HOPE SPRINGS ETERNAL: Heart In The Right Place

When critiquing a film, I to try take into consideration its intent. I think about the target audience, and its message. Not all movies can lend comparison because they vary.

The elements that make up Hope Springs Eternal are a PG rating, a pulling on your heart-strings narrative, and a young fresh cast. It feels like a made for TV movie, but when true to its identity, leaving expectations for a revelatory experience behind, it (mostly) doesn’t disappoint. If director Jack C. Newell is going for that, he’s succeeded.

Faced With A Conundrum

A big part of Hope Springs Eternal is about the high school experience. It’s a trying time, and being popular, even for something as terrifying as cancer, can be appealing. Hope (Mia Rose Frampton) referred to as “Cancer girl” by many of her fellow students, savors the attention her disease brings, despite its misfortunes. She quips, making jokes about her condition, showing a level of comfort (or at least a skilled ability to use sarcasm as a tool) and is known around her community. Her peers, some of which are fake and confuse kindness with pity, even bake her cupcakes.

Her best friend Seth (Stony Blyden), and her indomitable mother (Beth Lacke) who is incessantly pushy about her health, are both rocks, doing everything they can to help. Even her Australian boyfriend, whom she met from a make a wish trip and who decided to follow her back, dotes on her. Everything is going well.

Until she goes into remission.

Wait, isn’t that supposed to be a good thing? That’s the problem, everyone knows her a certain way, so how will they act now? She wishes to conceal it, but doesn’t know how to tell those closest to her. Her other closest friend, Sarah (Juliette Angelo) also has cancer, which makes this especially problematic. Of course, like any other movie where someone decides to lie when they should have been honest, and things grow worse from there, the same happens here. This dramedy doesn’t offer anything new in terms of arc. There’s a lot of maturing, and life lessons to be had. The difference? A lead that is cute and funny, and a story that, despite any misgivings, is still unique in its own right.

It’s also particularly modern. Hope exercises her thoughts and concerns by taping herself. Her frequent video diaries serve as a sort of confessional, narrating the story as it unfolds, with her computer and cell phone. This is a common tactic in film lately, but it works here. Vlog on!

Predictable With A Side Of Originality That Offsets

We’ve got the group of mean girls, and the whole “best friend is secretly in love with main character” gig. Which, let’s be honest, is a bit exhausted, but luckily they don’t dwell on it much here. With her boyfriend Kai (Beau Brooks) the plot point never felt genuine anyway, but instead more like a strange and rushed last minute add in.

So, the moment when it turns out he’s not the best guy ever, was actually the first time I cared about his role at all. Mostly because the extent of his trajectory was not what I expected. Stephanie Mickus‘s script has highs and lows, but could have used a bit more risk. The jokes are written well, and Jack C. Newell‘s direction produces solid fare. A song performance in the closing credits is also a nice touch.

Some of the young performances felt a bit amateur, but, again, they meshed with the vibe of the film, and Sarah and Hope’s connection is especially moving. Mia Rose Frampton has enough personality and a good handle on humor that makes you keep your eyes on her. When the film becomes emotional she’s also able to handle the turn, believable in her young uncertainty. She’s strong enough here that you are able to follow her journey, laugh at her jokes, and genuinely want her to make it out of this.

No one can teach you how to deal with situations as a teenager, let alone the horrendous pressure of being one with cancer. Even when things change for the better, it’s scary. Hope had learned to accept death, but accepting life? It turns out that isn’t as simple as you’d think.

That’s some powerful pathos, even if Hope Springs Eternal doesn’t fully grasp it.

Conclusion: Hope Springs Eternal

While you might read through this review and pick out more negatives and positives, consider this: ever cruised through your television channels and landed on some random Lifetime movie? Not only that, but you put it on and before you know it you’re invested, with tear filled eyes to prove it?

This is like that. I think Hope Springs Eternal will be touching and entertaining for the youth of the world. I believe its intentions are honorable, and it nabs a unique perspective on the coming of age genre. This is like a miss congeniality award meets a pat on the back for effort. Plus, there’s enough sweetness between the blurry lines, to make the slight running time of 78 minutes feel like a breeze. Maybe when you’re dealing with subject matter as depressing as this, the best route is to put some sheen over it.

What did you think? Did you agree? Was it better/worse than I said? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Hope Springs Eternal is available digitally and was released in the US on August 10th.