MOVIE REVIEW - Hope Springs

Hang on to your eyes and ears there actually is an adult movie a the movies this week. It's the new Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones comedy, Hope Springs. Although superhero movies and animation will still rule the day through Labor Day, it's great to see a real movie and story at the movies.

Hope Springs is the fictional story of Kay (Streep) and Arnold (Jones). They are a very typical married couple of 31 years who live in Omaha. He is a boring CPA, and she is a very nice woman, that has a small job in retail. Their kids are grown, and now it's just them. Kay is very unhappy with the state of their marriage. They sleep in separate bedrooms, there's no romance or intimacy at all. They just go through the routine every single day and she wants more.

She still loves Arnold, but he seems detached, and aloof. Kay finds a marriage guru, Dr. Feld (Steve Carrell) on the Internet who is in Maine. He has this week long retreat with one-on-one counseling and she decides that her marriage is worth saving so she books it. Reluctantly, Arnold goes but has a closed mind, and is totally turned off to the whole thing. This is the story of how, if how, they can put their marriage back together. All done with drama, and a nice mix of comedy.

First off, there is a huge portion of the movie going public that will not be able to relate to this movie in any way, and not for one minute. It deals with people near age 60, and the problems that can plague a long-term marriage. But for many this will be on target and even a bit close to the bone for some. It daringly deals with issues that many real people choose not to.

I am not a real Streep fan, but I do have to hand it to her on many levels. She seldom, if ever picks bad projects. She is immensely versatile, and seems so immersed in her roles, you forget it's her and think she actually is who she is playing. She is brilliant here as the super sweet Kay. Jones is perfectly cast as lazy old Arnold. There is palpable chemistry between the two on screen. When things are tense, you feel it. And when it's joyful, you feel that too.

There are also some fun little performances from Elisabeth Shue, Jean Smart, and Mimi Rogers that put a little salt in the soup for flavor. Carrell is very good as the good doctor. Here he is a real guy and not some goofy Jim Carrey impersonator. He is very good. But let's not make any mistake here. This is Streep's and Jones' movie. This is well sculpted with a small supporting cast that does not let them get in the way. So well written to not have too many characters meddling in the way of our stars. Many, many movies make that huge blunder.

Hope Springs also does not make the gigantic error that it could have, of making this a "man-bashing lonely wife movie". The story is very well crafted and finds a nice balance of shared blame and doesn't forget that a marriage is two people. You really care about these two characters and want good for them. That fact alone, gives this a real sense of real. The wonderful dialogue is direct, and spot on. Terrific character development, a nice story, and super good musical soundtrack give this a real up-to-date look and sound. Also an excellent mixture of drama, comedy and skillful story telling make this really good.

Hope Springs. Not for everyone. But for its target audience, very, very well done.