Hope Springs
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carrell
Directed by David Frankel
Rated: PG-13
Run Time: 100 mins
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Opens: Wednesday August 8, 2012
By Lisa Minzey
Hello Fellow Movie Goers! This week we have a special treat – a mid week movie review! This week’s latest release is from director David Franklel (The Devil Wears Prada, Marley and Me) and reunites him with Meryl Streep in this dramatic comedy, Hope Springs.
After 31 years of marriage, Kay (Meryl Streep) still loves her husband Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones). Every day she wakes up and makes her husband breakfast. Two eggs sunny side up and one slice of bacon, extra crispy with a piping hot mug of coffee. Arnold comes down to breakfast, puts down his briefcase and sits down to eat his breakfast and read the morning paper. Day after day, week after week, it has been the same routine. Arnold goes to work at his accounting firm, and Kay goes to her retail clerk job at a local woman’s clothing store. It’s not as passionate as it once was, but Kay hopes that for this year’s anniversary that Arnold will do something special to reignite the spark.
The anniversary comes and goes with no fanfare or affection. They had the kids over for dinner and he fell asleep in front of the television watching the Golf Channel. Kay is desperate for a connection with Arnold but can’t find the right words to say or do.
While on a break from work, Kay wanders into Barnes & Noble Relationship section. Among all the books on Self Help & Sex Tips, she finds a book by Dr. Bernard Feld (Steve Carrel), “You Can Have the Marriage You Want”. The book inspires her to schedule a week long “vacation” of intense couple’s marriage counseling with Arnold to see if they can recapture that spark their marriage once had.
Arnold, being set in his stubborn & cheap-ass ways, refuses to go. Kay calmly gives him the option; be on the plane the next morning or don’t be surprised what happens when she gets back. Begrudgingly, Arnold makes the trip to see Dr. Feld in a sleepy town, in Northern Maine.
Once Kay & Arnold sit down with Dr. Feld, the awkwardness and lack of passion in their marriage is magnified tenfold. The topics of discussion revolve around their communication and sex life; neither Kay nor Arnold can sit through a session with out getting tongue tied or frustrated. Can Dr. Feld help them break down the walls that linger between Kay and Arnold before it’s beyond too late?
For a film that holds more drama than comedy, this was a pretty decent movie. All three lead actors give such strong performances to leave the impression of the viewer feeling like a fly on the wall of an actual couple’s therapy session. Some moments were funny; while moments were uncomfortable and shocking but overall an enjoyable film for the adult movie goer.
Check out Hope Springs when it opens in theaters August 8th, 2012.
