Hope's Happy Birthday (1995) Online

A great film! Story is warm, the acting is fun, and it's easy to fall in love with the main character, Hope. I bought it on DVD and have watched it a dozen times already. The filming was split between Illinois and Texas, and if you've ever been to Springfield, IL you might recognize some of the sites. Storyline is about a sweet overly-protected young lady , who, on her 30th birthday, decides to flee her smothering mother and sets out into the world. She encounters a number of interesting and unusual people, and gives them all little birthday presents to celebrate her birthday. I recommend this film highly if you are wanting to watch a charming story about love and hope.

President Bush reportedly said (I hope in jest), "The trouble with the French is they have no word for 'entrepreneur'." Well, in regard to Hope's Happy Birthday, it's too bad we English users don't have a word for ingenue. Grace Smith's role as Hope brought to my mind the lovable Guilietta Masina in Fellini's La Strada, the early charm of a Bette Davis with the fetching voice of Bernadette Peters. Later, I found an enchanting resemblance to Audrey Tautou in her role as Amelie. And so back to the French and their words. Grace shows in Hope's Happy Birthday, her writing, directing and acting that she is both entrepreneur and charming ingenue and more.

I have seen this movie twice and I laughed even more the second time. Writer/Director Grace Smith has a great subtle sense of humor that is both intelligent and quirky. The voice-over narration has a quality of charm to it that lends an air of honesty to the main character while maintaining a kind of Woody Allen-esque humor. This first time effort is a winner and I hope that this writer/director does something new. Does anybody know where I can get a DVD of this movie? I only have it on VHS.

Hope's Happy Birthday is a delightful peek at a quirky character on her 30th birthday. This woman has led a sheltered life and sets out to have an adventure. She's trying to make her way to Venice, Italy, and meets a number of humorous folk along the way. One of my favorite scenes is at the carnival with Buster and Chuck, and I love the way Ms. Smith has sprinkled the film with snippets of a rather surreal clown in a flashy car.

Grace Smith's writing at this point in her career was alright, but this movie really provides a hint as to her capabilities. The problem with Hope's birthday is that it may or may not be happy, but it isn't all that interesting either. Smith, as writer/director in her virgin effort needs to stretch her abilities a bit more but it seems obvious that with a little experience and some money backing her up, she might be pretty good.

And she's cute, too. Anyone know where I can find a copy of that Teenage Catgirls in Heat movie?