot of this tear-jerker is a little heavy-handed, and so is the directing by Forest Whitaker.
-
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Well, no it doesn't.
-
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
In order for us to believe in the future and to step into it with buoyancy, we need the nurturing support of those nearest and dearest to us. Then hope floats.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
UltraViolet Retailers
Other Retailers
Subscription Services
Cast
-
Sandra Bullock
as Birdee Pruitt
-
Harry Connick Jr.
as Justin Matisse
-
Gena Rowlands
as Ramona Calvert
-
Mae Whitman
as Bernice Pruitt
-
Michael Paré
as Bill Pruitt
-
Cameron Finley
as Travis
-
Kathy Najimy
as Toni Post
-
Bill Cobbs
as Nurse
-
Connie Ray
as Bobbi-Claire
-
Rosanna Arquette
as Connie
-
Norman Bennett
as Mr. Davis



