Hunt starred in Woody Allen 's '' The Curse of the Jade Scorpion '' ( 2001 ) , as an efficiency expert hypnotized by a crooked hypnotist into stealing jewels . Despite the film 's limited success , Roger Ebert asserted : " Hunt in particular has fun with a wisecracking dame role that owes something , perhaps , to Rosalind Russell in '' His Girl Friday '' . " In 2003 , Hunt returned to Broadway in Yasmina Reza 's '' Life x 3 '' , and in 2004 , she starred in the drama '' A Good Woman '' , as a femme fatale in 1930s NYC . '' AV Club '' , in its review for the latter , remarked : " Helen Hunt looks embarrassingly out of place trying to play an infamous seductress " . She played a socialite , as part of an ensemble cast , in Emilio Estevez 's drama '' Bobby '' ( 2006 ) , about the hours leading up to the Robert F. Kennedy assassination . As a member of the cast , she was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture but won the Hollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Cast . Hunt made her feature film directorial debut in '' Then She Found Me '' ( 2007 ) , in which she also starred as a 39-year-old Brooklyn elementary school teacher , who after years is contacted by the flamboyant host of a local talk show , played by Bette Midler , who introduces herself as her biological mother . After first reading Elinor Lipman 's novel , she tried to interest numerous studios in the material , and her unsuccessful efforts led her to begin writing the screenplay and raising funds to produce it herself . Upon its release , Ruthe Stein of the '' San Francisco Chronicle '' observed , " You would think that frontloading '' Then She Found Me '' with so much plot would make it play like a soap opera . But Hunt saves the movie from this fate in two ways . First she turns in a touchingly real performance , the best of her big-screen career . Forget that '' As Good as It Gets '' won her an Oscar . She 's eons better and more realistic in this one ... By directing '' Then She Found Me '' , Helen becomes its savior as well ... Hunt knows when to rein in the Divine Miss M instead of allowing her to go into full Kabuki mode . She also coaxes pitch-perfect performances from Broderick and Firth . " Hunt starred in the dramedy '' Every Day '' ( 2010 ) , as one half of a married couple pulled apart by increasing responsibilities . According to '' Los Angeles Times '' , the film " comes as a reminder of Hunt 's talent for understatement , and a wish to see more of her " . In the biographical drama '' Soul Surfer '' ( 2011 ) , she played the mother of the Hawaiian-born champion surfer Bethany Hamilton , on whose life the film was based . Her first wide release since 2001 's '' The Curse of the Jade Scorpion '' , '' Soul Surfer '' made US$ 47.1 million internationally . Hunt starred as sex surrogate Cheryl Cohen-Greene in '' The Sessions '' ( 2012 ) , alongside John Hawkes and William H. Macy . The role required Hunt to perform multiple scenes of full-frontal nudity , on which she further said : " Being naked was challenging , but even more than that was the vulnerability . I felt vulnerable because I was naked . I felt vulnerable because we were having such a vulnerable moment in this character 's life . This was a real journey that someone had gone on , and I wanted to do right by that . " Her performance was acclaimed by critics and earned her several award nominations , including an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress . Todd McCarthy of '' The Hollywood Reporter '' wrote : " Hunt 's performance may be physically bold but is equally marked by its maturity and composure . " Hunt played research geneticist Mary-Claire King in the independent drama '' Decoding Annie Parker '' ( 2013 ) , which was released to a mixed critical response . She wrote and directed the drama '' Ride '' ( 2014 ) , in which she also starred as a mother who travels cross-country to California to be with her son after he decides to drop out of school and become a surfer . Rotten Tomatoes ' critical consensus read : " '' Ride '' reaffirms Helen Hunt 's immense acting talent — but suggests that she still needs time to develop as a director . " In '' The Miracle Season '' ( 2018 ) , based on the true story of the Iowa City West High School volleyball team , Hunt played Kathy Bresnahan , a volleyball coach
Hollywood Film Festival Award
Hollywood Film Festival
Helen Hunt