Hope Springs (2012): Dir: David Frankel / Cast: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell, Jean Smart, Elisabeth Shue: David Frankel scored big with the awesome The Devil Wears Prada, and while this film isn't as successful, it still addresses an issue regarding marriages that have grown stale and routine. It regards reclaiming that initial spark. The film stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as that married couple of thirty-one years. She uses her savings to answer an ad regarding a marriage therapist in Main, and her husband reluctantly goes along. The film's biggest payoff is the casting of Streep and Jones who have great comic chemistry, especially when challenged to address intimacy. Streep yearns for the compassion while Jones would prefer not to address it, sidelining it with many of the film's best lines. This becomes somewhat repetitious as they leave each session with tasks that intrude their personal comfort zone. One of the funniest scenes regards an attempt at oral sex in a movie theatre. We know where it ends but older viewers will likely relate to its issues and its humour. Steve Carell holds his own as the counsellor providing another layer of humour without mugging from the central characters. We are told that he is married but little comes outside of the sessions. He does provide a decent comic counter to Streep and Jones. Other roles are also as flat as the initial marriage in question. The message is long lasting intimacy within marriage. In the end, the hope springs from brave performances from Streep and Jones that remind us that marriage can have value. Score: 7 ½ / 10
Review of Hope Springs
