The film is rubbish, but Mae's performance when her father leaves is outstanding.
If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.

I totally agree with your comments about Mae's acting she was brilliant, but I wonder how many people like myself were pleased to see the little brat get what she deserved? or am I just being unkind.

Those 2 minutes (yes a great scene) did not make up for the rest of the movie when I wanted to punch her in the face.
Real LOSERS spell 'loser' looser!

I watched the movie for the first time today and at first I was like, "Wow, this girl is a little sh*t." But of course, I had to remind myself that this child is acting out due to the confusing separation of her parents and she has no idea what was going on.
Then came the scene that she ran up to her room to grab her things, then my thoughts were: "Damn, that little brat! She's so annoying!"
And then the abandonment scene with her fatherBernice trying to open the door and starts crying. I start to tear up myself. Then he beeps the horn, she jumps back in fright and he drives off, leaving Bernice to run after the car, screaming for her father and crying. At this point I was bawling my eyes out.
That poor child. Idiot of a father to do that to his child.
Her acting was indeed brilliant. It was the moment which made me change my mind about her. Hope she got awards for this.
You stand here sucker. You made me do this - Jeremy Renner
www.sksainitheauthor.blogspot.com

I think the scene where she is crying to go with her daddy is such good acting! By far the best performance of a child I have ever seen.
I agree one of the best performances of acting from a child. Her reaction was so real and had me bawling.
I'm reaching for the life within me. How can one man stop his ending.
~ Blue October

I absolutely agree! Mae Whitman is so amazing, and I truly can't believe she's not more famous. I mean, she was in a TON of movies as a little girl, and now, in her early twenties, she continues to act, but I don't think enough people know who she is. She should definitely be as well-known as child stars such as Dakota Fanning and Abigail Breslin.
Mae is truly heartbreaking in this filmand not just in that late scene with her father, but throughout the movie. Remember when they did that close-up shot of her crying so hard at the talk show, after it was revealed that her father cheated? And that scene with the dad at the endI absolutely do not cry at movies. I may well up a few times, but never full-blown cryingand yet Mae's performance reduced me to complete tears, mostly because it's so REAL. That crap really does happen; I've seen it, and it's devastating when young children are involved.
As a kid, Mae did a lot of films where she played the child of divorcethat's what the majority of her roles have been, actuallyand she is incredible at it. If you like her, you should also check her out in the TV show "Parenthood", where she plays Lauren Graham's rebellious teen daughter Amber. Her character there is how I imagine Bernice might have turned out. In short, Mae is a genuinely gifted actress who actually deserves to be on television. Many actresses her age don't have the kind of raw, sincere talent that she does. She's the real deal.

I agree with you completely. All the people in this thread moaning that she was an annoying brat in most of the filmumm hello? that's what she was supposed to be playing the role asso she acted brilliantly throughout.
The scene begging her father to take him with her made me bawl my eyes out the first time I saw itgod, so realistic.

I think she was excellent in this movie too. She annoyed the crap out of me, but that just means she was acting her part effectively. Have you seen how she looks now? She grew up to be quite a beauty.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1407555072/nm0926165
"Ooh, if I just wasn't a lady, WHAT wouldn't I tell that varmint."

When I see this scene it brings me to tears. My one daughter looked like that when she was a little girl and was going through something similar when she was
Bernice's age. Whenever I see this part of the movie it brings back sad memories of what she had to go through back then.

I totally agree.i mean, damn..people here are dissing Bernice's personality when this message board was meant to praise Mae Whitman's performanceI mean, I wanted to SmaCk Lisa RoWe from "Girl, Interrupted" but praised Angelina Jolie for her Oscar Winning performanceMae Whitman did an EXCELLENT JOB in this Movie!What a major maturity upgrade from her performance in ONE FINE DAY (which was also a very nice performance)
~ExEcUtIoN DoUbLe 9 $tYlE~

She was also very good in When a Man Loves a Woman and One Fine Day (great movie!) No scenes this intense, but she is a great little actress!

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I remember seeing this in the theater with my parents when I was about 12. That scene made me so sad, I sobbed the entire way home. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I looked a lot like Bernice (just a couple years previously when I was a bit younger) with the thick glasses and round cheeks and could just really relate to her. I think that's the only time I've seen the movie.

I remember reading somewhere that the crew members were so torn up over Bernice's reaction to her daddy leaving that they were left in tears themselves. They said they had no idea to what level she was going to take the scene to, and were completely mesmerized by her.

I enjoyed her entire performance. Watched the movie again after first seeing it years ago. I enjoyed it much more this time. I still cried, but it wasn't a "downer" like before.
Very good movie. She was perfect as Bernice, I thought. My favorite scene with her is during the bully episode when she reassures her mom "Sure, mom, it'll be a normal day." And, of course, she gets the crap beat out of her the next day. But she stood up to Big Delores. That situation was both hilarious and heartbreaking. Like so many things in the movie. It's a favorite now.

Hey Aim,
I owe you a note
I love this movie,
Bernice Matisse
Harry connick Jr. he's cool tooand I love Gena Rowlands, but the little girl was great too.

I remember watching something like, "The Making of
Hope Floats
" and Sandra Bullock asked Mae how she got to that point emotionally, because she (Sandra) was totally blown away. Mae said she thought about the men in the band on the Titanic who kept playing while the ship was sinking and everyone was dying, and that's how she did it. I guess every actor has his/her own little tricks, not matter how old they are.
"My heart upon his warm heart lies,
My breath is mixed into his breath."
~ W. B. Yeats

While I didn't really like her in any other scenes, the scene with Bernice and the father seriously almost broke my heart. I have never seen such heartfelt acting from a child before. I wonder how they got her into the state of mind to be so upset like that.

GREAT SCENE! You know it killed the mother to watch her child go thru that but she had to let it happen to get it thru to her daughter what type of man her father really was.
Total heart breaker whenever thos movie comes on I watch it til this part. I want to cry whenever I see it. Being a father this man must have been a cold hearted prick to pull off on his daughter like that, and you could see it coming when she sys "Stop it daddy" right then adn there you knew it was going to be bad.
"One does not smiply walk into modor"

Mae Whitman was wonderful as the daughter and the scene with her dad is a total heartbreaker. And not just because of Whitman and Pare but watching Bullock's reaction to everything is happeningit's really a brilliantly constructed scene that works on all levels, not just because of the little girl.

That scene is acted quite amazingly by the little girlblew me away. However, I don't think she was particularly good in any of the other scenes though.

I agree, Mae Whitman was brilliant as Bernise! She was definitely one of the best young actresses of the 1990's.
~ Tina x0
http://mae-whitman.tk

• Simply Mae

IKR? It was almost like she was a child who couldn't understand the grown up problems her mother was suffering through. Oh wait
I know I'm a vampire, Snookie.