Country Cream
Bullock Rises to the Top in Hope Floats

After seeing Sandra Bullock play everything from a reluctant bus driver in L.A. to a computer hacker on the Net, it may seem out of place for her to be plunked down in the middle of a small Texas town where Southern accents are thick as prairie weeds and cowboy boots are common apparel. Nevertheless, she seems at home there; a country girl at heart.

In the new movie Hope Floats, Bullock plays Birdee Pruitt, a woman whose life is torn apart when she discovers that her best friend (Rosanna Arquette) is having an affair with her husband (Michael Paré, Eddie and the Cruisers). The fact that this infidelity is exposed on a nationally syndicated talk show (a la Ricki Lake) only adds to her humiliation.

Left with no direction, Birdee returns to her hometown of Smithville, Texas. With her daughter Bernice (Mae Whitman) in tow, Birdee moves in with her mother, Ramona Calvert (Gena Rowlands). Ramona is a bit of an eccentric with a hobby of stuffing animals for everything from clothing accessories to wall mounts. In addition to Birdee and Bernice, Ramona is also caring for her grandson Travis (Cameron Finley). Travis has been abandoned by Ramona's other daughter who is seeking a career in Hollywood. Like his grandmother, Travis has an eccentric side, hiding behind a series of animal and human faces in order to attract attention.

Once a place for Birdee to shine, the town now becomes her prison. The cruel reality forces her to face the choices she made in the past and the fact that her life did not have the fairy tale ending befitting a prom queen who married the high school football star. She finds herself the subject of town gossip, cold indifference, and the unwanted affection of an old friend, Justin Matisse (Harry Connick, Jr.).

While Bullock does an excellent job of playing the sweet girl-next-door, it is her tortured moments which give her a chance to shine. The effect of seeing such a stunning beauty hidden behind haunted eyes and a mane of unkempt hair is startling and makes the audience all the more intent on seeing her overcome her obstacles.

Connick, who has worked in other films (Memphis Belle, Copycat) in the past, takes a break from his music to appear as Birdee's love interest. As a good ol' Southern boy, it is unclear how much acting is being done and how much of Connick's true nature is shining through. Still, he makes an excellent choice to play opposite Bullock, and his slow, country mannerisms lend credence to Justin's ability to wait for what he wants.

The most delightful surprise in the film is Whitman, who appears to have the spirit of a veteran in her young bones. Not stooping to play the stereotype of a bratty child of a broken home, she portrays Bernice with real pain and a fear of rejection -- and does so convincingly. When faced with adult situations, she reasons them through, fighting the conventional wisdom that children don't understand what is happening around them. More often, she seems to be calculating every conversation, especially when in conflict with her mother's suitor.

Throughout it all, Hope Floats refuses to become another love-story vehicle for Bullock (like While You Were Sleeping or In Love and War). The mother/daughter relationships bind the characters together and create a generational story of the Calvert women's independence and strength in the face of unexpected adversity. It is a picture of courage and family, but sweetened with a promise of unfailing love.

MY RATING: 6 out of 10.

RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 114 min.