Hope Floats

Hope Floats is a 1998 American romantic drama film directed by Forest Whitaker and starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick Jr., Mae Whitman, and Gena Rowlands. Written by Steven Rogers, the story follows Birdee (Bullock), a sheltered housewife whose life is disrupted when her husband (Michael Paré) reveals his infidelity to her on a Ricki Lake-style talk show. Birdee and her daughter Bernice (Whitman) go to live with her mother (Rowlands) in the small Texas town where Birdee grew up, where everyone knows of her televised marital collapse. She reunites with an old friend named Justin (Connick), who immediately shows romantic interest. While Justin's intentions are clear and good, Birdee struggles with the decision to continue the relationship and unequivocally accept him in her life. The film made its release on May 29, 1998, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox.