Hope Springs
Hope Springs
Rating: 4/10
When you combine the acting talent of Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee
Jones you would think that you would get a great combination for a movie. At
least this is what I thought after watching the trailer. In a sense that is
exactly what happened, however the positive points stopped just about there.
The film started off with a great acting portrayal of a conservative,
middle class couple living life after the kids have gone. Some of the comments
from "Arnold" (Tommy Lee Jones) were laugh out loud funny, especially
during his first visits to the dreaded counseling sessions. Just great. Meryl
Streep did an incredible job creating a character that had seemingly spent the
majority of her life grinning and maintaining "the peace" to her husband's
outbursts because she obviously loved him deeply. The facial expressions from
both Streep and Jones were, as to be expected, a wonderful addition to the progression
of the story.
The main setting for this film was supposed to be in a small
town in Maine. The shots of the town location gave a quaint feel that definitely
had a New England tinge to them. I enjoyed watching the pieces in the small
diner, and those highlighting some of the side streets as they walked around.
After a short while into watching the movie the plot seemed to slow down and drag out. I was expecting a bit
more laughs with this one, but that seemed to die off for me before I hit the
halfway mark in playtime.
From a healer's perspective I was concerned with some of the
messages this movie gave. First of all, when a couple seeks help in their
marriage I feel it is very limited to focus primarily on their sex life. Sure,
sexuality is an important part of most healthy relationships, but I feel that
it is not being holistically minded to think that if we fix problems in the
bedroom that everything else in the relationship will magically fall into
place. There appeared to be communication, shared interest, and support issues
present, but these were not addressed at all. When "Kay" (Streep) first
approached the counseling sessions it seemed she was looking to connect with
her husband in regards to emotional, as well as, sexual intimacy, but it seems
in the end sex fixes it all in this movie.
The second concern I had was when the counselor, "Dr.
Bernie Feld" (Carell), suggested that certain sexual acts that "Kay"
was not comfortable with be explored regardless of her comfort level. He stated
that it is a matter of pride that should be put aside in these cases for the
good of pleasing a husbands, as well as being pleased yourself. What the heck
type of advice is this? Nails down a chalkboard moment for me here. I would
never recommend that a patient simply put aside their feelings of discomfort,
nor would I suggest that these feelings are based on pride without knowing the
underlying cause. It felt very sexist and male oriented as far as advice goes
here. When was the counselor going to address that fact that "Kay" is
also looking for emotional intimacy that her husband is obviously incapable of
at the time of the counseling sessions?
Another point of frustration for me was that it appeared that "Arnold"
(Jones) was suffering from a possible form of ED (erectile dysfunction) in the
movie that was somehow linked to "Kay" (Streep). I saw this every
time intimacy (emotional or sexual) was brought up by "Kay". However,
the story behind this was never revealed. I was left wondering, "what was
happening with him?"
In the End:
After watching this film I found myself frustrated with what
felt like very male focused advice in the film, as well as bored by the slow
progression of the plot. The 4/10 rating for this movie is based more on the
acting of both Streep and Jones, as well as some of the comedy early on in the
film. This is not one I would recommend for a date night if you want to be left
feeling happy and hopeful about your future together.
