Some Guys Have All The Luck

Delighting the awaiting masses in London’s Leicester Square, Firth followed the example of shmooze meister Tom Cruise with an extended tour of the expectant throng, dishing out signatures and posing for photos like the charmer he truly is. 

And it wasn’t only the crowd that were voicing their admiration; sickeningly genuine praise for the chap came from all quarters. Co-star Minnie Driver was the first to wax lyrical about her leading man’s qualities. “Men and women love him” she rather needlessly told Empire Online. “I think men want to be like him and aren’t threatened by him and women just love him and want to take care of him.” 

As one third of Hope Springs’s love triangle, she should know. Driver plays the deliciously bitchy Vera, hell-bent on recovering her man – conveniently named Colin - after he quite understandably packs up and leaves town when he finds out she is going to marry another man. Randomly ending up in a tiny Vermont town called Hope, Firth’s character finds his fortune changing as he falls in love with kooky nurse, Heather Graham, only for his ex to turn up on his doorstep. 

According to the flick’s director, Mark Herman of Brassed Off and Little Voice fame, Firth was the only man for the job. “He’s great. Perfect.” Herman commented. “He sprung to mind immediately I read the book. He read it at the same time and he wanted to do it.” 

And if that wasn’t enough, yet another beautiful gal, Firth’s newest co-star Mena Suvari, was also on hand to praise him too. Having just started filming psychological thriller Trauma with Firth - “a love story – but a kind of sick one” – she’s already won over. “I really couldn’t be working with anybody more spectacular,” she positively gushed. “I think he’s extremely intelligent, he’s such a wonderful person.” 

And what does the man at the centre of all this female adoration think? “That’s make a change, doesn’t it?!” he laughed. “At last I don’t have to be kicking Hugh Grant’s arse to get them to look at me!” And with that stroke of humility, Empire Online might have just been won over too. 
 
 

Starring: Colin Firth , Heather Graham , Minnie Driver , Oliver Platt , Chad Faust 
Director: Mark Herman 
Screen Writer: Mark Herman 
Details: 92 mins Cert 12a (Buena Vista)

British artist Colin arrives in America heartbroken after receiving an invitation to Vera’s wedding - the woman he thought was his fiancée. Local nurse Mandy tries to dry his tears, and soon they fall for each other. But Vera’s sudden arrival puts a spanner in the works. 

This is one of those films where you’re mentally recasting throughout - Hugh Grant, obviously, then perhaps Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Zeta-Jones... but the actors shouldn’t shoulder the whole blame for this rather mediocre effort.

Early scenes with Firth as a deadpan depressive arriving in a small town, Hope Springs, are full of comic promise. It’s with the appearance of Graham that things start to get shakier. Despite the potential humour in certain scenarios - like her naturist turn in the repressed Englishman’s hotel - both her character and the love match fail to ring true.

Bring in Minnie Driver as a manipulative, chain-smoking embodiment of materialism, and the supposed plot tension crumbles. It’s perfectly clear that Colin shouldn’t be with Vera, but this point seems to have eluded the writers as they struggle to convince us that there’s a crucial competition for his affections at play. 

Early laughs give way to bland romance and an uninvolving love triangle plot device. As Mandy says to Colin at one point, “It was funny at first, now it’s just irritating.” 

* * * * * (2 out of 5 stars)
ANNA SMITH 
Issue 162 May 2003

* * * * * Average user rating (4 out of 5 stars)
 

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Stars turn out for Hope Springs premiere

He plays an artist who goes to America to get over Minnie, and falls in love with Heather Graham. Then Minnie turns up to try and win him back. 

Colin told Radio 1 he enjoyed having two beautiful women lusting after him:

"It makes a change doesn't it? It means I don't have to be kicking Hugh Grant's arse just to get the girl to look at me. I think it's about time really. I'm usually losing a girl to someone called Fiennes or something, so it's nice to have it."

Minnie Driver was there too, along with a few other celebs including David Ginola, Kristen Scott Thomas and Mena Suvari.

The biggest screams were for Matthew Perry, who's starring with Minnie in London's West End. 

Despite the crowd's admiration, when we asked Minnie about working with Matthew on stage, she insisted she doesn't fancy him:

"No! Cos he's silly, isn't he? He's really funny, a good bloke. He's kind and he's nice and he's really good at what he does. We just haven't had enough time to sort of ponce around like doing anything other than work really, really hard."
 

Hellomagazine.com's most attractive man of 2002 was surrounded by lovely ladies, including his Hope Springs co-star Minnie Driver, American beauty Mena Suvari and his stunning spouse, Livia Giuggioli. 

And while Colin looked to be thoroughly enjoying the red carpet, he told journalists that stardom is not without its pitfalls. Ever since Bridget Jones's Diary shopping has apparently become quite a headache for the actor. 

"There I am in the supermarket queue with my basket when I see people looking at me and they just start to laugh," he revealed. "There was this one bloke who actually got on his mobile. I could hear him saying 'yeah, and he's got toilet rolls'. What do they think I do?"

Meanwhile, Minnie is getting ready to star in a London production of Sexual Perversity In Chicago alongside Friends star Matthew Perry, who was her red carpet guest at the premiere. 

The Oscar-nominated actress seemed to have the West End show on her mind, even as she enjoyed the Hope Springs bash. "I loved the premiere and people seemed to enjoy the film, but I'm back in rehearsals in the morning so I have to get home," she said during the party. "It is hard work, but I'm loving it and Matthew Perry is fantastic."

Though the Goodwill Hunting actress suffers from stage fright, she says that funnyman Matt will be helping her with her nerves. "(He's) a great actor and the most amazing company," she says. "I know he'll look out for me."

Hellomagazine.com's most attractive man of 2002 was surrounded by lovely ladies, including his Hope Springs co-star Minnie Driver, American beauty Mena Suvari and his stunning spouse, Livia Giuggioli. 

And while Colin looked to be thoroughly enjoying the red carpet, he told journalists that stardom is not without its pitfalls. Ever since Bridget Jones's Diary shopping has apparently become quite a headache for the actor. 

"There I am in the supermarket queue with my basket when I see people looking at me and they just start to laugh," he revealed. "There was this one bloke who actually got on his mobile. I could hear him saying 'yeah, and he's got toilet rolls'. What do they think I do?" 

Meanwhile, Minnie is getting ready to star in a London production of Sexual Perversity In Chicago alongside Friends star Matthew Perry, who was her red carpet guest at the premiere. 

The Oscar-nominated actress seemed to have the West End show on her mind, even as she enjoyed the Hope Springs bash. "I loved the premiere and people seemed to enjoy the film, but I'm back in rehearsals in the morning so I have to get home," she said during the party. "It is hard work, but I'm loving it and Matthew Perry is fantastic."

Though the Goodwill Hunting actress suffers from stage fright, she says that funnyman Matt will be helping her with her nerves. "(He's) a great actor and the most amazing company," she says. "I know he'll look out for me."