Hope Floats -
Starring Sandra Bullock 
If you went to the theater thinking that Hope Floats was a "chick flick", you probably would leave the theater thinking you had been right. After all, I don't recall any fist fights or kick boxing, fiery explosions or fast gunplay. There were no asteroids destroying the planet, or sharks chewing up surfers, either. It was no less dramatic, however - the beginning of one love story at the end of another. If you have managed to get through life so far without being torpedoed, good for you; maybe being sunk is something you wouldn't be able to relate to. But that would put you in a teeny little minority anyway. Hope Floats is the story of a woman (married to a complete moron) who finds herself suddenly not a part of that minority, with a lot to learn about how the rest of us have struggled to make it through life.
To me, the story is a contrast between the twisted and evil aspects of society, and natural life. By "natural life" I don't just mean flowers and trees - I mean the way we would live if we followed our best instincts, without all the funky, bizarre, wicked stuff pushed on us by society. This movie shows some of society's faults with hard, sharp clarity, and the peace and beauty of nature outside of it.
When you're pitting city life against honest and natural people living in a small town, you get.... you guessed it, country music. And, since we're talking about crushed love and the evils of society, naturally we are also talking about divorce. But also, since we're talking about natural life, there also has to be fishing! Divorce, fishing, country music, love, and last but not by any means least, photography. Those of you who have not had your heart ripped out of your chest, crushed, thrown on the floor, stomped on, and set on fire, may not know that artistic expression with a camera is not possible under those conditions, unless you are getting better again. Therefore, in my view, the way photography is worked into the story shows an uncanny understanding of the subject.
Viewers will also be warned that there is fishing violence (a fish is forced to smile for the camera), and animal stuffing reminiscent of the main lobby of the Bates Hotel; but an excellent soundtrack which you may actually want to buy, top-rate creative cinematography by Kaleb Deschanel, and excellent still photography by Christine Loss.
This film also would have been impossible without the acting skill of Sandra Bullock. Funny thing is, even without her outstanding acting skill, Sandra Bullock could probably just stand there for two hours, and still nobody would take their eyes off the screen....
Overall, this film gets a big TWO FINS UP from us!
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