Dec 5: Hope Springs

“After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.”
Directed by: David Frankel, Rated: PG-13, 100 minutes

You know that friend of your parent’s who you kind of look to as an uncle or aunt?  You know, the one that has always been around and you’ve grown up with them looking over you. Well Hope Springs is what would happen if you overheard them talking to your parents about the miserable sex life their having and the marital troubles that have their lives turned upside down. It’s awkward, unnecessary, and you kind of wish you left the room when it was all talked about. It’s by no means awful, it’s just a part of the world you don’t care to pay any attention to, even if it’s as natural as belly buttons on baboons.

D’aww

Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a married couple that have hit a rough patch in their relationship. They sleep in separate rooms, hardly talk about anything, and kiss each other goodbye in the morning as complete routine. Their sex life is non-existent and the two barely touch each other outside that same routine. Kay, terrified her marriage may be over, enlists the help of Dr. Feld (Steve Carrel), a marriage counselor and therapist who works out of Maine. Reluctant and unwilling, Arnold agrees to go with Kay on a one week “vacation” and to see if Dr. Feld in fact, can fix their relationship. Throughout the course of the week, the couple are tested both emotionally and physically as they look for a way to rekindle the flame that has long since been extinguished. He’s grumpy, she’s soft. So they are facing quite the challenge.

Has anyone else noticed this similarity?

Hope Springs is a difficult movie to watch when you’re a 23 year old male. It’s more awkward than anything else and seeing these two people, who were once in love, fumble through marriage and find ways to find the love again is very different than what you’re used to. Sure, a lot of the struggles playing out on screen are what a lot of couples go through in the real world, but that’s all meant to happen behind closed doors, not on screen, starring some of our favorite actors, all set to a rather ridiculous soundtrack. Seriously, the song choice is horrible and only adds to the confusing everything you feel throughout. As for the acting, Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones help carry the film along, their presence alone makes you wonder a bit more. As I mentioned, these are two veteran actors you’ve grown up with, to the point they’re almost like family. Their marital struggles, although fiction, aren’t what you want to see unfold and repair over 100 minutes. Nonetheless, their acting is great, as always, but the roles (minus some way too weird oral sex scenes) are far from challenging. It’s a movie that exists for the very few who actually have interest in the themes or can actually relate to what’s going on.

I’ll leave you with your imagination.

While I wouldn’t recommend skipping the film, I wouldn’t suggest running out to see it as soon as possible. It’s well-acted but so out of place and the awkwardness that unfolds leaves you more baffled than entertained. Steve Carrel has a very small role and does good work with it, but his character exists simply to move the story along and not add anything to it. The great Elisabeth Shue also has a very tiny, tiny role and when you see her pop up, you’re excited. But, she’s on screen for about two minutes and has one comical line that feels more forced than anything else. Had the film focused solely on Streep and Jones, with any outside distractions absent completely, maybe Hope Springs would be a much strong movie. Unfortunately, there are too many bits that leave you confused or disturbed (just slightly) and too little to really care about without feeling like you walked in on your aunt and uncle getting a little “close”.

The Good:
solid performances from the two leads
The Bad:
an overall awkwardness that you can’t quite shake and a weird factor that lingers a bit too long
The Ugly:
seeing certain things you should never have to see Streep and Jones doing at their age

Overall: 6.3/10

Discussion Question:
What other actors/actresses do you see as “untouchable” when it comes to sex-related what-nots?

Trailer: