Watching Helen Hunt in Then She Found Me is like watching a pro sports athlete find “The Zone.” Although I’ve always enjoyed her work, I’ve tended to think of Hunt as more of a sitcom actress, despite her extensive résumé in film as well as television. But here she delivers an assured, measured performance that may, perhaps, reveal that she’s reached a new level of acting maturity.

I hate to use the somewhat cliché “professional actress”—ultimately, aren’t they all?—but the term is not wasted on Hunt; rather, it is a suitable, appropriate description of well-developed skills and personal talent. She reminds me very much of Laura Linney in this film, and it will be interesting to see if this indie gem is memorable enough come Oscar season.

That said, what Hunt really wants to do is direct… and the actress makes her debut with this film—as well as a co-screenwriting credit. Watching it, you may be surprised that she hasn’t had years of experience. I found the film very well-constructed and -paced, maintaining my interest throughout. I was even conscious of emotion welling up from somewhere deep inside myself.

April Epner (played by Hunt herselg), is a 39-year-old elementary school teacher who desperately wants to have a baby. She and her new husband, Ben, try desperately to conceive—until Ben suddenly and inexplicably leaves her, saying nothing more detailed than that he has made a mistake. And as if that weren’t enough for April, tragedy strikes again the next day when her adoptive mother passes away.

Enter two new people into her life: the struggling, frazzled writer/abandoned single father of two, Frank; and the popular daytime television host Bernice Graves, who claims to be April’s biological mother.

Bernice wants to be part of April’s life, but April finds her story somewhat hard to believe—especially the part about her father being a famous deceased movie star. Meanwhile, a blossoming new romance with Frank is interrupted by the fact that—oops!—all the trying with Ben had actually finally paid off on the day he left, and now April is carrying his child. Jealousy and distrust ensue, and suddenly April finds herself frantically trying to find a way to get her life back under control.

Then She Found Me is sweet, funny, moving, and genuinely an overall pleasure to watch, blending and balancing serious “drama” with screwball comedy, all while maintaining the hip, indie vibe that Hunt is striving for as a director.

Along with Hunt, Colin Firth is also quite enjoyable as Mr. Right—a role to which the actor has become very accustomed. However, he still manages to infuse Frank with something refreshing. He’s bitter and angry, having been left by his philandering wife to raise their kids alone, while underneath still being a wide-eyed romantic.

The other two lead roles—Bette Midler as Bernice and Matthew Broderick as Ben—pretty much play to type. I am still wondering whether Broderick will ever be able to pull off an actual adult character (though to be fair, this time he’s supposed to play a man-child); and Midler’s larger-than-life personality tends to dominate every scene in which she appears.

Still, I didn’t find much about Then She Found Me that I didn’t like. I have a feeling this film will fly far under the radar, given that its release date falls so close to the start of the summer blockbuster season. But if you’re looking for a break from explosions and superheroes, I highly recommend seeking this film out.

Then She Found Me is rated R for “language and some sexual content.” There’s certainly some sexual content—even some that is a bit risqué in one scene—but it is done artistically and not too graphically. The language is there, but it mostly comes in brief spurts of outrage.

Courtesy of a local publicist, Jeff attended a promotional screening of Then She Found Me.