Then She Found Me

Play trailer

Then She Found Me

R

2008

1h 40m

Romance

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

51%

Tomatometer

114 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Life deals a few heavy blows to April (Helen Hunt), a 39-year-old schoolteacher. Though she is desperate for a baby, her husband (Matthew Broderick) has decided to end their brief marriage. April barely has a chance to recover from the shock, when Bernice (Bette Midler), a brassy and selfish TV personality, barges into her life, claiming to be her mother.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

A threadbare story anchored by strong performances, Then She Found Me is a mostly successful directorial debut by Helen Hunt.

Read Critics Reviews

Carina Chocano

Los Angeles Times

Oct 18, 2008

3.5/5

Unexpectedly sharp, light and appealing; a testament to Hunt's skills behind the camera.

Go to Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Sep 19, 2008

2/5

Everyone acts decently and you have to praise Hunt for her tenacity. But this suffers from some fairly dire cinematography and a manufactured air that prevents the watcher connecting to the whole thing.

Go to Full Review

Larushka Ivan-Zadeh

Metro Newspaper (UK)

Sep 19, 2008

3/5

For all its half-hearted attempts to trip expectation, Hunt's adaptation of Elinor Lipman's novel is ultimately a romcom wherein themes of adoption and betrayal come with too much sensitive, careworn soul-searching.

Go to Full Review

Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Jul 6, 2019

3.5/4

Quietly sneaks up on you when you least expect it and delivers a powerful emotional punch.

Go to Full Review

Marcianne Miller

Bold Life (Hendersonville, NC)

Aug 26, 2018

In her feature film directorial debut, actress Helen Hunt delivers a solid, thoughtful drama marked by terrific performances from a perfectly cast circle of friends.

Go to Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

Dec 15, 2017

The poor woman [Hunt] deserves a better movie.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Kathy V.

@RT64332554 Apr 28, 2026

I wasn't sure at first if it was a comedy or drama. It did get intense . I just watched the movie with Jack N. The day before and Helen hunt has that way just spewing words out of her mouth when she's upset that I saw the same in both movies. I really liked this movie.

See more

Stephen C

@bob25009 Mar 18, 2026

A success on home media.

See more

Laurie S

@RT67396066 Mar 15, 2026

Brilliant, emotionally moving story told with the depth, artistry and heart that comes with being perfectly and imperfectly human.

See more

Robin H

@Robin59 Jan 8, 2026

Excellent movie in every way imaginable. A gentle saga with heart and soul. Helen Hunt is an absolute genius in the movie industry.

See more

Patricia C

@PatteeCakez Jan 4, 2026

Helen Hunt’s directorial debut was Woody Allen decent — for the first seven minutes. Hunt was painfully gaunt and unconvincing as the 39 year old protagonist. The plot was rushed (husband dumps her, adopted mother dies, COLIN FIRTH courts her, and she meets her birth mother all within the week). It’s convoluted, cliche-riddled, miserable and fraught with betrayal after betrayal. All unrealistically tidied up by the end credits. ZERO.

See more

M

@Meadow Oct 19, 2025

It wasn't for me. Not a comedy. Strong cast

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Helen Hunt

Director

Helen Hunt

April

Colin Firth

Frank

Bette Midler

Bernice

Matthew Broderick

Ben

Ben Shenkman

Freddy

Smart People

50%

40%

Smart People

Watchlist

Young Adult

80%

49%

Young Adult

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Young Adult

The Good Night

29%

33%

The Good Night

Watchlist

Adventureland

89%

61%

Adventureland

Watchlist

Cyrus

80%

53%

Cyrus

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Life deals a few heavy blows to April (Helen Hunt), a 39-year-old schoolteacher. Though she is desperate for a baby, her husband (Matthew Broderick) has decided to end their brief marriage. April barely has a chance to recover from the shock, when Bernice (Bette Midler), a brassy and selfish TV personality, barges into her life, claiming to be her mother.

Director: Helen Hunt
Producer: Pamela Koffler, Katie Roumel, Christine Vachon, Helen Hunt, Connie Tavel
Screenwriter: Alice Arlen, Victor Levin, Helen Hunt
Distributor: ThinkFilm
Production Co: Killer Films, John Wells Productions, Blue Rider Pictures
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language)
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 25, 2008, Limited
Release Date (DVD): Sep 2, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.7M
Runtime: 1h 40m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings