This is such an interesting take on this film, which I really should have watched back when I lived in Houston. Yes, Smithville is real, though my only experience of it is racing on a mountain bike venue there. It’s making me nostalgic for those earlier, more innocent days, of driving the seemingly interminable I-10 and Hwy 71, passing through La Grange, Smithville, Bastrop on the way to Austin.
Thank you for writing this! When Gena passed, this bubbled up in my mind as the first of her films I wanted to rewatch.
It’s always stuck with me as a strong example of a star using the power they’ve earned to tell a story they believe in. Sandra and Forrest protected the story they wanted to tell, and breathed life into it by casting Gena and Mae to light up that world.
This is a great post Marya. Hope Floats is a favorite of my partner's but I think I had wrongly mentally filed it under "generic rom com" so I was thoroughly surprised when I watched it. Such great specificity and attention to detail. And the overall messaging really spoke to me because it feels a lot like where so many of us end up career-wise: Content and happy in life but under a weird, constant pressure to grind, hustle and climb the corporate ladder, without any end in sight other than "more than you have now."
My parents eschew this as the worst thing they ever saw in theaters. You have entirely convinced me to watch this with my wife before year's end.
I hope you both enjoy it as much as I do!
This is such an interesting take on this film, which I really should have watched back when I lived in Houston. Yes, Smithville is real, though my only experience of it is racing on a mountain bike venue there. It’s making me nostalgic for those earlier, more innocent days, of driving the seemingly interminable I-10 and Hwy 71, passing through La Grange, Smithville, Bastrop on the way to Austin.
When I drove through Texas in 2016 I really wanted to do I-10 so I could see the town, but there was flooding so I had to do I-20 instead :(
Thank you for writing this! When Gena passed, this bubbled up in my mind as the first of her films I wanted to rewatch.
It’s always stuck with me as a strong example of a star using the power they’ve earned to tell a story they believe in. Sandra and Forrest protected the story they wanted to tell, and breathed life into it by casting Gena and Mae to light up that world.
It’s such a quiet gem.
Same! I actually wrote about why I love her performance in this RogerEbert tribute: https://www.rogerebert.com/tributes/the-most-vital-actress-of-her-generation-a-goodbye-to-gena-rowlands
This is a great post Marya. Hope Floats is a favorite of my partner's but I think I had wrongly mentally filed it under "generic rom com" so I was thoroughly surprised when I watched it. Such great specificity and attention to detail. And the overall messaging really spoke to me because it feels a lot like where so many of us end up career-wise: Content and happy in life but under a weird, constant pressure to grind, hustle and climb the corporate ladder, without any end in sight other than "more than you have now."
The reviews from when it was released miss so much of the nuance. I’m glad it’s endured in the hearts of many regardless.