Movie review: Hope Springs

Hope springs is about a couple, Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy lee Jones)in their 60s. One day, Kay wakes up and finds out that her she is bored of her marriage and decides that her and her husband need therapy so, she schedules an appointment with the eccentric Dr.Bernie Field (Steve Carrell), much to Arnold's chagrin, though he goes anyway. While there, Dr. Field tells them to try new things, new sexual things like oral sex and the rest and you can imagine how hard that will be for the couple in their 60s to carry out. Anyway, the whole experience seemed like a flop when they flew back home to Omaha and Kay decides to pack and leave, only for them to reignite the dwindling fire in their relationship right before she leaves. Which of course leads them to renewing their vows and promising to be there and more considerate of each other. I don't know about anyone else, but when I first heard about this movie, I thought it would be like a spinoff of Streep's 2009 film It's complicated as both seem to have the same theme surrounding the love story of an old couple, but in the end, it turned out to be a different package. The movie offers reasonable comic relief momentarily while at the same time, taking us on a journey about the lives of an old couple who seem to have lost their spark. Of course, it so helps that the main cast includes a talented trio of veterans in the movie business.

Tommy lee Jones was excellent as the cynical and the continuously skeptical Arnold and he was diligently able to express the feelings and thoughts of this character onscreen, convincing the audience about Arnold's situation as a husband who feels everything is fine just the way it is. Meryl Streep, of course, is known for her wide range of versatility and her ability to embody any type or form of character and she does so excellently as Kay, a woman who is well aware of the inertia in her marriage and despite her husband's objections, is determined to fix that. I therefore say, Meryl Streep is one hell of an actress. It is performances like this that makes Meryl Streep the best actress in this generation. She goes deep into the character, holding nothing back,and exudes grace and oozes talent. Fresh off The Iron Lady, nobody follows an Oscar win with a brilliant performance, quite like Meryl Streep. In overall, the movie turned out to be a fascinating look about the lives of old couples today who might have lost that spark in their marriage and somehow offers a solution to that situation.

My rating: 8.6/10.