What the Hell Happened to Helen Hunt?

Helen Hunt started her career as a child actor in the seventies.  After two decades in the business, she finally got cast on a hit TV show.  She won the Emmy for four consecutive years and won a Best Actress Oscar during the same time frame.  A few years later, she practically disappeared.

What the hell happened?

Helen Hunt started working as an actress in 1973 at the age of 10.  As a result, there are a lot of embarrassing photos and clips of Hunt as a child appearing in cheesy 70s TV movies.

If you have ever seen Hunt on a late night talk show, you have probably seen her squirm as they played a clip of her on The Bionic Woman or some other relic of the era.  Don’t worry.  That won’t stop me from dredging those things up all over again here.

It is not uncommon in these articles for me to skip over some movies or TV shows that weren’t especially important to the subject’s career.  In Hunt’s case, I am going to have to skip over dozens of projects.  Because she paid her dues and then she paid  them some more.

I can’t possibly cover every cheesy TV movie and canceled show.  But I will do my best to make sure we hit all the lowlights.

hunt - pioneer woman
Helen Hunt – Pioneer Woman – 1973

Hunt’s first role was in the 1973 TV movie, Pioneer Woman.  Joanna Pettet starred as a pioneer woman in Wyoming during the Post Civil War era.  When her husband, played by William Shatner with a thick handlebar mustache, is killed, Pettet must decide how best to take care of her family.  Hunt played the older of her two children.

Helen Hunt - Amy Prentiss - 1974-1975
Helen Hunt – Amy Prentiss – 1974-1975

In 1974, Hunt had a regular role on the short-lived Ironside spin-off, Amy Prentiss.  Jessica Walter (of Arrested Development fame) played the title character, a female cop who is promoted to chief when her predecessor is killed.  Hunt played Walter’s daughter.  Only three episodes were filmed.  But Shatner managed to squeeze in a guest spot in one of them.

Helen Hunt - Swiss Family Robinson - 1975
Helen Hunt – The Swiss Family Robinson – 1975-1976

The next year, Hunt got a recurring role on the The Swiss Family Robinson TV show.  The show was based on the 1812 novel of the same name by Johann David Wyss.  It had no connection to the Disney movie adaptation from 1960.  In fact, it aired directly opposite Wonderful World of Disney.

The previous year, there had been a Canadian TV show based on the The Swiss Family Robinson.  So when the American version aired in other countries familiar with the Canadian show, it was called Island of Adventure.

Both The Swiss Family Robinson and Wonderful World of Disney struggled in the ratings when CBS put 60 Minutes in the same timeslot.  The Swiss Family Robinson was cancelled after one season.  No William Shatner appearances have been reported, but I wouldn’t bet against it.

Helen Hunt - Death Scream - 1975
Helen Hunt – Death Scream – 1975

Hunt played Raul Julia’s daughter in the TV movie, Death Scream.  Julia played a detective investigating the death of a woman whose cries for help were ignored by her neighbors.  The neighbors were played by TV luminaries like Ed Asner, Art Carney, Kate Jackson, Cloris Leachman and Tina Louise.

Helen Hunt - Ark II - 1976
Helen Hunt – Ark II – 1976

In 1976, Hunt put in a guest appearance on the kid’s science fiction series, Ark II.  The show was about a group of scientists who travel around in their futuristic RV helping people.  In the 25th century, the world has been ravaged by pollution and the only ones who could help were three scientists who dressed like Evel Knievel and their pet chimp.

Ark 2
Ark 2

The seventies were kind of a weird time to be a kid.  In Hunt’s episode titled Omega, the team comes across a group that has been enslaved by a supercomputer.  That’s how Le Blog got started.  All hail to my desktop overlord!

Helen Hunt - Having Babies - 1976
Helen Hunt – Having Babies – 1976

Hunt once again played Jessica Walter’s daughter in the 1976 TV movie, Having Babies.  Her father was played by Ronny Cox.  Desi Arnaz Jr, Adrienne Barbeau, Vicki Lawrence and Abe Vigoda also appeared.  Having Babies was about this crazy new thing called “the Lamaze method.”  It broke new ground by showing actual footage of a childbirth!  The special was successful enough to spin off two sequels in 1977 and 1978 and a short-lived TV show which was renamed Julie Farr, M.D.

Helen Hunt - The Mary Tyler Moore Show - 1977
Helen Hunt – The Mary Tyler Moore Show – 1977

But Hunt’s early TV career wasn’t all William Shatner and space chimps.  In 1977, she got to appear on an episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.  In the episode, Murray Ghosts for Ted, Ted Knight enters a contest to write a short article.  When the seemingly simple task proves to be too much for him, he asks Gavin MacLeod to write it for him and give him the credit.  When the article becomes a surprise hit, everyone tries to convince Knight to give credit where credit is due.  Hunt played MacLeod’s daughter.

Helen Hunt - The Spell - 1977
Helen Hunt – The Spell – 1977

The Spell was a TV movie rip-off of Carrie.  Susan Myers played an overweight teen who uses her telekinetic powers to get back at her tormentors.  Hunt played her mean younger sister who nearly drowns when she pisses off her sibling.  Lee Grant played their mother.

Helen Hunt - Rollercoaster - 1977
Helen Hunt – Rollercoaster – 1977

Hunt made her big screen debut in the amusement park disaster movie, Rollercoaster.  George Segal played a fairground safety inspector investigating a fatal accident involving a ride he had previously inspected and approved for operation.  He soon comes to the conclusion that the accident was the work of a saboteur.  Henry Fonda had a small role as Segal’s boss.  Hunt played Segal’s daughter and Susan Strasberg played his love interest.

Rollercoaster was the third film to be presented in Sensurround, a gimmicky low-frequency bass speaker system guaranteed to rattle the fillings in your teeth.  The speakers only kicked in during certain sequences, but when they did they were so powerful that there were reports of plaster cracking in some theaters.  Only three other films employed the sound system; Earthquake (1974), Midway (1976), and the theatrical release of Battlestar Galactica(1978)

Despite the fact the movie might deter viewers from wanting to visit amusement parks, three amusement parks saw fit to allow the movie to film on location.  Scenes were shot at Ocean View Amusement Park and King’s Dominion in Virginia, and Magic Mountain in California.

Most significantly, Rollercoaster also marked the big screen debut of Steve Guttenberg.  A very young “Gute” had an uncredited role in which he played a messenger who delivers plans for a rollercoaster to Segal and Richard Widmark.

I know what you’re thinking right now.  You’re thinking “what this article really needs is another obscure 1970’s TV show.”  If you were, you’re in luck.  Because Hunt was cast as a regular on the not-so-popular family drama, The Fitzpatricks.

Helen Hunt - The Fitzpatricks - 1977-1978
Helen Hunt – The Fitzpatricks – 1977-1978

The Fitzpatricks was about an Irish Catholic family in Flint Michigan.  Being an Irish Catholic family on a seventies TV show, they had a lot of kids.  Well, four kids.  That’s actually not that many for a seventies TV family.  To compensate for having less than eight (which from what I understand was “enough”), the show also included Hunt as a neighbor kid.

The Fitzpatricks was only on the air for thirteen episodes.  See.  Shoulda had more kids.  Anything less than half a dozen is clearly insufficient.

hunt - bionic woman
Helen Hunt – The Bionic Woman – 1978

Okay, okay.  You’ve been patient long enough.  Yes, it’s time to watch Hunt’s infamous guest spot on The Bionic Woman.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-wGQszzcpg]

The clip is dubbed over in Portugese.  But I don’t think you lose a thing in the translation.  Lindsay Wagner, aka The Bionic Woman, actually stops a dude with a head of lettuce.  I’m sure it was bionic lettuce.

For those who don’t remember the glories of seventies TV shows, The Bionic Woman was a spin-off of the hit series, The Six Million Dollar Man.  Wagner played the first female cyborg who basically does all the same stuff as Lee Majors while also carrying two X chromosomes.  In the episode, Sanctuary Earth, Hunt played a princess from the planet Zorla who crash-lands on earth.  She is being pursued by intergalactic mercenaries that only a bionic woman could possibly stop.  Luckily, there was one on hand.

The only thing that could have made that any better would have been a space chip.  You can never have too many space chimps.

Ace the Space Chimp
Ace the Space Chimp

Oh, I forgot to mention that Ace the Space Chimp from Ark II could cook.  Space chimps are awesome.

Helen Hunt - Transplant - 1979
Helen Hunt – Transplant – 1979

Another trend you may have noticed from seventies entertainment: Extremely descriptive names.  If you make a TV movie about lamaze, you call it Having Babies.  A movie about amusement park ride malfunctions is called Rollercoaster.  And if you make a TV movie about a guy getting a heart transplant, by gum you call it Transplant!  Hunt played a kid whose dad needs a new ticker.  Ronny Cox and Bibi Besch co-starred.

Helen Hunt - The Facts of Life - 1980
Helen Hunt – The Facts of Life – 1980

As the seventies came to a close, Hunt took the good, she took the bad.  She took them both and there she had The Facts of Life.  Or at least she had a guest spot on the first season episode titled Dope.  Hunt played a member of a clique of pothead girls collectively known as “The Group”.

This guest spot would be the start of a drug-tinged trend in Hunt’s early-eighties output.  Get ready to see her freak out!

Helen Hunt - Knots Landing - 1981
Helen Hunt – Knots Landing – 1981

Hunt was able to put down the bong long enough to appear on the nighttime soap opera, Knots Landing not once but twice.  In 1980, she played a minor character named Betsy.  The following year, she returned to the show playing a different character named Brenda.  Either that or her character was so high she forgot her name between seasons.

In 1981, Hunt appeared in the TV movie, Angel Dusted.  A lot of people confuse this with the movie in which Hunt gets hopped up and jumps out a window.  But no, this isn’t that anti-drug movie.  It’s another anti-drug movie starring Jean Stapleton as a mom trying to clean up her drug addicted son.  The confusion was understandable.  There were a lot of anti-drug movies on TV in the early 80’s.  And Hunt was in more than one.

Helen Hunt and Jennifer Jason Leigh - CBS Afternoon Playhouse: I Think I'm Having a Baby - 1981
Helen Hunt and Jennifer Jason Leigh – CBS Afternoon Playhouse: I Think I’m Having a Baby – 1981

When the 80’s weren’t preaching to us about drugs, they were preaching to us about teen pregnancy.  The eighties were a really preachy time on TV.  Hunt played Jennifer Jason Leigh’s friend in an episode of the CBS Afternoon Playhouse (not to be confused with an Afterschool Special).  The episode was titled I Think I’m Having a Baby because Leigh played a teenage girl who thinks she might be pregnant.  Lucky for her, Hunt was in Having Babies so she’s kind of an expert on whether or not a baby will be had.  This episode also marked the TV debut of future Brat Packer Ally Sheedy.

Helen Hunt - The Best Little Girl in the World - 1981
Helen Hunt – The Best Little Girl in the World – 1981

Later that year, Hunt and Sheedy once again played Leigh’s classmates in the TV movie, The Best Little Girl in the World.  The topic of the week was anorexia.  Leigh played a high school student who struggles with the disease.  Charles Durning and Eva Marie Saint played her parents who desperately try to help their daughter before its too late.  Hunt’s character tells all the other girls about her new diet.

Helen Hunt - The Miracle of Kathy Miller - 1981
Helen Hunt – The Miracle of Kathy Miller – 1981

In The Miracle of Kathy Miller, Hunt played a teenage runner who is severely injured in a car accident.  With the help of her parents played by Sharon Gless and Frank Converse, she recovers from her injuries and is able to run in a 10k race.  I am not proud of how many times I watched this hysterical promo spot:

Admit it.  You laughed your ass off!

Helen Hunt - Darkroom - The Bogeyman Will Get You - 1981
Helen Hunt – Darkroom – The Bogeyman Will Get You – 1981

In an episode of the horror anthology series, Darkroom, Hunt played a teenager who thinks the boy she likes may be a vampire.  When he finds her searching for clues, he assures her that he is not.  But before you can say “Team Jacob” it is revealed that the boy is actually a werewolf.

Helen Hunt - Child Bride of Short Creek - 1981
Helen Hunt – Child Bride of Short Creek – 1981

So far we have learned that drugs are bad, teens can get pregnant and it’s a bad idea to confuse vampires and werewolves.  But you know what else 80’s TV taught us?  Polygamy isn’t so great either.  Diane Lane starred in the movie about a group of Mormons in the 1950’s.  Hunt played her reckless friend; a Mormon who dreams of escaping to Vegas!  Christopher Atkins, Conrad Bain and Dee Wallace-Stone co-starred.

Helen Hunt - Desperate Lives - 1982
Helen Hunt – Desperate Lives – 1982

In 1982, Hunt appeared in the infamous anti-drug TV movie, Desperate Lives.  THIS is the movie in which Hunt gets hopped up and jumps out of a window.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEpyLzHeozY

Remember kids, just say “no”.  I can’t tell you how many drug-related window-jumpings there were at my school in the 80’s.

Helen Hunt - Gimme a Break - 1982
Helen Hunt – Gimme a Break – 1982

Having once again taught us that drugs are still bad, Hunt played a pregnant teen in a very special episode of the sitcom Gimme a Break.  Making matters worse, her boyfriend isn’t sure if he wants to marry her.  He probably saw Mad About You and thought better of it.

hunt - it takes two
Helen Hunt – It Takes Two – 1982

For much of her career to this point, Hunt drifted from TV movie to TV guest spot to canceled TV show.  In 1982, she had a brief respite from the unemployment line with a regular role on the sitcom It Takes Two.  In complete defiance of the title of the show, there were actually more than two characters on the show.  The cast included Richard Crenna (of Rambo fame), Patty Duke and a pre-ER (and pre-bald spot) Anthony Edwards.

Here’s something Mrs. Lebeau will find interesting.  The kitchen set from this show was preserved and recycled as the kitchen for The Golden Girls.  That show lasted a little longer than It Takes Two which was canceled after 22 episodes.

Helen Hunt - Bill: On His Own - 1983
Helen Hunt – Bill: On His Own – 1983

In 1981, the legendary Mickey Rooney starred opposite the handsome Dennis Quaid in a critically acclaimed TV movie about a mentally handicapped senior citizen.  Rooney won an Emmy for his portrayal of Bill Sackler in the original movie titled simply Bill. In 1983, Rooney and Quaid returned for the less-heralded sequel, Bill: On His Own.  In the sequel, Rooney has to learn to cope all over again when Quaid and his wife move away.  Fortunately Hunt is there to pick up the slack.  And she won’t give up on him.  She won’t!

I’m not going to watch that clip again.  I’m not!  Oh who am I kidding?  Yes I am.  Probably several more times.

hunt - quarterback princess
Helen Hunt – The Quarterback Princess – 1983

Hunt took on sexism in The Quarterback Princess. It’s the true story of a girl who wanted to play on her high school football team.  She faces opposition from the coach, her teammates, her friend and neighbors.  I’m pretty sure even the mailman disapproved.  But Hunt proves them all wrong by leading her team to victory on the field AND being named homecoming queen.  Because win or loose, this is 1983.  We’re still gonna judge her on her looks.  Daphne Zuniga played Hunt’s sister and Tim Robbins made an early appearance.

Helen Hunt - St. Elsewhere - 1984-1986
Helen Hunt – St. Elsewhere – 1984-1986

In 1984, Hunt was cast as a pretty grad student who begins dating the doctor played by David Morse on the medical drama, St. Elsewhere.  Her character initially appeared in a four-episode arc.  She returned briefly in 1985 and then again for three more episodes in 1986.

We’re entering a transitional phase of Hunt’s career as she takes on more movies.  Before we move on, let’s have one more look at Hunt playing a space princess on The Bionic Woman.

hunt - bionic woman 2
Helen Hunt – The Bionic Woman – 1978

That was the problem with the failed 2007 Bionic Woman relaunch.  Not enough alien princesses.

hunt - girls just want to have fun
Helen Hunt – Girls Just Want to Have Fun – 1985

In 1985, Hunt made the jump to the big screen with the teen dance comedy, Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

Sarah Jessica Parker played the new girl in town.  She and Hunt become fast friends once they discover their shared love of dancing.  Their favorite TV show is Dance TV.  They desperately want to audition for a spot on the program, but Parker’s square of a dad doesn’t approve.  Jonathan Silverman and Shannen Doherty appeared in supporting roles and Cyndi Lauper made an uncredited cameo.  You can also spot Gina Gershon as a dancer and Hunt’s future husband, Hank Azaria as “man in bar”.

Girls was completely ignored at the box office.  It opened in 10th place at the box office behind Witness which had been playing for 10 weeks.  It should be noted, that Girls Just Want to Have Fun only opened on about 600 screens which was fewer screens than Amadeus was playing on at the time.  And Amadeus had been in theaters for 30 weeks by that point.  Most of the movies in the top five were showing on a thousand screens or more.  The only exception to that was the other movie aimed at a female demographic, Desperately Seeking Susan.  That movie showed on 760 screens which was fewer than Witness.  So basically any movies about women were playing on roughly half as many screens as the movies starring men.

Critics at the time didn’t think audiences were missing anything.  But over time, Girls Just Want to Have Fun has gained a cult following on home video and cable.  There are even plans for a remake because Hollywood is remaking everything these days.

hunt - trancers
Helen Hunt – Trancers – 1985

The sci-fi movie, Trancers, starred Tim Thomerson s a time-traveling bounty hunter named Jack Deth.  If you name your kid Jack Deth, aren’t you pretty much guaranteeing he will grow up to be a time traveling bounty hunter?  That or maybe an insurance salesman.  When Jack Deth shows up, you’re likely to need insurance.  

Anywho, Jack is chasing a bad guy with the power to turn people into zombie-like creatures known as “trancers”.  The hunt takes Jack from the year 2247 back to 1985 where he meets a “punk rock” girl played by Hunt.

hunt - trancers santa outfit
Helen Hunt – Trancers – 1985

The movie features an unusual form of time travel.  Instead of hopping in a DeLorean or a phone booth, Jack Deth injects himself with a needle that transports his consciousness into the body of one of his ancestors.  *spoilers* The movie ends with Deth trapped in the body of his ancestor living out the rest of his life for him and dating his girlfriend.  I don’t even want to think of the complications that could cause.

Trancers proved to be just the right kind of 80’s cheese.  It became a cult film and launched several sequels.  We’ll talk more about them as we go.

Helen Hunt - Highway to Heaven - 1985
Helen Hunt – Highway to Heaven – 1985

Hunt was still supplementing her movie roles with guest spots on TV.  In 1985, she appeared in two episodes of Michael Landon’s inspirational drama, Highway to Heaven.  Landon was typecast in the series as an Angel sent from Heaven to help people.  Hunt played the daughter of a farmhand who falls in love with the boss’ son.  The couple find romance with the help of Landon and his angelic coif.  But the boy’s father threatens to disown him and cut off his inheritance if he marries the lowly Hunt.  I do declare!  If that wasn’t melodramatic enough for you, Hunt learns she also has cancer.  In her second episode, she finds out she’s pregnant!

Hunt’s characters are remarkably fertile.  From about Child Bride on she was constantly being knocked up.  I know Girls Just Want to Have Fun, but how about using some protection!

Helen Hunt - Waiting to Act - 1985
Helen Hunt – Waiting to Act – 1985

Hunt also appeared in the short film, Waiting to Act.  The movie was about the trials and tribulations of a young actor trying to break into Hollywood.  Ed Begley Jr. and Jean Stapleton also appeared.  

Helen Hunt - The Frog Prince - 1986
Helen Hunt – The Frog Prince – 1986

In 1986, Hunt appeared in the extremely low budget family musical, The Frog Prince.  Aileen Quinn (aka Annie) starred as a princess who falls befriends a frog who looks a lot like the Phantom of the Opera if you ask me.

The Frog Prince - 1986
The Frog Prince – 1986

Hunt played the wicked step-sister who has the would-be Kermit imprisoned because, well, he’s creepy.

hunt - peggy sue got married
Helen Hunt and Kathleen Turner – Peggy Sue Got Married – 1986

Later that year Hunt had a small role in Francis Ford Copola’s time travel dramedy, Peggy Sue Got Married.

Kathleen Turner played Peggy Sue, a housewife who has just separated from her car salesman husband played by Nicholas Cage.  Peggy Sue faints at her 25-year high school reunion and finds herself back in high school.  She then has to decide whether or not to take her life in a new direction.

Hunt played Turner and Cage’s grown daughter during the “present day” portions of the film.  In reality, she is only nine years younger than Turner and is actually a year older than Cage.

In addition to Hunt, future stars Jim Carrey and Joan Allen also appeared in small roles.  Peggy Sue Got Married got mostly good reviews.  It’s not all that fondly remembered now, but both Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel named it as one of the ten best movies of 1986. It opened in second place at the box office behind Crocodile Dundee.  It eventually grossed over $40 million dollars which made it a modest hit.

Helen Hunt - The Hitchhiker - 1987
Helen Hunt – The Hitchhiker – 1987

Hunt played a rich party girl in an episode of the the HBO anthology series, The Hitchhiker.  Brad Davis played the host of a reality show about night life.  He meets Hunt at a club and tries to get a story on her and her friends.  But they end up leading him into a dangerous world of drugs and debauchery.

MSDPRXX FE002
Helen Hunt – Project X – 1987

In 1987, Hunt finally got a chance at a lead role in a mainstream movie.  She starred opposite Matthew Broderick and a chimp (of the non-space variety) in Project X.

Project X was about an Air Force pilot assigned to work with a chimp on some top-secret project.  Broderick played the pilot who begins to suspect his simian friend is being abused.  Hunt plays the research assistant who taught the chimp sign language.  Together, they decide to help the chimp escape captivity.

Project X was sort of an ET rip-off with a chimp instead of an alien.  It’s part comedy, part sci-fi thriller, part animal rights infomercial.  Ironically, the producers of the film were accused of animal cruelty by TV personality and animal rights activist, Bob Barker.  The American Humane Society, which consulted on the film, sued Barker for defamation.  Seven years later, Barker’s insurance company settled the case out of court.

Despite mixed to positive reviews, Project X was not a box office hit.  It opened in third place behind a rerelease of The Aristocats which was already in its second week in theaters.  It ended up grossing just under $20 million in the US.

Helen Hunt - Stealing Home - 1988
Helen Hunt – Stealing Home – 1988

In 1988, Hunt had a “special appearance” in the melodrama, Stealing Home.  Mark Harmon starred as a washed-up baseball player who returns home when he gets the news that his first love (played by Jodie Foster) has committed suicide.  Harold Ramis, Blair Brown, Jonathan Silverman, and Richard Jenkins co-starred.  As you can see from the picture, Hunt plays pregnant yet again.  The movie was met with critical disapproval and box office indifference.

Helen Hunt - Miles From Home - 1988
Helen Hunt – Miles From Home – 1988

Hunt also appeared in a small role in Gary Sinese’s drama, Miles From Home.  Richard Gere and Kevin Anderson played brothers who are forced off the family farm.  Deep in debt, they turn to robbing banks which makes them into local folk heroes.  Along the way, they meet various characters played by Penelope Ann Miller, Brian Dennehy, Laurie Metcalf and John Malcovich.

hunt - next of kin
Helen Hunt – Next of Kin – 1989

In 1989, appeared in the country-boy-in-the-big-city action movie Next of Kin.

Patrick Swayze starred as a good ol’ boy lawman who has moved to Chicago.  Hunt played his wife – pregnant naturally.  Bill Paxton appeared as Swayze’s younger brother who gets killed by a gangster played by Adam Baldwin.  Liam Neeson appears as Swayze’s other brother who insists on a traditional mountain blood feud to avenge Paxton’s death,

Reviews were pretty evenly divided.  Next of Kin currently holds a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  It opened in second place at the box office behind Look Who’s Talking and ended up grossing an unimpressive $16 million dollars.

Helen Hunt - My Life and Times - 1991
Helen Hunt – My Life and Times – 1991

In the 90’s, Hunt returned to television.  She appeared on episodes of China Beach and The Trials of Rosie O’Neill in 1990 and in 1991 she landed a regular role on the short-lived drama, My Life and Times.  Tom Irwin starred as an old man in the year 2035.  Over the course of the series, he reminisced about his life with his wife played by Hunt.  Only six episodes were made which covered such events as the 1987 stock market crash, the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and the fictional “Great Collapse of 1998”.  Don’t look that last one up in the history books, kids.  Hunt would soon star on a hit TV show, but My Life and Times wasn’t it.

Helen Hunt: Trancers II - 1991
Helen Hunt: Trancers II – 1991

In 1991, Hunt made a long-awaited sequel to Trancers.  She looks like she is asking herself, “Where did my career go so wrong?”

In Trancers II, Hunt has married Jack Deth, bounty hunter from the future.  A new bad guy (the original villain’s brother) has come back from the future to start a “trancer farm”.  He plans to build an army of zmobie-like trancers to take over the world.  Naturally only Jack Deth can stop him.  Things get complicated when Deth’s deceased first wife shows up to help.  Awkward!  Apparently one of the little known complications of time travel is that you can inadvertently end up a bigamist.

Hunt’s career hadn’t exactly taken off in the seven years since the first Trancers.  So it’s understandable that she would return for the sequel.

Helen Hunt - Into the Badlands - 1991
Helen Hunt – Into the Badlands – 1991

Hunt popped up in the oddball made-for-cable Western-horror anthology movie, Into the Badlands.  Bruce Dern played a badass bounty hunter who cuts off his own frost-bitten toe while hunting for an outlaw named Red Roundtree.  Dern’s search serves as a framing device for three other stories featuring the likes of Mariel Hemingway and Dylan McDermott.  Hunt plays the town whore.

Helen Hunt - Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story - 1991
Helen Hunt – Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story – 1991

And the award for the TV movie with the most unnecessarily long title goes to…  Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Wojas Smart Story.  Hunt starred as a teacher who seduces one of her students and then convinces him to murder her husband.

The scandalous true story has been adapted in several forms.  Most notably, it was the inspiration for Joyce Maynard’s 1992 novel, To Die For, which was further adapted into Gus Van Vant’s movie of the same name starring Nicole Kidman.

Helen Hunt - The Waterdance - 1992
Helen Hunt – The Waterdance – 1992

1992 would turn out to be a big year for Hunt.  After nearly 20 years in the business, she would finally become a household name.  But before that happened, she was still popping up in random roles.  First, she starred opposite Eric Stoltz in the drama, The Waterdance.  Stoltz played an author who breaks his neck while hiking.  He wakes to find himself in a rehabilitation center.  Wesley Snipes played a fellow patient who dreams of dancing on the surface of the water (thus the title).  Hunt played Stoltz’s girlfriend who is struggling to deal with his new status quo.

Despite overwhelmingly positive reviews, The Waterdance never received a wide release.

Helen Hunt - Only You - 1992
Helen Hunt – Only You – 1992

In the romantic-comedy, Only You, Hunt played a travel agent who has to deliver some bad news to Andrew McCarthy.  He has just been dumped by his girlfriend with whom he was planning a romantic getaway to Mexico.  When Hunt informs him that his tickets are non-refundable, McCarthy goes out to a bar to have a few drinks.  While there, he picks up Kelly Preston and convinces her to go to Mexico with him.  The next morning, Preston doesn’t remember their hook-up.  As Preston starts flirting with other guys, McCarthy starts spending time with his travel agent.

If Only You had been released five years prior, it might have been a hit.  But since the 80’s had ended, McCarthy and the rest of the Brat Pack were struggling to keep their careers afloat.  Only You never made it to theaters.

Hunt also appeared in Tim Robbins’ directorial debut, the political satire Bob Roberts.  Robbins starred in the mockumentary about a wealthy and charismatic politician who sings his way along the campaign trail.  Ray Wise and Alan Rickman co-starred.  James Spader, Jack Black Susan Sarandon and Fisher Stevens also made appearances.

Helen Hunt - Mr. Saturday Night - 1992
Helen Hunt – Mr. Saturday Night – 1992

Hunt had a supporting role in Billy Crystal’s directorial debut, Mr. Saturday Night.  Crystal starred in and co-wrote the movie about a stand-up comedian.  Crystal, under age make-up, reflects on his life and long career.  During the present-day sequences, Hunt played an agent who gives him a chance to revive his show business career.  Reviews were mixed and Mr. Saturday Night performed poorly at the box office.

hunt - mad about you
Helen Hunt – Mad About You – 1992 – 1999

On the same day that Mr. Saturday Night opened in theaters, Hunt got another chance at TV stardom.  Her new show was a sitcom co-starring the asshole from Aliens, Paul Reiser.  A romantic comedy starring Burke and Leena?  Yeah, that will never work…

In the early 90’s, the networks were on the hunt for the next Seinfeld.  It seemed like every stand-up comedian had a pitch for their own sit-com.  Reiser wrote Mad About You based on his own relationship experiences.

hunt - mad about you 2
Helen Hunt – Mad About You – 1992 – 1999

Reiser and Hunt had a natural chemistry and Mad About You turned into a big hit for NBC.  In 1993, Hunt got her first Emmy nomination for the show.  She would go on to be nominated every year until the show ended in 1999.  She won her first Emmy for Mad About You in 1996 and kept on winning Emmys for four consecutive years (96-99).

Helen Hunt - Best Actress Emmy - Mad About You
Helen Hunt – Best Actress Emmy – Mad About You

Reiser was also nominated for an Emmy during the show’s first season.  He lost and was never nominated again.  At the Golden Globes, Hunt was nominated for Best actress every year from 1992-1997.  She won three times in 1993,1994 and 1996.  The Globes saw fit to nominate Reiser four times, but he never took home a statue.

As part of NBC’s Must See TV Thursday Night Line-Up, Mad About You did cross-overs with both Friends and Seinfeld.  During the show’s last season, both Hunt and Reiser were paid $1 million dollars per episode.  Given all of the gold statues on her mantle, you might expect Hunt to be paid more.  But their contracts stipulated that they would be paid the same amount.

Mad About You was one of those shows that ended up overstaying its welcome.  By 1999, the show’s ratings plummeted and NBC moved it to Monday nights where it could quietly limp to its conclusion.  Despite the lackluster finish, a seven year run is impressive for any sitcom.

Helen Hunt - Trancers III - 1992
Helen Hunt – Trancers III – 1992

During Mad About You’s first season, Hunt made her final appearance in the Trancers franchise.  In this one, Jack Deth goes time traveling just when his marriage to Hunt is on the rocks.  When he sees her again, she has remarried conveniently freeing him up to have new leading ladies in future installments.

Hunt, now a TV star, was done with the low budget sci-fi series.  But Thomerson appeared in two more direct-to-video sequels.  In 2002, a sixth movie was released without Hunt or Thomerson’s participation.  In 2013, a lost sequence featuring both Hunt and Thomerson was released to video under the title Trancers: City of Lost Angels.

Helen Hunt - In the Company of Darkness - 1993
Helen Hunt – In the Company of Darkness – 1993

In 1993, just before those awards started rolling in, Hunt played a young police woman who flirts with danger in the TV movie, In the Company of Darkness.  Mich to the dismay of her partner played by Jeff Fahey, Hunt goes undercover on the trail of a child killer played by Steven Weber.  In order to get him to confess to his crimes, Hunt has to get close to him.

As Hunt focused on her new full time job of starring on Mad About You and collecting gold statues, the movie roles and side jobs slowed down a bit.

Helen Hunt and Mike Myers - Saturday Night Live - 1994
Helen Hunt and Mike Myers – Saturday Night Live – 1994

Hunt hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time in 1994.  She would host again three years later while promoting As Good as It Gets.

Helen Hunt - Friends - 1995
Helen Hunt – Friends – 1995

In 1995, as part of the previously-mentioned crossover with Mad About You, Hunt appeared on an episode of Friends.  Lisa Kudrow had played a small supporting role on Mad About You.  So when Hunt appeared on Friends, she mistook Kudrow’s regular friends character for the waitress she played on Mad About You.

hunt - kiss of death
Helen Hunt – Kiss of Death – 1995

Kiss of Death was a crime thriller directed by Barbet Schroeder which starred David Caruso, Samuel L. Jackson and Nicolas Cage.

Caruso played an ex-con who agrees to take the fall for a crime gone wrong.  In exchange, the mobster Caruso was working for promises to take care of his alcoholic wife played by Hunt.  While Caruso is serving his time, his cousin played by Michael Rapport gets Hunt mixed up in crime and drinking.  When she dies in a fatal car crash, Caruso is released in order to attend the funeral.  Once he realizes that the deal he made had not been honored, Caruso starts working for the government to bring down the people he blames for his wife’s death.

Caruso famously left his high-rated TV show, NYPD Blue, to try to make it in films.  Although Kiss of Death got decent reviews, it was not a hit at the box office.  Caruso’s big screen dreams came crashing down and eventually he returned to TV with CSI: Miami.

Hunt, on the other hand, kept her day job while testing the waters in movies.  It was a strategy that worked.  There were no crime procedurals in her future.

hunt - twister
Helen Hunt – Twister – 1996

In 1996, Hunt starred opposite Bill Paxton in Jan de Bont’s disaster movie, Twister.

Paxton played a TV weatherman who is trying to get his wife played by Hunt to sign divorce papers so he can marry his girlfriend played by Jamie Gertz.  Hunt is part of a team of scientists that chase tornados in order to take readings.  Philip Seymour Hoffman played one of the scientists on her team.  Cary Elwes played the leader of a rival team who relies on corporate sponsorship to get the edge.

Twister was an infamously troubled production.  It was de Bont’s first film as a director after having a hit with Speed.  And apparently, that hit went to his head.  At one point during production, the camera crew left claiming that the director was out of control.  A new camera crew needed to be hired.

There were several injuries on the set of Twister.  Hunt seemed to get the worst of it.  At one point, she and Paxton had their retinas burned by special lighting.  They were both temporarily blinded.  Later, both stars were required to get hepatitis shots after filming a scene in a contaminated ditch.  Hunt was repeatedly hit in the head and possibly suffered a concussion.  De Bont attributed these injuries to Hunt’s “clumsiness”.

Twister went over-schedule and over-budget.  Paul Reiser actually delayed shooting of Mad About You by two weeks to accommodate Hunt’s movie schedule.  All the hard work and suffering paid off.  Twister was a massive hit at the box office despite mixed reviews.

Twister... Ride It Out
Twister… Ride It Out

In 1997, Universal added an attraction based on the hit movie to their theme park in Orlando Florida.  Twister… Ride It Out creates a simulated tornado for audiences.  Paxton and Hunt filmed segments to talk about making the movie.  Paxton and Hunt only agreed to participate in the attraction if they didn’t have to see each other.  So their segments were filmed individually.  They are never seen together at any point during the attraction.

hunt - as good as it gets
Helen Hunt – As Good as It Gets

Hunt had a hit TV show, her first Emmy win, a couple Golden Globes and a box office hit under her belt.  It seemed like there was nowhere to go but down.  But first, Hunt had to win an Oscar.

In 1997, Hunt starred opposite Jack Nicholson, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding Jr. in James L Brooks’ comedy/drama, As Good As It Gets.  Nicholson played an unpleasant obsessive-compulsive writer.  Hunt played the only waitress who can tolerate waiting on him.  When she leaves one day to take care of her sick son, Nicholson can’t handle it.  So hebegins paying for her son’s medical expenses in order to make sure she can serve him breakfast every morning.  Believe it or not, an unlikely romance develops.

As Good as It Gets got mostly positive reviews and was a hit at the box office.  It was nominated for several awards.  Nicholson and Hunt both took home Oscars and Golden Globes.  Hunt also won another Emmy for Mad About You that year.  I imagine she had to buy a larger mantle in 1997.

Helen Hunt - Saturday Night Live - 1997
Helen Hunt – Saturday Night Live – 1997

Hunt hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time in 1997.  Jack Nicholson joined her on stage during the monologue.

After As Good As It Gets, Hunt took a break from movies to finish out her time on Mad About You.  I guess when you have scored an Oscar and have a steady stream of Emmys, you might as well.

Like most TV shows, Mad About You started going downhill.  Originally, it was a show about newlyweds.  But when the honeymoon was over, they started relying on stunts to goose the ratings.  Mad About You had a string of celebrity guests and finally they had a baby.

By the end, the show was more soap opera than sit-com.  There was a seemingly endless storyline where the couple separated.  The final episode featured Janeane Garofalo as the Buchman’s grown-up daughter telling the story of her parent’s break-up.  It ends with them reuniting.  But by then, most of the audience had moved on.  Still, Hunt kept winning Emmys up till the bitter end.

Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria
Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria

Around the time Mad About You was coming to an end, Hunt married character actor (and Mad About You guest star) Hank Azaria.  Although they had been a couple since 1994, the marriage was short-lived.  They divorced in 2000.

hunt- pay it forward
Helen Hunt – Pay It Forward – 2000

In 2000, Hunt returned to movies with a vengeance.  She appeared in four movies that year.  The first was the truly dreadful melodrama, Pay It Forward.

Pay It Forward stars Haley Joel Osment as a saintly little boy who has the revolutionary idea that the world would be a better place if everyone did random acts of kindness.  One of his acts is to try to set his single mom up with the teacher who inspired the “pay it forward scheme”.  The teacher was played by Kevin Spacey.

Pay It Forward means to be a high-minded tear-jerker.  But it’s the kind of movie that tries too hard to manipulate the audience’s emotions.  Spoilers for the next sentence.  It ends with Osment dying Christ-like for our sins.  Instead of being moved, the audience just feels jerked around by such an obvious attempt to elicit an emotional response.

Reviews were not kind.  Entertainment Weekly called the movie “reprehensible.”  Pay It Forward bombed at the box office with a fourth place opening behind Meet the Parents which had already been in theaters for three weeks.  The movie was clearly intended to be Oscar-bait, but no one was biting.

DR. T & THE WOMEN, Helen Hunt, Richard Gere, 2000, (c)Artisan Entertainment
Helen Hunt – Dr. T and the Women – 2000

Later that year, Hunt appeared in Robert Altman’s Dr. T and the Women.

Richard Gere played a successful gynecologist and whose life starts to unravel when his wife, played by Farrah Fawcett, has a nervous breakdown.  Kate Hudson played his daughter who is soon to be married.  But secretly, she is carrying on a lesbian relationship with her maid of honor played by Liv Tyler.  Tara Reid played Gere’s youngest daughter, a conspiracy theorist.  And Shelly Long played his secretary.  Laura Dern played Gere’s meddlesome sister-in-law and Hunt played a golf instructor with whom he finds solace.

Reviews were mixed and the movie opened at seventh place at the box office.  It went on to gross about $13 million in the US which was a little more than half of its production costs.

hunt - what women want
Helen Hunt – What Women Want – 2000

Hunt’s luck improved in the latter half of 2000.  First, she starred opposite a pre-crazy Mel Gibson in Nancy Meyers’ comedy, What Women Want.

Gibson played a male chauvinist ad exec who suddenly finds he has the ability to read minds.  Hunt played his rival at the ad agency.  At first, Gibson reads her mind to get a leg up at work.  But soon, he begins getting in touch with his feminine side.  As this is a Nancy Meyers movie, the two eventually fall in love.

What Women Want got mixed to positive reviews and was a hit at the box office.

hunt - castaway
Helen Hunt – Castaway – 2000

Hunt ended the year with a very small role opposite Tom Hanks in Robert Zemeckis’ shipwreck drama, Castaway.

How small was Hunt’s role?  The volleyball, “Wilson” was more central to the story.  But it was a chance to work with Hanks.  And Castaway was liked by both critics and audiences.

dillon - one night at mccools
One Night at McCool’s – 2001

In 2001, Hunt dodged a bullet.  She had filmed a scene for Paul Reiser’s comedy, One Night at McCools.  But her scene was cut.  Matt Dillon and Liv Tyler weren’t so lucky.

One Night was a critical and commercial flop.

hunt - curse of the jade scorpion
Helen Hunt – The Curse of the Jade Scorpion – 2001

But Hunt’s luck ran out when she appeared in Curse of the Jade Scorpion.

Woody Allen played an insurance investigator.  Hunt played an efficiency expert who fights with Allen over his old-fashioned methods.  Hunt’s character has an advantage because she is secretly in a relationship with their boss played by Dan Aykroyd.  Elizabeth Berkley played a co-worker.

One night, some of the employees go out to dinner and a stage magician played by David Ogden Stiers hypnotizes Allen and Hunt.  The next day, the hypnotist begins using Allen to commit crimes.  With no memory of having committed the robberies himself, Allen investigates them.

Allen is notoriously secretive with his scripts.  He allowed Hunt to read the entire script for The Curse of the Jade Scorpion but she had to read it all in one sitting and give it back to the courier when she was done so the script could be returned immediately.

The Curse of the Jade Scorpion is generally considered to be one of Allen’s lesser films.  Unfortunately, it is also his most expensive with a budget of $33 million dollars.  Allen later confessed that it was one of his least favorite of his own movies and that he felt like he let down the rest of the cast by casting himself in the lead role.  Allen has been known to reshoot movies when he feels like the casting isn’t working, but due to the cost of the period sets, that wasn’t an option this time.

Reviews for The Curse of the Jade Scorpion were mixed.  It opened in 11th place at the box office and grossed about $7.5 million dollars.  It isn’t uncommon for Allen’s movies to be low-grossers.  But given the movie’s relatively big budget, The Curse of the Jade Scorpion qualified as a bomb.

Helen Hunt and Matthew Carnahan
Helen Hunt and Matthew Carnahan

In 2001, Hunt began dating TV producer, Matthew Carnahan.  Hunt’s output as an actress greatly slowed down as the couple started a family.  They had a daughter in 2004.

Considering the fact that Hunt had been steadily working since she was a child, the decision to scale back her career is perfectly understandable.  She already had more awards that any reasonable person could ever dream of.  She was in the rare position of being able to have it all.

Helen Hunt - A Good Woman - 2004
Helen Hunt – A Good Woman – 2004

In 2004, Hunt starred opposite Scarlett Johansson and Tom Wilkinson in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play, Lady Windermere’s Fan.  The movie was retitles A Good Woman.

Hunt starred as a fallen femme fatale who has been driven out of the social scene of New York in the 1930’s.  She heads off to Italy where she seems to be trying to steal Johansson’s new husband out from under her.

The movie had 22 credited producers located in five different countries.  If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, it was.  A Good Woman was panned by critics for its attempts to modernize Wilde’s play and make it more mainstream.  It ended up playing in only 35 theaters.

Helen Hunt - Empire Falls - 2005
Helen Hunt – Empire Falls – 2005

In 2005, Hunt appeared in the HBO mini-series, Empire Falls.  Ed Harris starred as a middle aged man who is content to work as a manager of the local greasy spoon.  Hunt played his bitter ex-wife who has custody of their daughter.  Paul Newman played Harris’ father who is all too happy to give unsolicited advice.  Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright Penn, Joanne Woodward and Aidan Quinn costarred.

The mini-series, which was Newman’s last on-screen performance, was very well received.  It was nominated for several awards.  Newman won both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his supporting role.

Helen Hunt and Heather Graham - Bobby - 2006
Helen Hunt and Heather Graham – Bobby – 2006

In 2006, Hunt joined a star-studded ensemble for Emilio Estevez’s historical drama, Bobby.  The movie is a fictionalized account of the last days of Robert Kennedy.

This movie keeps popping up in WTHH articles.  Estevez wrote and directed the movie.  It co-starred  Demi Moore, Heather Graham, Christian Slater, Lindsay Lohan and Sharon Stone.  Plus a few other actors who are sure to be featured in future articles.

Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt - Then She Found Me - 2007
Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt – Then She Found Me – 2007

In 2007, Hunt made her directorial debut with the comedy-drama Then She Found Me.

The movie was based on Elinor Lipman’s 1990 novel of the same name.  Hunt played a teacher whose husband, played by Matthew Broderick, leaves her abruptly.  Around the same time, she is approached by the representative of a local talk show played by Bette Midler.  The talk show host claims to be Hunt’s biological mother.  Hunt’s character also starts a relationship with a character played by Colin Firth.

Twenty years before, Hunt and Broderick dated briefly while starring in Project X.  Tim Robbins has a brief cameo role.  When Robbins made his directorial debut, Bob Roberts, Hunt appeared in a cameo so he returned the favor.

The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.  Reviews were mixed.  Then She Found Me continued to play the festival circuit through 2008 before receiving a limited release.

Helen Hunt - Every Day - 2010
Helen Hunt – Every Day – 2010

In 2010, Hunt starred in the indie drama, Every Day.

Liev Schreiber and played a married couple dealing with common family problems.  Schreiber is trying to reconnect with his gay son while fighting temptation in the form of a flirtatious co-worker played by Carla Gugino.  Brian Dennehy played Hunt’s alcoholic father who moves in with them.

Every Day premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival where it was met with unethusiastic reviews.  It only played in four theaters.

hunt - soul surfer
Helen Hunt – Soul Surfer – 2011

In 2011, Hunt appeared in the Christian surf movie, Soul Surfer.

The movie is based on the book by Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board.  Hamilton was a surfer who lost her arm in a shark attack.  The book and the movie tell the true story of how she fought to continue surfing after her accident.  Hunt and Dennis Quaid played her parents in the movie.

Despite mixed reviews, Soul Surfer was a modest hit at the box office.  It opened in fourth place, but managed to gross just over double its production costs.

hunt - the sessions

In 2012, Hunt stepped back into the spotlight with a leading role in The Sessions.

Hunt played a sex surrogate hired to help a paralyzed poet lose his virginity.  The poet, played by John Hawkes, seeks advice from a priest played by William H. Macy.  During their sessions, Hunt and Hawkes form a bond which makes it difficult for both of them to remain objective.

The film premiered at the Sundance Festival where it won several awards.  Hunt received a ton of nominations including nods from the Golden Globes and Oscars.  She lost both to Anne Hathaway who won for Les Misérables.

Helen Hunt - Deconding Annie Parker - 2014
Helen Hunt – Deconding Annie Parker – 2014

In Decoding Annie Parker, Hunt played a brilliant physician on a quest to cure cancer through genetics.

The movie wrapped filming three years prior in 2011.  Post production was completed in 2012.  It sat on a shelf for two years before being released to video-on-demand.

Helen Hunt - Ride - 2015
Helen Hunt – Ride – 2015

Helen Hunt returned to the director’s chair for the 2015 surfer movie, Ride.  She played a mother who travels to California when her son drops out of school to take up surfing.

Once again, the movie played the film festival circuit before being released on demand.

So what the hell happened?

Although Hunt isn’t nearly as prolific as she was at the peak of her career, she still works regularly picking and choosing projects that interest her.  She also works as a director on TV shows like Californication and Revenge.  She started working as a child actor.  She paid her dues for decades and succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.  Her trophy case overflowed within a few years.   Although she never remarried, Hunt has been in a long term relationship with TV producer Matthew Carnahan and they have decided to raise a family.  Around here, that’s what we call a happy ending.

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seandaniel1966
11 years ago

Great article! I had forgotten how she got to be an A-lister in the first place. I remember Twister (meh) and As Good As It Gets (awesome) of course.

But the last time I thought about Hunt was when What Woman Wants came out. I liked that movie, and it was before Crazy Mel.

And that was over a decade ago.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

Helen Hunt in As Good as it Gets: http://oscarnerd.blogspot.com/2011/04/helen-hunt-in-as-good-as-it-gets.html Helen Hunt received her first and (to date only) Best Actress nomination and Oscar for playing Carol Connelly, a waitress and a single mom in the Best Picture nominated comedy, As Good as it Gets. Many were surprised to see her win but I really don’t see why. She won SAG, the Golden Globe. Of course, many thought Judi Dench would win but Hunt triumphed in the end. I guess that her stardom she reached with Mad about You helped her. It’s an interesting and very controversial decision, not very typical… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

8 Oscars Winners Who Should Give the Award Back: http://itthing.com/8-oscars-winners-who-should-give-the-award-back 4. Helen Hunt Helen Hunt won for an uninspired performance in As Good As It Gets. Does anyone really think she held her own against Jack in any scene? Even against Greg Kinnear? No, sir, she did not. After her Oscar win she went on to appear in the over-manipulative Pay It Forward, was upstaged by a volleyball in Castaway and phoned in another nothing role in Bobby. Hunt did have a nice turn in What Women Want, but she hasn’t had a leading role in nearly ten years. And… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Oscar’s Curse: How the Academy ruined these actors’ careers: http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/movies/oscars/oscars-curse-how-the-academy-ruined-these-actors-careers-618?page=8 Best Actress: “As Good As It Gets” (1998) There was a time when Helen Hunt was hot stuff. The go-to gal for “regular woman we might actually marry” roles, she was the highest-paid actress on television for her sitcom “Mad About You.” And she’s got a certain kind of talent, for sure. So it was, I suppose fine that she won an Oscar for her sassy, world-weary waitress in need of a compliment in James L. Brooks’ wonderful “As Good As It Gets,” but I don’t know. Beating the sublime… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

22 Incredibly Shocking Oscars Injustices: http://www.empireonline.com/features/22-incredibly-shocking-oscars-injustices/p12 Best Actress (1998) Who should have won: Judi Dench (Mrs. Brown) Who won: Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets) As Katharine Hepburn wrily commented: “The right actors win Oscars, but for the wrong roles.” There have been few better examples of this than Judi Dench. The Academy loves her – she’s been nominated six times – but her only win came for a movie she graced for a mere eight minutes. Instead of a Best Supporting win for Shakespeare In Love, Dame Judi should have walked away with a little golden man for… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

HOT GALLERY: 10 Stars Who Fell Victim to the Oscar Curse http://www.snakkle.com/galleries/before-they-were-famous-stars-photo-gallery-10-stars-who-fell-victim-to-the-oscar-curse-then-and-now/helen-hunt-as-good-gets-1998-movie-photo-gc/ Helen Hunt, Best Actress in 1998 for As Good As It Gets Helen Hunt turned in a respectable performance as waitress Carol Connelly in As Good as It Gets. Did she deserve an Oscar for it? Was Cate Blanchett robbed of hers in 1999? (We will never forget, Cate. Never forget.) And yet, thanks to some stellar side acting courtesy of Jack Nicholson and Greg Kinnear, Hunt hugged Oscar gold that year. Helen Hunt—Today Hunt followed up her Oscar wins with some equally ambivalent performances. In Pay It… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Top 10 Post-Oscar Busts: http://entertainment.time.com/2012/02/27/top-10-post-oscar-busts/slide/helen-hunt/ What happened to Helen Hunt? The sitcom sweetie nabbed an Oscar for her portrayal of Carol Connelly opposite Jack Nicholson in 1997′s As Good as It Gets. Her role as a waitress and single mother who falls truly and inexplicably in love with Nicholson’s Melvin Udall won her both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in 1998. She also won an Emmy that same year for her work in the television series Mad About You, making her one of the few actresses to receive all three awards in one year. But Hunt took a… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

No Survivors – The utter wreckage caused by Pay It Forward… http://scottalanmendelson.blogspot.com/2013/02/no-survivors-utter-wreckage-caused-by.html Any number of movies can bomb critically and commercially to the extent that they harm the star or director or even the writer involved with the respective project. But, 13.5 years later, the utter carnage reaped by Pay It Forward remains impressive and perhaps unprecedented. Yes the movie wasn’t very good and yes it didn’t make very much money at the box office. But the impressive thing about Pay It Forward, a would-be Oscar bait drama released in October of 2000, is how brutally it crushed the careers… Read more »

Brad Deal
9 years ago

Helen Hunt has done nothing but work her ass off since she was a little girl. There is no need to be cruel and disrespectful. She has provided high quality entertainment to my family for a generation.

She has earned her accolades through hard work. What accolades have her detractors won?

Brad Deal

Honey
Honey
8 years ago

Ah, yes, one must always consider the opinion of boring old gay men when assessing Helen Hunt’s career.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

What is Haley Joel Osment Doing Now? What Happened to Haley Joel Osment? http://gazettereview.com/2015/06/what-is-haley-joel-osment-doing-now-what-happened-to-haley-joel-osment/ You probably remember Haley Joel Osment for his critically acclaimed appearance in The Sixth Sense, where he co-starred with the legendary Bruce Willis. He became the second youngest actor to receive a nomination for an Academy Award for supporting role. His line in the movie, “I see dead people,” became an iconic catchphrase that many films and television shows cameo to this day. Shortly after, he starred in the blockbuster film Pay It Forward, and in the following year he appeared in Artificial Intelligence, a Steven… Read more »

Anti Spam
Anti Spam
9 years ago

What a load of crap. Yet another blogger talking drivel while advertising their website at the same time. Please don’t continue to spam this website with your patronising drivel.

Helen Hunt was incredible in As Good As It Gets and fully deserved the Oscar. The other performances were incredible also but her and Jack Nicholson stood out.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Anti Spam

Why Hollywood won’t cast Haley Joel Osment anymore

http://www.looper.com/23972/hollywood-wont-cast-haley-joel-osment-anymore/

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Anti Spam

I don’t know the validity what I’m about to say, but allegedly during her Mad About You days (around the time she did As Good As It Gets and her ego got bigger) she was a real b*tch on set. So the writers made her character more of a b*tch to be just like her so she’d take a hint and change her ways. But it backfired because she was so clueless that she preferred the new “improved” character and was now a b*tch both on and off camera.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The Upwards Failing of Colin Trevorrow and Why It Matters http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/the-upwards-failing-of-colin-trevorrow-and-why-it-matters.php In 1998, Mimi Leder, a two-time Emmy winning director who had made her name through her work on the wildly successful hospital series ER, released Deep Impact. This ensemble drama, starring Tea Leoni and Morgan Freeman, was coolly received by the critics but became one of the highest grossing films of the year, offering a more empathetic and tightly controlled take on the impending disaster genre alongside another film of 1998, Michael Bay’s Armageddon. With a $349m gross, it became the highest-grossing film directed by a woman, a record… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  seandaniel1966

At the end of the day, was Helen Hunt really that big of a star as she was made out to be during her prime? She spent most of the ’90s working on “Mad About You”. Granted, I believe that she won four consecutive Emmys for that show but it isn’t like it was the biggest NBC sitcom that was set in New York during the ’90s (see “Seinfeld” or “Friends”). She just so happened to be in a five year span (1996-2000), star in four hit movies: Twister, As Good As It Gets, What Women Want, and Cast Away.… Read more »

Danielle Charney
Danielle Charney
11 years ago

She is a smart cookie who got out when the getting was good- dodging the slings of aging- wonder if she will direct more- while I have always been lukewarm about her- I cannot deny her creds-

HHGeek
HHGeek
8 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Compounded, I’d say, by the fact that she’s never been girly. Even as a child she had an adult look about her, which never goes down well with a lot of people. Storming physique at all adult ages, as you say, but without that childishness she’s always going to have been restricted with her options.

HHGeek
HHGeek
8 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Yeah, now, on that (and thanks for a perfect prompt). What’s with the pregnancy thing, given your excellent point that we couldn’t move in the 80s for sonorous warning ads? In the UK it was either a) impending nuclear disasters, or b) AIDS, DON’T DIE OF IGNORANCE!!! – John Hurt doing the voiceover, FWIW. I & many friends of both genders have been paranoid about condom usage for 30 years as a result. Surely in the US of A all of Ms.Hunt’s characters would have been exposed to something similar? :Lovely WTTH, by the way. You particularly seemed to enjoy… Read more »

HHGeek
HHGeek
8 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Interesting. God knows we Didn’t Do Sex in the UK with Thatcher in charge, but her then Health Secretary apparently pouted continuously until he was allowed to get the ads (and other copy) commissioned. It’s one of the rare govt campaigns that’s stuck in my head, so good on him. Particularly as I’ve yet to see stats from any country, anywhere, ever, that proves that abstinence promotion is more effective than protection. Our anti-drugs stuff was mostly bound up with anti-AIDS, for obvious reasons.

daffystardust
Editor
11 years ago

The continued Emmys through the last tedious years of “Mad About you” seemed like lifetime achievement awards. I was a huge fan of the show right up through the moment when it was revealed that Hunt’s character was preagnant. It was a beautifully conceived and executed scene. It should’ve been the last scene of the series. Babys are death on TV. But I guess the show’s audience was still big, so we were treated to a couple of pointless, awful years (I opted out just a couple of episodes after the baby showed up). Hunt is definitely one of those… Read more »

mikes75
11 years ago

One thing to add to your article, she’s starring in a new movie hitting theaters this fall called the sessions, costar ring John Hawkes (Winters Bone) and William H Macy that’s generating Oscar buzz already. The trailer looks pretty good, maybe this will be the start of a comeback?

seandaniel1966
11 years ago

I never watched Mad About You, mainly because Paul Reiser is such a weasel. I think Hunt may just be like Rick Moranis, who just wanted to spend time with his family – and got out of the biz.

Nothing wrong with that. We can’t always have Kilmers and Youngs. I am curious about something concerning Kilmer, though. Is he an implosion or just a series of poor choices?

daffystardust
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  seandaniel1966

I’m surprised by all the Reiser hate.
He was the main reason I started watching the show to begin with. I guess my relationship with him is different than it is for some other people. I’d seen him in “Diner,” and was very familliar with him as a stand up comedian.
His role in “Aliens” was honestly an after-thought to me.

seandaniel1966
11 years ago

LOL. You know, I’ve heard Tom Sizemore is also a male Sean Young. Is he an A-lister? There was some movie he did that has the lowest recorded gross ever…and it was reported Tom was doing meth on the set.

Sizemore and Kilmer were paired up for Red Planet. i wonder if that was the beginning of the end?

seandaniel1966
11 years ago

Paul Reiser is easy to dislike. I never watched his new show, but I heard it didn’t do so well.

Rolland
Rolland
11 years ago

You should do a WTHH on Matthew Broderick. I want to know how he went from Ferris Bueller to Sarah Jessica Parker’s wife. I mean, his career is far from extraordinary, but it’s sure as hell better than hers.

Paul S
11 years ago
Reply to  Rolland

I think Matthew Broderick had SJP to thank for his most recent big screen appearance, an uncredited cameo in the abysmal “New Year’s Eve”.

His character’s name?……Mr Beullerton!!

Ruairidh
Ruairidh
11 years ago

I’ve always found her to be a likeable on-screen presence and I’m hoping she receives an Oscar nod for her role in ‘The Sessions’. The other day I read that she declined the role of Jean Grey in the original X-Men movie; maybe had she taken that role, she’d have been cemented A-list.

Off-topic, but have you considered illustrating the careers’ of fallen stars from the 1970s? I think Karen Black and Faye Dunaway would be brilliant subjects.

moviefan
moviefan
7 years ago
Reply to  Ruairidh

Sadly Karen has since passed away from cancer. She did a long interview a month before her death, it’s on YouTube, very difficult to watch and listen to. I do agree she and Faye would be brilliant subjects.

Burt Reynolds had a pretty monumental comedown. There’s an entry for every hasbeen and neverwas from the 80s-00s. Time to go back further. Sooner rather than later, because I recall reading a comment here that deceased actors are exempt from getting WTHHT write-ups.

The Iron Cupcake
11 years ago

As a few commenters here have mentioned, Hunt’s new movie The Sessions is coming out soon. I’m going to a preview next week, so I’ll probably blog about it. I’m really excited; the trailer looked great and I love the other actors involved (Hawkes, Macy; I guess Adam Arkin is OK). Admittedly, the only Helen Hunt movies that I’ve seen are Peggy Sue Got Married and Twister, but she was good in them.

The Iron Cupcake
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

I shall! =)

The Iron Cupcake
11 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Sadly I was unable to go to that preview of The Sessions. I’m hoping I can see the film when it’s in theaters, although the chances are slim since I tend to get turned away from R-rated movies when I go to shows by myself. (It’s usually hard to convince friends to see less commercial fare. I doubt that anyone I know wants to see – for example – The Master.) Being 20 but looking like a small child definitely does not work in my favor.

mr. ngoc
11 years ago

The Sessions is INDEED an Oscar contender 😀 In fact, while Helen’s role is a lead, they decided to campaign her as a supporting so she could have an even bigger chance of winning -.- I found it funny because i thought you put her in this column because of The Sessions and its award buzz 🙂

mr. ngoc
11 years ago

Also, this is the 1st time i’ve crossed your blog 😀 it is indeed an exciting one 🙂 i didnt see many old movies so it is refreshing to read your blog, reading the wiki is lacking tbh 🙁 and so sad with daryl hannah / geena davis / meg ryan’s career 🙁

Terrence Michael Clay
11 years ago

Some theories that I’ve read on Helen Hunt’s IMDb message boards for why her career cooled down so to speak: *Word got around that she had become very arrogant after her Oscar win. As a matter of fact, there are rumors that she was unpleasant to deal w/ during her “Mad About You” days too: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showpost.php?p=4509030&postcount=10 *Her supposed 15 minutes ran out before her agent(s) could pair her with yet another Top Rate Male Actor (e.g. Jack Nicholson, Mel Gibson, and Tom Hanks) to put in a movie with. To put things in proper perspective, was Helen Hunt ever in… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Reading the WTHHT on Hilary Swank somehow brought me back to another Oscar winner in Helen Hunt. I think that like Swank, Helen Hunt perhaps just doesn’t have a whatever is considered a traditional movie star look. Also, like Swank, I just don’t think that Helen Hunt was ever really a box office draw on her own. In her best known film roles, she was already paired w/ more established male box office draws like Jack Nicholson, Mel Gibson, and Tom Hanks. In “Twister”, Helen wasn’t the draw nor was her male co-star Bill Paxton, the special effects were. So… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Whatever Happened To Helen Hunt?: http://www.thirdage.com/parenting/whatever-happened-helen-hunt If you watched TV in the 90s, youll remember Helen Hunt. She starred for eight seasons in the hit comedy Mad About You as well as movies with A-list leading men: Twister (Bill Paxton) What Women Want (Mel Gibson) and As Good As It Gets (Jack Nicholson). She hasnt been around much lately, but thats not because her career ground to a halt. Instead, shes taken time off to be with Lei, her four-year-old daughter with her boyfriend, actor Matthew Carnahan. That amount of work is more than shes done in years. But Hunt… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Assessing Helen Hunt: Let’s Jump Into The Final Frontier: http://www.pajiba.com/career_assessments/helen-hunt-career-assessment-lets-jump-into-the-final-frontier.php Subject: Helen Hunt, 47-year old American actress Date of Assessment: April 6, 2011 Positive Buzzwords: Longevity, television, girl next door Negative Buzzwords: Oscar, limited range, feature films The Case: This week, we’re dealing with yet another damn Academy Award winner and perhaps one of the greatest indicators that awards don’t matter beyond a short-term improvement of the salary. In 1998, Helen Hunt won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in As Good As It Gets; she subsequently enjoyed a short run in a few high-powered blockbusters but then suddenly… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

What happened to Thora Birch?–and other actors that seemed to disappear for no reason…:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15161867&postcount=147

Quote:

Leelee Sobieski suffered from the problem of looking like a clone of Helen Hunt at a time when Hunt’s appeal was fading.

I hate to be mean, but Sobieski also suffered from the problem of not being a very good actress. She is very pretty and I’m sure she has some sort of basic acting competence, but in every role I saw her in she was as wooden as a basketball court’s floor.

RB
RB
10 years ago

Heard the post Oscar curse theory before, I didn’t buy into it then or now.

Eillio Martin Imbasciati
Reply to  lebeau

I always thought helen Hunt was attractive as well, and disapproved of that one “Family Guy” sketch that took a shot at her.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

“Mad About You” in general, seems to be one of those TV shows that while hugely popular during its original or initial run, seems to have become forgotten or past over (like in syndicated reruns or DVD sales and what not) in the insuring years:
http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/78670/maddening

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

To further emphasize my point so to speak regarding how “Mad About You” doesn’t seem to hold up: How comedy shows date the good, the bad and the Joan Rivers: http://forums.prowrestling.com/showthread.php?t=96645&p=2879948&viewfull=1#post2879948 Hi ya’ all I have been struggling with sleep recently and have been seeing a lot of re-runs of old shows on the TV. It surprises me how many shows date really badly and others remain edgy and funny even 20-30 years after they were made. Now I don’t think this is a fan boy argument as there are some shows I loved when they were new and despise… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

The 25 Whitest TV Shows of All Time: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/03/the-25-whitest-tv-shows-of-all-time/mad-about-you Mad About You Network: NBC Air Dates: September 23, 1992-May 24, 1999 Stars: Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt Mad About You defined “dry, white sitcom.” Just hearing the name “Paul Reiser” makes your hands ashy. Reiser and Helen Hunt (who was just nominated for an Oscar this year) played a New York couple whose random meeting blossomed into an uninteresting relationship. Even though it was quite popular during its seven-season run on NBC, Mad About You always felt like a very poor man’s Seinfeld, and nowhere near as engaging. Where Seinfeld was… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  lebeau

10 Popular ’90s TV Shows That Were Actually Terrible: http://flavorwire.com/197921/10-popular-90s-tv-shows-that-were-actually-terrible Mad About You Seinfeld was supposed to be the “show about nothing,” but somehow its Must See TV neighbor managed to be about even less. The show followed the lives of ultimate ’90s yuppie couple Jamie and Paul Buchman, played by Helen Hunt (aka the poor man’s Jodie Foster) and Paul Reiser (aka the man who coined the term “couplehood”). As far as we can remember, they didn’t do much besides hang out in bed, roll their eyes over their crazy family members, and look on helplessly as their stupid… Read more »

JMQ
JMQ
9 years ago

Ever since “Mad About You” it’s been quite obvious that Hunt is NOT a talented actress. Rather, she is just playing variations of herself, over and over again. She was nothing more than a “nuanced” Jamie Buchman-cum-Helen Hunt in “As Good As It Gets.” I’ve often wondered how many folks she had to (a) sleep with, or (b) pay off to get that ill-deserved Oscar. Her appearance on “Who Do You Think You Are?” was a disgrace. She was not at all genuinely interested in her ancestry – she was instead fixated on whether her relatives had MONEY or not.… Read more »

daffystardust
Editor
9 years ago
Reply to  JMQ

It’s called a “personality actor,” JMQ. There are LOTS of them. One of the very best was James Garner who just died this morning. Not all actors are skilled at character work and not all who are can carry a film with the weight of their personality the way these actors can. What you are doing is akin to criticizing a good fastball pitcher because he can’t throw a great curve. Well guess what? He can bring the heat in a way that few pitchers can. It is missing the point to criticize somebody for being a specific kind of… Read more »

HHGeek
HHGeek
8 years ago
Reply to  JMQ

TMC, I’m just catching up with this WTTH?. I know you like to flood the comments with links to articles from other sites, but on this one I’m REALLY feeling some hate. What’s your problem with Helen Hunt?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  HHGeek

I guess, LeBeau also has a real axe to grind w/ Helen Hunt, since he was the one who started this conversation in the first place! 😉

HHGeek
HHGeek
8 years ago

Nope, Terrence, that doesn’t work as an answer. LeBeau explicitly says in a comment from months ago, “I never got the Hunt hate. Put me in the pro-Hunt camp.” I repeat. What’s YOUR problem with her?

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  HHGeek

Please explain to my why you insist on singling me out for having a huge problem w/ Helen Hunt? Something tells me that you’re a huge fan of her’s and don’t understand the “negativity” surrounding her career’s decline. It seems like just because I’m providing additional articles to help embellish the article (and just in case, LeBeau overlooked some crucial information), that automatically makes me anti-this or that? I’ve provided numerous articles to other WTHHT subjects (like for example, Alicia Silverstone), so does that mean that I personally hate them too!? I don’t at all get your logic! You’re just… Read more »

RB
RB
8 years ago
Reply to  lebeau

Posting a lot of links everywhere is pretty spammy from my point of view, but if it brings you welcome traffic, that’s entirely your perogative to endorse it. If it were just links it would be more tolerable from a reader standpoint, but posting the entire linked article is a giant pain of endless scrolling in order to read real comments.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  HHGeek

David Berg, Jay Leno’s producer, says Helen Hunt refused to appear on the Tonight Show for 14 years because a producer “gently critiqued her performance”. Based on that incident, News.com.au called her “the biggest diva”.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  JMQ

How ‘Mad About You’ Perfected the Network Multi-Camera Sitcom http://splitsider.com/2016/08/how-mad-about-you-perfected-the-network-multi-camera-sitcom/ Hunt was a great actor and it’s easy to see how the show could have become unbalanced. Hell, I’ve lost track of how many shows I’ve seen where a male comedian is paired with a female actor and he gets to be the funny and wacky one who’s performing for her and for the audience and she’s reacting and playing the more dramatic character. One reason the show avoided this trap was simply that Hunt was funny, and could play off Reiser and other characters. All the actors were able… Read more »

shitbrick
shitbrick
9 years ago

she should accept her age she can play mother roles in family sitcoms i can totally see her in a role like julie bowmens in modern family

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  shitbrick

Isn’t that spot already filled by possible future WTHHT subject, Shelley Long?

http://modernfamily.wikia.com/wiki/DeDe_Pritchett

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