2012, USA/Canada, 100 min.
After 31 years of marriage and two kids, Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) have their life in order. Arnold is satisfied; Kay, on the other hand, has been driven to quiet misery. Forget about sex—any sign of intimacy has eroded. They’re alone together. “Is it too warm in your room?” Arnold asks when she pays a hopeful visit to his bedroom, only to leave in quiet embarrassment. Desperate for change, Kay drags Arnold 1,500 miles to a famed marriage therapist (Steve Carell) for a week of counseling sessions. Jones and Streep play off each other expertly, and director David Frankel does not approach the material as a sex farce or he-said, she-said carping. The couple learns in real time through honest conversations and not-always-successful “sexercises” how to write their final chapters. Alternately touching and insightful, Hope Springs is that rare treat: a sweet, tender movie about people we know.
