Plot Summary of "Hope Springs"
The movie is about a couple, Kay and Arnold, who have been married 31 years. They now sleep in separate bedrooms, and have very little intimacy left in their relationship. Kay arranges for the two of them to spend a week in intensive marriage therapy in the town of Great Hope Springs, Maine.
Kay is played by Meryl Streep, her husband Arnold is played by Tommy Lee Jones, and their therapist is played by Steve Carell. With this cast, the movie could have easily slipped into being a silly, light-hearted situation comedy, but all of the actors play their parts with sincerity and honesty. The topics that are discussed in the movie are subjects that are difficult for most couples to discuss, and the actors are able to portray that discomfort convincingly.
This Movie Could Enhance Your Own Relationship
This movie is designed for a narrow audience, primarily people over the age of 50 who are in committed relationships and, because of this, it will surely never be considered a blockbuster movie for any of these actors. Performing in this film almost certainly was a labor of love. However, for those who are open to seeing it, just viewing this movie could bring life back into a marriage that has slipped into boredom and repetition.
What better gift can we give each other, as we prepare for retirement, than to bring enthusiasm and romance back into our lives?
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Though it tried too hard to go for the rom-com conventions, it’s still succeeds as a study of where relationships can go, and how dull they can sometimes get. Streep and Jones are perfectly cast and keep this film moving like it deserves to. Good review Deborah-Diane.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. I agree that Streep and Jones were perfectly cast for this movie. They were able to keep it moving, so the movie itself never was boring, even though the marriage they depicted certainly was!
ReplyDeleteYou chose the right words for this film - thought provoking. I was disappointed because it was advertised as a comedy. Although there were some funny moments, I would not describe it that way. It's very difficult and sometimes uncomfortable to watch a struggling couple go through therapy. I often felt like I shouldn't be in the room :) The fact that these are two of the finest actors of our generation made it seem very real.
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