Meryl Streep is a wonder, let's start right there. After her towering portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, an ordinary woman in real danger of disappearing all together. Real and enormously moving. Tommy Lee Jones gives us a face we hadn't seen before. Someone so settled in his ways that he doesn't notice what's happening around him. That's why, I though, his realization is so poignant. The film is based on a solid script but the direction is sluggish and uncertain to say the least. It feels as if the director didn't trust his material. The songs and the score, out of a Lifetime TV movie, doesn't allow us to connect with the real truths unfolding in the screen. That, I must confess, was very annoying. I recommend the film on the strength of the two central performances. Intimacy between two grown ups reflected on every look on every move until the score comes to interfere and derail our emotions.
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littlemartinarocena11 August 2012
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A slightly-over-middle-age couple finds themselves in more than a rut, post-post empty nest. What to do?
An overly-simplified plot outline for a lovely, sweet, funny, sad, quiet movie that allows the cast's acting talents to shine. A great script with spot-on character development. None of your over-dramatics here.
We all know about Meryl Streep & Tommy Lee Jones, but even they deliver some newness. But Steve Carell gives us a nuanced performance without the smallest hint of shtick. Notice Elisabeth Shue in a small part that delivers big. As well as Jean Smart & Mimi Rogers.
Don't miss this one. -
rgkarim8 August 2012Are you and your significant other having relationship troubles? Is your marriage not what is used to be? Do you feel that the partner you once loved is no longer the same person you fell in love with? Does this opening sound like a commercial for a love counseling clinic? If the answer is yes, than I have fooled you, as this is no advertisement, but instead the opening for my latest review. This time I'm focusing on the latest Dramedy titled Hope Springs, starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell. Can this star filled cast make this comedy worth a shot, or is it better left to Redbox and Netflix for your viewing pleasure. Read on to find out.
In case you haven't seen the billion showings of the trailer, Hope Springs is about Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Jones) a couple married for thirty one years who have somehow lost the spark in their relationship. Wanting to revive the intimacy and passion, Kay discovers Dr. Feld (Carell), an intensive counseling therapist who apparently has the key to fix any despondent marriage, and books a session with him. Can this marriage guru reunite the two lover's passions, or is this the end of the line for the two's love life? Well I can't tell you the ending, but I can tell you about the movie itself.
For the most part this Drama/Comedy is skewed more towards the drama than the comedy. Although the trailers showed a few zingers, most of the movie had a drier sense of humor than the typical slapstick/one liners that most comedies have. While I was able to understand a few of the references, most of this humor was lost on me. Instead the delivery and awkwardness of the comedy were the funnier aspects of this movie. Jones in particular has a way of being funny when he is stubborn, saying whatever he wants without caring what others think. Streep on the other hand was stronger in the awkward situation comedy, where her innocent, pure nature was challenged by the leap into the modern day sex. Perhaps what made it funnier for me was that I somehow related to Streep's nature and was also a little uncomfortable by the movie's situations. Fans of classic Carell though will be disappointed, as the only funny thing about him in this movie is seeing the former Office boss as a marriage counselor.
Instead the movie's biggest strength is the capturing of the hardship of a dying romance. From the start the directing team has done a fantastic job portraying a struggling couple's relationship. All of the obstacles to intimacy, such as television, work, etc. were all realistically portrayed and helped to pull the audience in. I can't tell you how many times I could recall a memory that was relatable to these scenarios, which helped me appreciate the movie's messages more. Yet no amount of props, or aesthetically pleasing houses can deliver a message better than actors. Both Jones and Streep put their strong acting talents to work to help create two realistic characters. Although a little over-dramatic on crying at points, I felt both did a great job keeping their characters dynamic and fresh throughout the movie, without getting overemotional and crossing into the soap opera zone. Yet the most impressive, and surprising, acting was Carell playing the marriage counselor. This role had him playing the calm therapist and while I've seen him calm before, I am usually depressed by his characters. However, in this movie his serious nature was instead the beacon of light that shined in the darkness of the failing marriage. Dr. Feld's character kept the movie going by opening up more situations, opportunities, and choices that the couple had to face. While this shouldn't be a surprise, the direction of the movie combined with Carell's talent managed to also use Dr. Feld's part to get the audience to think too. Many of the questions, exercises, and activities he proposed were reliable tools to give the audience a chance to reflect on their own lives as well. I know I'm sounding like one of the hostesses from the View, but with all the relationship troubles I've seen this message really speaks to me. As I'm sure all of you can guess, the message is that marriage is hard and requires a serious form of communication to truly make it work. Yes, this is predictable in almost every movie about marriage, but again the delivery of the message is what is impressive. If Dr. Feld's questions don't get the message to you, then Carell's monologue at the end should strike home. The hope he inspires with the message is cliché, but Carell does such a good job selling the line, one can't help but get motivated to go out and do what needs to be done.
Overall Hope Springs is one of the more realistic dramedies I have ever seen. The great cast, beautiful scenery, and wonderful direction combine to make a cute movie with an inspiring message. Unfortunately the comedy and pace of the movie might not be what everyone is looking for and it's not as diverse as I thought it would be. Regardless the key audiences for this movie are of course married couples, girl night out groups, spiritual message lookers, or anyone with serious relationship issues. Is this movie worth a trip to the theater? If you're marriage needs some inspiration, then yes I say go for it. However, if the relationship is fine, then skip this movie and watch it at home with your loved ones. My scores for this movie are the following: Comedy/Drama: 7.5-8.0 for the realistic dramatic situations Movie Overall: 6.5-7.0 -
Michael_Elliott20 August 2012Hope Springs (2012)
*** (out of 4)
Charming comedy about a married couple (Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones) who have been together for thirty-one years but the wife starts to think they're losing everything. She forces her husband to go to a marriage counselor (Steve Carell) and soon they realize that a lot more is wrong than they thought. If you're looking for some deep, hard hitting marriage drama then I highly recommend you check out Ingmar Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE. If you're looking for some light entertainment that will make you laugh then HOPE SPRINGS is just the film for you. Yes, I understand you could argue that Streep and Jones are too talented to appear in such a simple comedy but I personally don't think it matters and especially since both of them are so enjoyable here. What really struck me is that the two really do come across as a real couple who have been together for over thirty-years. Both actors are clearly into their roles and this is especially true for Jones who easily steals the picture. He can play grumpy like no other person out there and he does a terrific job here. His replies to being pressured by the doctor have a certain comic timing, which I found downright hilarious at times. Carell is also very good as the man in the middle. He basically just has to sit there and ask questions but the actor made the role quite memorable. The film is far from perfect as there's no doubt that it starts to wear down in the final fifteen minutes or so but the two actors are simply so charming that it's still worth watching. -
Quietb-110 August 2012Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones show why they are the best actors of this generation. Their performances will be remembered this award season.
Here Streep forces Jones to examine the boredom of their sexless marriage. So what if they seem a bit old to be married only thirty years. Steve Carell gets the mostly stoic role of their therapist.
It's the kind of soft script, if it didn't get Streep it most likely would not have been made. Maine locations don't quite open it enough and it feels like a play. A good play.
You care about the characters, even if, at times it is difficult to forget you are watching Meryl Streep. It has a few laughs but it's actually on the serious side.
In a summer loaded with explosions car chases and various shot'em-ups, it is a pleasant change of pace. See it. -
EUyeshima19 August 2012When I saw Meryl Streep play the seemingly facile Omaha housewife she portrays in this 2012 marital dramedy, I had an immediate flashback to an underrated romantic drama she did almost thirty years ago, Ulu Grosbard's "Falling in Love" (1984), in which she played a young married woman who couldn't help falling for a married architect (Robert De Niro) on a commuter train. I kept thinking of Kay as that earlier character all these years later trying to fan the embers of the passion that erupted so unpredictably back then. Interestingly, her younger character could not consummate the affair either but fell hopelessly in love anyway. Director David Frankel ("The Devil Wears Prada") and first-time screenwriter Vanessa Taylor travel to the opposite end of the marital spectrum, a 31-year-old marriage that finds Kay and her accountant husband Arnold sleeping in separate bedrooms having long ago lost any sense of intimacy and passion their marriage once had. The film begins with a seriocomic preface in which Kay awkwardly tries to seduce Arnold, an invitation he rebuffs with the flimsiest of excuses. Knowing their marriage is on auto-pilot, she fears being alone emotionally and ending their lives in emotional isolation now as they go through the motions in their sixties.
An optimist despite the odds, Kay signs them up for a week of intensive couples therapy in Great Hope Springs, Maine, where renowned therapist Dr. Bernie Feld practices. Arnold is predictably resistant but begrudgingly accompanies her when he realizes how serious Kay is about the counseling. The sessions with Dr. Feld initially don't go well with Arnold protesting the doctor's every recommendation for building intimacy in his relationship with Kay. This is when the movie becomes the most surprising because every time a physically awkward moment presents itself, the feelings become heartfelt and sometimes humorous in unexpected ways. While Frankel and Taylor handle the slim story turns with genuine insight, it's the masterful work of Streep and Tommy Lee Jones that elevates the film into an experience that far transcends the Lifetime-TV orientation you would expect otherwise. Unafraid to come across as harshly judgmental, Jones has made a career of playing dyspeptic curmudgeons, so it's nice to see him gradually reveal Arnold's vulnerabilities with skill and delicacy. He has to play Arnold close to the vest but not so insular as to make you wonder what Kay saw in him in the first place. After tackling larger-than-life figures like Julia Child and Margaret Thatcher, Streep is splendid portraying a sheltered woman who contributes as much to the fossilized, inchoate marriage as Arnold does.
At 63, the actress allows herself to look even beyond her age, but she's still beautiful in a shopworn way. I love how she almost swallows every word she speaks as if Kay's tentative nature is holding back grand expectations of a romance she can only fantasize about. The two veteran actors have a natural rapport that gives the viewer a rooting interest in seeing them overcome their age-old emotional and physical barriers. There are moments between them especially in the film's last third that are quite heartbreaking, especially when they come to learn that they aren't the people they believed themselves, or each other, to be. Steve Carell plays Feld straight-up without an iota of irony, and his clinical approach works effectively within this context. The rest of the supporting cast makes very little impact, including Jean Smart as Kay's sassy manager at the Coldwater Creek she works part-time, Elisabeth Shue as an equally sassy barmaid counseling Kay on sex, and Mimi Rogers as the final payoff of a joke about a comely (and yes, sassy) neighbor with a trio of corgis. The young actors who play Kay and Arnold's adult children are barely present, but I'm sure that was part of the intention in order to allow complete focus on the couple. Frankel overdoes the soundtrack music when moments of silence would have been far more effective, but otherwise, the tone feels spot-on. -
l-piotrowski10 August 2012I found Hope Springs to be pretty good movie with a very good ending. Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carrell do a fine job in their roles. The story is weaker than it could have been as it seemed it was focused too much lack of sex in the marriage instead of the underlying causes of the the problems in the relationship.
This definitely is a chick flick (there were only 3 guys including myself in the theater), but there is some humor and a positive message that it is never too late to improve a marriage or long term relationship. It is not a movie for kids as there are mature subjects and some intense drama. I could have seen an R rating as appropriate just due to the subject mater. -
Most Hollywood romantic comedies focus on young couples in the early stages of the dating game, typically in ways so heightened that they might as well be classified as fairy tales. I say this well aware that I tend to go easy on such films because ... well, because some of us like fairy tales. Nevertheless, the great pleasure of "Hope Springs" is that the lead characters have been married for thirty years, and therefore have credible life experience to lend to the story. It's not a story about playfully falling in love for the first time; it's about learning to fall in love all over again after a long, emotionally barren dormant period. The audiences that see the common, more youth-oriented romcoms are unlikely to relate to this film, but then again, who's to say mature moviegoers aren't deserving of their own brand of entertainment?
We meet New Englanders Kay and Arnold Soames (Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones), the former a clerk at an intimate clothing boutique, the latter a successful business executive. After thirty years of marriage, things have devolved into a stale routine devoid of intimacy and communication. Every morning, Kay cooks up a slice of bacon and two eggs sunny side up for Arnold, who sits at the kitchen table with his head buried in a newspaper. Every night, after dinner, Arnold falls asleep in front of the TV, which is tuned to the Golf Channel. We eventually learn that they have not had sex in nearly five years, although we immediately see that the only way they touch is when Arnold gives Kay a mechanical peck on the cheek before going to work. The first scene shows Kay unsuccessfully trying to initiate sex; it doesn't take us long to figure out that they're sleeping in separate bedrooms.
Kay, soft-spoken and understandably regretful, begins researching ways of repairing her relationship with Arnold. This soon leads to the discovery of a marriage counselor named Dr. Bernie Feld (Steve Carell), whose office is located in the quaint seaside town of Great Hope Springs, Maine, where it seems the locals have come to expect married tourists in need of therapy. They would include a bookshop owner, a waitress, and a bartender played by Elisabeth Shue. Kay signs both herself and Arnold up for Feld's week-long round of sessions, using her own money to pay the sizeable fee. Arnold naturally wants nothing to do with it, but of course he begrudgingly relents and catches up with his wife at the last possible second – just as the airplane is being seated, to be specific.
Carell's portrayal of Feld, with his calm and very matter-of-fact style of delivery, will undoubtedly leave him open to criticism and mockery. In my personal opinion, I've never seen a more accurate depiction of a therapist, least of all in a romantic comedy. Real life therapists often adopt a soothing tone of voice, presumably to make the patient or patients feel less threatened by the situation. Apart from that, his dialogue is essentially a series of questions, ones I would fully expect an actual marriage counselor to ask. He's not a quack spewing psychobabble in a desperate ploy for laughs; he probes, he listens, he responds accordingly, and he genuinely wants to help. I was expecting a broad parody, but instead I got a fully realized character who's just as likable as he is insightful.
Jones is in remarkably good form given the fact that he's known for strong roles. In this film, he plays an unemotional man who only gradually reveals his decency and shows just how vulnerable he truly is. The idea of couple's therapy is not within his comfort zone. He initially has no idea why his wife is unhappy, and even when he finally does begin to understand her, the process of working towards a solution will not be easy for him. As for Streep, you have to marvel at her chameleon-like ability to be any character; not too many actresses can seamlessly transition from an Anna Wintour send-up to Julia Child to Margaret Thatcher to a housewife looking to rekindle the fire. Watching Kay, we see a woman who has made just as many mistakes as her husband and is sincere in her efforts to be a better partner.
It can be argued that the film isn't as daring as it could have been, given the wide range of issues common to marriages. It goes for feel- good entertainment, working itself towards an ending most audiences will be expecting as soon as the opening scene, perhaps even sooner. But since when was feel-good entertainment something to be scoffed at? What "Hope Springs" lacks in originality is made up for in charm, strength of character, pitch-perfect casting, and wonderful performances. All the leads are reliably good, but I was nonetheless surprised by Carell, whose take on a therapist is not only likable but authentic as well. Never once did he or the filmmakers reduce his character to a typecast we're made to laugh at rather than with. He's a professional man doing his job and doing it well.
-- Chris Pandolfi (www.atatheaternearyou.net) -
stephenrtod19 August 2012I am a single, 67 year old retiree, who has been married and divorced twice; and this movie really touched me. It acted as a sort of cinematic mirror to prompt me to reflect upon the many daily choices, or even finer gradations of volition, that make up a healthy or dysfunctional marriage or relationship of any kind. The movie was about how we create our own heaven or hell, in the house, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, and in life. We lose our grip on our passionate love affairs almost the way that dust slowly collects on the floor. Didn't I just vacuum that dust yesterday? That is how a marriage can ossify, degrade itself, as if consciousness itself were shot full of some sort of novocaine by sneaky subtle injections over the years, one feeling at a time numbed.
Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carrell are excellent and break new emotional and acting ground for all three master actors.
The movie made me think about my entire life, and it made me reflect upon my parents' marriage, too.
Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of Arnold, a man who has been an accountant so long he can simply function on automatic with his customers, not really giving his passionate self to his business- or his marriage, ran the gamut from acceptance of various ruts to various kinds of rage, embarrassment, and stubbornness, refusal to drop his pride, or make compromises that would have been in the best interests of himself, his wife and the marriage.
The camera does not editorialize. It shows Arnold falling asleep watching golf instruction on television. The camera directly above the frying pan and close up, depicts Meryl Streep's Kay, sizzling a strip of bacon and one sunny side up egg for Arnold every day, day after day. He eats his breakfast with his back to her as he reads the paper, then gets up, every day, and gives her a peck on the check without even making eye contact, and he's off to work again- like an unemotional little engine that could.
When Sisyphus pushed that boulder up to the top of the hill, his punishment by the gods, he had to watch it roll back down to the bottom of the hill whereupon, he repeated this process - for eternity. But Sisyphus smiled - at least according to Albert Camus, he smiled. It occurred to me that relationships and marriages devolve into accommodations, and that passion, like air being spent out the tiny leaks in a worn tire, can evanesce before either party truly, deeply realizes what they are doing, what they have done. The smiles in this movie are forced, automatic, defensive, painful. Boulders are not openly acknowledged.
In this movie, every scene is slightly underplayed. No line or gesture is over the top. Almost every word of dialogue is realistic. I never felt that I was being lectured or preached to. I did think that the background music was too intrusive several times, however, almost as if someone did not trust Meryl Streep to carry the emotional load of the scene - an error of judgement. This movie needed no such authorial or directorial intrusion - That is my only criticism.
"Hope Springs" is a movie about the ingredients of happiness or lack of same, and the finesse of the actors, the director, the cinematographer and the editors is magnificent. They never stooped to dwell on any sort of cliché dialogue or acting flourishes. It was believable.
I felt that the movie really opened up my life. I wish I had seen it 45 years ago when I married for the first time. It is that good. -
bmennen10 August 2012He shows well here, since his roles have traditionally called for one expression, one attitude, one way to deliver lines--but here, he reaches in and shows his talent. As a CPA in Omaha and husband who is really not a husband anymore, TLJ gives a great performance.
But, let's talk about Meryl Streep. Aside from pure talent and acting ability, there's an intangible that this woman has that allows her to fill a screen in a way that few have ever done...you just cannot take your eyes off her. She has not always played women that you love, but you certainly will fall head-over-heels for her character in this flick. Yes...she dazzled us in so many movies (think of her portrayal of Julia Child), but her performance of this sweet-as-sugar but unhappy wife is a work of pure art. See this movie for these performances. Awesome.
The movie overall was quite good, and Steve Carrell was a wonderful presence. Two issues: it was NOT a comedy, and should not be presented as such. The script could have used a few more funny lines; but, what REALLY bugged me was the soundtrack: while it was not always awful, there were a few times where the background songs were dreadfully intrusive. Why did the director think he had to punctuate the on-screen feelings of the protagonists with pop music that echoed their emotions? Geez...we GET it (and the songs aren't even that good).
Finally, if you're under 50, think hard before you see this...it's not meant for you. -
whalley4918 September 2012This is only the second film I have ever walked out of . It was a rainy Saturday and my 13 year daughter went to see this with me as it was rated 12a , which in the UK means you can take children younger than 12 as long as they are with an adult, so it should have been safe to watch . I have never been so embarrassed in my life , therapy sessions talking about oral sex , threesomes and masturbation then to cap it all , they were seen in separate beds obviously masturbating . At this point my daughter turned to me and said " dad can we go it's embarrassing me . I can't believe this film has such a low rating , I am not a prude but this was far too near the knuckle for children .
It is advertised as a comedy , but one hour into the film I didn't hear a single laugh from the audience . -
badawi_3318 August 2012The plot seemed simple enough, a marriage in trouble, but when you have Streep and Jones you expect a treat and the did not disappoint at all. The scenes where they are sitting with the the therapist you can cut the tension with a knife. You expect Streep to be brilliant and she is, but Jones more than hold his own. It is difficult to play a man who is unable to be vulnerable and he truly excelled.
Of course as with every cinematic experience depends on your state of mind and your demographic. The couple sitting in front of me were elderly and mid way through the movie the lady leaned over and put her head on her partner's shoulder and stayed like that through the rest of the movie. This movie does that to you, it makes you appreciate your partner more, you can almost thank them for putting up with our own shortcomings.
This is a real movie for real people ... Enjoy! -
WalterVP7 August 2012Just saw this in an early preview and was quite enjoyable. The opening scene really sets out Kay and Arnold's relationship and how totally disconnected from each other they are. As things progress, you really start to wonder why Kay wants to stay with him, but it is because she really still does love Arnold, but he seems incapable of showing any emotions other than sarcasm or anger. I am not normally a big Steve Carrell fan but, like his character in "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World", he presented more of a "normal guy" attitude about him and I thought he fit the role of the counselor very well. The movie had it's fair share of twists and turns and unexpected moments and was overall very good. Just be ready for the scenes of older people making out and acting like kids again!
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aleator9 October 2012A strong candidate for the worst film I have ever seen, in fact it barely qualifies as a film at all, more like one long tortuous therapy session. OK I admit I'm not a Meryl Streep fan - I find her irritating mannerisms very tiresome and here she is worse than ever. But it's not just that; the whole thing is so hollow and frankly embarrassing. Needless to say it is also politically correct - Jones is the worst sort of grumpy old codger;it's all his fault the marriage has gone so stale. Streep is wimpy but angelic and hard done by. There is no way these two would've ever got together.No attempt is made to ask WHY things have got to where they are or what lurks in the background of their marriage. In any case the scenario is so unlike the reality which is that it's mostly women who pass on sex once the children come along. European audiences wince at the American tendency to seek out therapy as the answer to their problems. They know that being 'open' and talking frankly is a high-risk strategy likely to cause more problems that it solves. When Jones is asked about his secret fantasy he mentions the girl next door!! Spare me - we all know if he tried to explain his REAL fantasy,Streep would have the divorce papers on the breakfast table next day..A truly awful film.
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The_Film_Cricket9 August 2012There is a deep sadness in Kay's eyes the night that she puts on a sexy nightgown and enters her husband's bedroom, hoping that he will take the hint. She already knows what will happen. They haven't slept in the same room in years. She finds her husband Arnold propped up in the bed reading a Golf magazine, and when he looks at her, he assumes that she has come to complain that her room is too cold. Minutes pass before he realizes what she wants. Fumbling at her wordless suggestion, he makes an excuse about not feeling well. We sense that this has become a routine.
Hope Springs is a flawed, but intelligent comic-drama about a marriage that has slipped into a repetitive rut. Arnold and Kay Soames have been married for 31 years, and have been alone in the house since their last child left for college four years ago. Arnold is happy in his routine and Kay is too afraid of starting an argument to tell him that she is bored stiff. His life is perfectly content. He gets up in the morning, has the same thing for breakfast – two eggs sunny-side up, side of bacon with coffee and orange juice. He goes to work, then comes home, has dinner, natters a bit about his job (he's an accountant), then falls asleep in front of the golf channel. He acknowledges Kay more or less the same way that he does the refrigerator. He loves her but seems to regard her more as a fixture. All around him, Kay wanders about her daily routine, trying to find some way to break it. The couple is at odds emotionally and physically (he hasn't touched her in years) until finally Kay has had enough.
One night over dinner she presents him with a bold announcement. She has signed them up for a week-long couples counseling session with a certain Dr. Feld (Steve Carrell) in Maine with money that she has been saving. Arnold's natural instinct is to give Kay's suggestion a resounding "Hell, no", but Kay is ready for this. She tells him that the plane leaves in the morning and she will be on it whether he is there or not. No points for guessing what his decision will be.
What you think will happen (based on a very misleading trailer) is that Hope Springs will be loaded with all kinds of classic misunderstandings, colorful supporting characters, pratfalls, and foolish one-liners in the service of trekking Arnold and Kay on the road to marital bliss. You'd be half-right. The best parts of Hope Springs take place in the therapist's office as the good-natured (and very patient) Dr. Feld tries to get Arnold and Kay to open up about where their marriage stalled. Arnold doesn't want to talk because he has long-since given up his emotions for grouchy indifference. Kay is afraid to talk because doesn't want to rock the boat, but the further that Dr. Feld digs into their relationship; the more he gets them to open up.
Not much of what happens to Arnold and Kay is a surprise. Hope Springs is an often complicated drama that draws them toward reigniting the fire in their marriage, but it doesn't get any more complicated than it needs to be. What is refreshing is that the plot is thin enough that it gets out of their way. This is more of a character study than a full-blooded story. There are no needless side-plots, no useless pratfalls, no unnecessary characters. What we have here is a very involving portrait of two people who have lived in each other's company for 31 years and now have to reestablish what it means to be married.
The most brilliant decision was the casting. Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep are so familiar to us that we get comfortable with them right away. We can believe from the first moment we see them that they have been married for three decades. Streep, of course, is the most expressive of actors, always able to reveal hidden dimensions without uttering a word. There are moments in the therapist's office when she doesn't speak and we can see her thinking. But it is Tommy Lee Jones that surprises us (she's great, but he's a revelation). This is a very rare role for him. He often plays police officers and military men, but here he is required to play a man who must crack his tough exterior to be more of a sensitive and loving man for his wife. He's the perfect actor to do it, and knowing that Arnold isn't that far from Jones' personality it real life, this must have been a difficult role for him to play.
Most of the therapy deals with their sex life (they don't have one). Dr. Feld asks some very pointed, and often painfully uncomfortable questions in an effort to get these two to open up. The scene in which he digs under their sex life is played with blinding honestly and is made all the more uncomfortable by the director's wise decision not to undercut it with a musical score. Even better is the fact that Steve Carrell – one of our best comic talents – plays the role of the therapist completely straight. He is bold, he is honest, and he quietly hammers Arnold and Kay with questions that they are clearly ill-equipped to answer.
If there is one weakness in the film, it is the ending. The movie is about 20 minutes too long and gives us a happy ending that sponge-cleans all of Arnold and Kay's problems until they don't seem to exist anymore. A more life-goes-on ending might have been more appropriate here based on what has gone before, but still this is a good movie, well-written and well played.
*** (out of four) -
Hellmant12 December 2012'HOPE SPRINGS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a middle-aged couple facing marriage relationship troubles who sign up for a week long counseling course under the tutelage of an expert doctor, in the matter, played by Steve Carell. The film was directed by David Frankel (who also directed Streep in the 2006 hit 'THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA', as well as helmed other family oriented comedy-drama films like 'MARLEY AND ME' and 'THE BIG YEAR') and written by first time feature film writer Vanessa Taylor (who was nominated for outstanding writing, of a film or show by a woman, at the 2012 Woman Image Network Awards). The movie is uncomfortable and depressing at times but it's also ultimately touching and inspiring. It's highlighted by the performances of Streep and Jones.
In the film Streep plays Kay and Jones plays Arnold. The two have been married for over thirty years and have found themselves growing apart to the point where they've been sleeping in separate rooms for several years (and haven't been intimate for even longer). Kay is deeply troubled over their long loss of affection for each other and finds inspiration in a book written by a marriage counselor named Dr. Feld (Carell). She uses her own money to sign them up for a week long course in Maine under the tutelage of Dr. Feld. Arnold sees nothing wrong with their marriage and refuses to go. He does end up reluctantly going at the last second though and spends most of the flight and the first couple days there complaining. Dr. Feld obviously has his work cut out for him but soon cracks begin to grow in the couple's uneasiness and progress begins being made. But is is too little too late?
The movie seems very insightful in what it's like to be married to someone for that long. Streep and Jones play a very convincing married couple and their chemistry is perfect. I found Carell to be a bit creepy at first as the doctor but he grows on you by film's end. The directing is very fitting and the script is smart and very touching. At times the emotions of what Jones and Streep's characters are going through loudly ring true and it's almost painful to watch. Ultimately the movie is uplifting though and has a valuable lesson to teach anyone wanting to commit to a relationship (or stay in one) for the long haul.
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writers_reign20 September 2012If top-of-the-line acting is your pleasure then look no further. Streep and Jones are as good as it gets and playing real people with real problems. Okay, it may be a tad too neatly resolved but lightness of touch is the watchword here and Steve Carell in particular does sterling work in what is more or less a straight dramatic role. The situation is probably a familiar one in three or four out of ten marriages, a gradual drifting apart once the kids have grown up and left home, too many other things to distract from time together. In many cases both partners accept it and reach a tacit agreement to live more or less separate lives under a shared roof but now and again one partner decides it's not good enough and here that partner is Streep who takes it upon herself to seek help from professional Carell. Jones is predictably anti and the bulk of the film is the conflict. It's probably being mis-sold as a comedy when it is in fact a serious look at a serious subject. Well worth watching.
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After you get through the number of production companies and studios involved in the making of this film that equals the number of Meryl's Oscar nominations to date, you get to the gold of what most couples who have been married for 30 years sealed. She wants to sneak into her husband's bedroom to spend the night with him, but he claims to be feeling poorly, and barely even acknowledges the fact that she's making his favorite, prime rib, for dinner or the next day. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones from the very moment this film begins aren't acting. They really are these characters (one fried egg, one piece of bacon for breakfast every morning) and it's hysterical to watch the situation unfold. Streep desperately wants to fix her marriage, but how will Jones react to her wanting to go get counseling?
A marital kiss is more than a peck on the cheek before the old man leaves for work every morning, and that's what Streep wants her husband to figure out. She becomes convinced that esteemed marital counselor Steve Carrell and a week long session will fix it all. Jones surprises her by showing up, not happy,but it's obvious that this grumpy old man will find some spring in his step. I gotta give Meryl's character credit for not heading to an attorney in preparation for divorce court. When they get to the quaint main town where Carrell's office is, it doesn't take long for Jones to wakeup to show Streep some affection, but discussions of sex become hysterically uncomfortable, both for the couple and for the audience who is laughing out of their own discomfort, as if envisioning a similar conversation with their parents.
I give the actors credit for doing those scenes without blushing or laughing because their uncomfortability (or at least the characters), and when they are alone attempting to have a "sexercise", I found myself both blushing and laughing at the same time. Perhaps it's because you don't expect is mature actors to actually even be thinking about things like this, and that's what makes the script very amusing. The attempts at intimacy are very funny because of the awkwardness and I'm sure a lot of people related to how the characters were feeling. There's nothing tasteless in the way those scenes are presented because it's more about the insinuation rather than what happens or doesn't happen. It's obvious how this is going to turn out, but at least it's done in a pleasant manner rather than a crude one or showing the characters beginning to hate each other. The love is real. They just needs to re-discover it. -
moonspinner555 February 2017Surprisingly perceptive look at a married couple, together for 31 years, whose sex life has become nonexistent: he's harboring grudges that are keeping him from showing intimacy, she wants to be loved as a woman again. They travel to Maine for a week-long extensive therapy session with a marriage counselor, who attempts to break down the "scar tissue" that has built up between the two and get them to stop arguing and start touching. The fact that there are no easy answers presented in Vanessa Taylor's screenplay makes this one of the least-facile commercial movies about marriage in a long while. Leads Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are terrifically successful in bringing out the sensitivity in the material, though establishing the characters' ages wouldn't have hurt (both stars, in their 60s, appear to be playing a man and woman in their 50s who act like people in their 70s). While this premise isn't exactly full of lively or visually exciting action, the relationship between Streep and Jones becomes real and bracing to us, with Steve Carell very fine as their therapist. The over-emphatic score (jazzy, romantic and plaintive, and capped with heavy-handed pop choices) keeps rising up to underline the emotions in scenes that do not need music to heighten the emotions involved, yet the acting and Taylor's sharp writing carry the load here--and with a great deal of lightly funny dignity. **1/2 from ****
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Ric-710 August 2012The trailer and marketing campaign for this film is another instance of a collection of sound bites making a film seem like something that it is not. This is NOT a geriatric sex comedy. In fact, I would not even call it a comedy. There are some laughs, several smiles, but most of the time I was in tears. If you go there expecting laughs, you may be disappointed. I went there with such expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised and amazed.
I am about the same age as the couple, and I deal with divorcing couples every day. This film is so real and true-to-life, with no big fight or over-the-top scene, which is appropriate since so many marriages end as a result of a collection of little unintended cruelties becoming unbearable.
I cannot think of any film in which Tommy Lee Jones or Meryl Streep gave a more astonishing performance. Tommy Lee going to a couples therapy session run by Steve Carell? The perfect set-up for lots of laughs, but then we realize the situation is really not funny.
Imagine a film in which Steve Carell has absolutely no gags, routines or funny bits. Yet I can't imagine anyone doing that role better. He was in another film dealing (in part) with a relationship gone bad, "Crazy Stupid Love," which was a comic take (and a marvelous film). Trying to find another film for comparison, the closest that comes to mind is Bergman's "Scenes From A Marriage." But I think this film about the same general subject is much more accessible.
I would have given this film a 10, but the soundtrack of obvious songs to underscore the plot became somewhat distracting. The song most appropriate here (but not used) is "That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be." The couple here would be from the same generation as Carly Simon.
I'm going back. -
julian-mumford11 January 2013After thirty years of marriage "Kay" (Meryl Streep) and "Arnold" (Tommy Lee Jones) have got stuck in their ways. Their adult kids come for dinner and ask what they bought for their birthday present, "extra channels for the cable TV" is the unromantic answer.
The couple are in love, in a safe, living together way but the spark and intimacy has been lost. Arnold watches golf on TV, eats nacho's and sleeps in the other room due to his bad back.
Kay decides to put their marriage on the line, when she signs up for intensive couples therapy in "Hope Springs" with Dr Feld (Steve Carrell). Booking and paying for everything, Kay confirms she will be on the flight, whether Arnold comes along or not.
Dutifully and in bad humour, Arnold turns up and through subsequent sessions and assignments, the couple learn to understand why they have drifted apart. They attempt to fix what is perhaps not broken but in need of severe maintenance.
If this sounds like serious stuff it actually is, despite what trailers may lead you to believe this is more serious drama than comedy. There are moments of amusement, Streep and a banana, french films for the over 50's but the film does justice to the subject matter and quality of actors on board.
It goes without saying that Streep will be believable and is as good as ever, Jones can play the grump without breaking his stride but here infuses Arnold with just enough sensitivity to feel real. Arnold is not a "new age man" but he knows enough to realise, he is not trying hard enough. A particular hotel scene is played very effectively, heart breakingly so in many ways.
Carrell plays it almost completely straight, which in this role is the only way his character could be taken seriously. He asks the awkward questions and both partners wriggle and squirm in their attempts to avoid the awkward answers. One of the assignments seems to come from left field but presumably the director wanted a comedic scene to lighten the mood.
The main actors work well together, including a brief but important scene with Elizabeth Shue and film fits together well. As mentioned before, this is a serious watch and ideally not a film to watch with friends and family.
Ultimately better suited to the small screen but like many recent films targeted to the "older set", the film has performed well at the box office. A further indication that the "grey box office" dollar is increasingly valuable.
A film then to be savoured, with relatively small aspirations to which it largely lives up to, certain to send anyone under forty back to playing Angry Birds on their mobile.
A lighter directional touch and occasional different screenplay choices would have broadened the appeal but lost the harder edged content. The movie has something to say and seems intent on getting the message across, even if this darkens the mood of the piece.
Summary
Drama masquerading as comedy but with excellent performances from the three leads this is a worthwhile watch for those over forty.
For those born after 1972, or for an audience looking for more comedy, see also "It's complicated" with similar themes and "interior design porn" to boot.
http://julesmoviereviews.blogspot.co.nz/ -
The story does not have anything that would be even slightly interesting. It was to the point that after therapy session number three I turned to my husband and asked if we would have to sit through ALL of their therapy sessions for the price of the admission to the movie? What was the whole point of the movie? Was it intended to be an educational manual to various things the couples 55+ should try while attempting to save their marriage? Some ratings stated that this is an issue of the whole aging generation. What is exactly the issue? The deny of the oral sex to each other, or lack of threesome to spice up the marriage, or the tight budget? The scenes of a wife attempting to have intimacy with her husband at all costs while he is refusing to perform are tasteless and a waste of time for the viewers and the actors. Unless someone is really intrigued by why this not even slightly attractive and visibly aged man denies simple pleasure to his not so bad looking for her age wife, movie has no other thought to offer.
Why would someone rate a movie with past middle-aged masturbating woman scene and her going down on him in the movie theater scene PG-13? Would parents be comfortable watching it with their even 16+ years old kids? We walked out after the scene in which the wife unsuccessfully tries to "sacrifice" herself to the attempt of the oral sex. If there would be less than one star to give, I would give it. -
spelaeologus10 August 2012It's always interesting to read people's reviews of movies and instead of getting a review, we get a paragraphs full of narcissism, relentless scrutiny, and disappointment. What reviewers have to understand is that yours is not the only perspective on what makes a good movie, in fact, good.
The problem is, genuine realism is lost on those expecting the standard Hollywood-esque, brushed-canvasses, flawless plot lines, and riveting dialogue. Life is rarely like that and when a movie comes along that depicts some real-life humanity, with all our human idiosyncrasies and vulnerabilities, it gets dissected because a few outspoken individuals are expecting reality as its portrayed in Reality TV and not reality as most of us know it, as it really is.
This movie captured the tenuous nature of intimate relationships and all the things we don't say to each other. It is uncomfortable for most of us to be that exposed and vulnerable with another human being, and that is what Hope Springs capitalized on better than many other films of this genre. The communication difficulties Jones and Streep exhibited were masterfully portrayed. The dialogue wasn't always fun and lively, but that's what added to the authenticity of the plot and the main developing theme. If you're looking for mindless entertainment, something easy to digest, there's plenty out there. If you're up for a healthy dose of reality and a powerful, vital message, then give Hope Springs a viewing. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Happy film hunting! -
glennrockconner15 December 2012If in life there are moments of excellence, and swing-and-a-miss whiffs, then "Hope Springs" is a real-life look at a couple in their fourth decade of marriage. When the story takes the audience painfully into the depths of their physical and emotional estrangement, it excels in the topics addressed and leaves us wanting more about those left unsaid.
What they did, though, they did very well. I expect great performances at every outing from Meryl Streep & Tommy Lee Jones, and in this film they are great together. Steve Carrell is both subtle & expressive in my favorite of his film performances. I won't spoil the cameos, but they are fun!
My wife of thirty years & I picked up on lots of inside jokes for the old fart crowd that may fly over younger heads still full of hair, but go see "Hope Springs" anyway. Find your love & stay together, youngsters. It'll come to you. -
katb5712 August 2012Wow...what a disappointment. I love Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones but this was just creepy to watch. The characters had absolutely no chemistry and the "sex" scenes were very uncomfortable to watch. No ones needs to see TLJ with his legs spread apart with MS stroking him. NO ONE needs to see MS feeling herself up. The other sex scenes were just disgusting. In the movie theater trying to do oral sex, and on the floor in the hotel room with TLJ looming, scowling face...just one big EEEEEEEEWWWWW. I am the same age as they are and I would not want anyone watching me....LOL What a waste of talent. The same message could have been conveyed in a much more tasteful way. I thought the pairing of these two fabulous actors could have been so much more successful with less actual sex and more innuendo. More tenderness and caring....less awkwardness. Do not recommend this movie.