Movies: Hope Springs

Score:  **** out of ***** (A-)

Long Story Short:  A film that perhaps would have seemed more at home during the fall Oscar season, Hope Springs is a nice change of pace towards the end of the summer nonetheless.  A simple story dealing with the complexity and often wrenching realities of a long-term marriage, Hope Springs above all showcases the tremendous acting talents of its leads, Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones.  Funny and ultimately satisfying, it's worth a try even if you decide to wait for it on DVD.


In the latest hotly-anticipated superhero movie, Meryl Streep stars as - wait a second.  Not another superhero film?  That's right, I decided to take a (rather drastic) change of pace for my next summer film.  When I saw a preview for this in EW at the beginning of the summer, it looked intriguing, for the actors if nothing else.  Combined with my lack of interest in August's action films (another Bourne movie?  A Schwarzenegger remake?  Expendables 2?), this one made sense.  Hope Springs was directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada), and stars Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, and Steve Carell.

The first brief scene sets the stage for the rest of the film:  Kay (Streep) gets ready for bed in the Soames' average middle-class home, hoping for a moment of intimacy with her husband, Arnold (Jones), who completely misses the signal and walks to a separate room to go to bed.  The film proceeds to lay out the Soames' lives; both nearing retirement age, Kay works part-time at a clothing store and takes care of Arnold, who deals with taxes in some form.  Kay has reached a breaking point psychologically, and picks up a brochure for a week-long marriage therapy get-away in Maine.  Arnold is so disconnected, however, that Kay has to go to extreme measures to get him to come along.

Grumbling about everything from the Maine setting to the price of breakfast, Arnold grudgingly accompanies Kay to the first session with Dr. Feld (Carell).  Although Feld is soft-spoken and polite, he is straightforward with the couple, instantly causing discomfort between the emotionally distant Kay and Arnold.  There's no point in spoiling the individual twists and turns during their time in Maine, but suffice it to say that there are plenty of moments of joy, despair, and humor as the couple struggles to regain the spark in their relationship.

The cast of the film is, as I suspected going into it, the strength of Hope Springs.  I have seen few Streep films, and none in the theater before; for such a notable actress, it's amazing how well she disappears into the role of a quiet, fragile, yet hopeful and completely ordinary woman.  She picks her (somewhat few) spots well to command the screen, and otherwise retains her character's passivity.  Tommy Lee Jones is even better.  A far, far cry from his poor MIB3 performance, he commands the screen in virtually every scene.  Granted, the role seems well suited to his usual stern, grumpy demeanor, but he truly shines in the therapy sessions where he squirms internally, as well as in his earnest struggles to regain intimacy with Kay.  Steve Carell is also good as Dr. Feld, a character at the opposite pole from the immortal Michael Scott.  At times it seems he is merely watching Streep and Jones go toe-to-toe, but he makes for a very convincing therapist.

There isn't as much "miscellaneous" stuff to talk about in Hope Springs as there is in, say, The Dark Knight Rises, but I'll make note of what I can.  The setting in Maine does not stand out, but it is appropriate:  a quaint, quiet little town where Kay and Arnold can focus on each other rather than the other aspects of their lives back home.  I was surprised by just how funny this film was, primarily during the uncomfortable therapy sessions.  It almost all flows out of natural interactions, with just a few set up "jokes".  Here, again, Tommy Lee shines.  The soundtrack is also pretty good, although I seem to remember one song standing out as little out of place.

***

Hope Springs is really a very simple film in some ways.  Everything is focused on Kay and Arnold's marriage, and trying to regain a sense of true fondness for each other.  Of course, the film goes into all the aspects of why that intimacy faded, and why it is so difficult to bring it back - but there are only the barest details of other aspects of their lives (jobs, hobbies, friends), and it's all to help describe the state of their relationship.  This makes the film almost seem to drag in a few places, but overall it's well paced and about the right length.  And the depth and sincerity of the relationship struggle is made possible by, in part, a good script, but mostly the strength of Jones' and Streep's acting.  They both do a great job individually and they truly click as a completely plausible couple.  Obviously, there aren't any special effects in this film so a theater viewing isn't essential, but this is well worth checking out, in theaters or on DVD, no matter your age.