HOPE SPRINGS: LOVE AFTER 60

To begin with the title of the film HOPE SPRINGS is not a location. Rather it is about the hope that after years of marriage love and emotion can return. It's what the film is about. While some will watch and assume as the discussions involved talk about sex, that isn't what's at the core of the film.

Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) have been happily married for years now. But times have changed. Anniversary gifts are now just shared items they need for the house. Arnold hasn't slept in the same bed with Kay for years now starting from a back injury he suffered long ago. This is a couple that has a daily routine where Arnold wakes, gets ready and goes to work with Kay making sure his day starts off with the same breakfast every morning and a peck on the cheek. But that's not enough for Kay.

Kay longs for the affection and intimacy that the couples shared all those years ago. Determined to do something about it, she seeks out marriage counseling books at the local book store and comes across one written by Dr. Feld (Steve Carell). Digging deeper she finds his website online and then makes reservations for her and Arnold who of course refuses to go seeing it as a waste of money. Kay gives him two options: join her at the airport or stay home alone.

Fearing he might lose her, Arnold shows up begrudgingly. They arrive on a remote small town in Maine where their week long couples retreat is to take place. Arnold is the crotchety type who complains about the costs of everything, insisting all the while that they have no reason to be here.

As their sessions begin Dr. Feld talks to them about what the problem seems to be. Carell plays the role straight and doesn't resort to what some would expect of him. Feld cares about the people he treats and allows them to bring out the questions and answers that are plaguing their marriage. Where the obvious questions about their sex lives are discussed, you can tell by the direction he leads the couple in his questions and what he discusses with them it's not sex he wants them to dig deeper into. It's intimacy. It's the small caress that Arnold might brush across Kay's cheek or a kiss on the lips. But these topics don't come out at the first session, instead taking time each day they are there.

One of the best things here is that the story unwinds and we discover that it's not all Arnold's fault that things have changed. One would think that was the case with the attitude he has toward the whole process and with some of the answers he provides. What we have here is a couple in every sense of the word where both share equally in the changes that have overtaken their lives. And the only way to save this marriage is for both to become an active part in that marriage once again.

This movie isn't the dry film that it might sound like from what I've written so far. It's filled with lots of humor and out right affection seen in the characters offered. These seem like real people you and I know in real life, people that have a deep rooted love for one another yet have somehow lost touch. You care about both characters and watch hoping that they find the solution they need.

Long time readers will know I've never been a big Meryl Streep fan but here she does a tremendous job, offering not just great readings of her lines but displaying subtle touches like body movement and longing glances that open up her character. I've always found her performances much better in roles like these than grandiose characters she has played in the past. Jones is amazing to watch. He has the grizzled old coot character down pat and if that were all he displayed here I would say his performance was mailed in. But as the film progresses you see that there is a weakness inside of him that blooms and allows his affections to finally show in this character. Since neither of these characters is in your face, my guess is both performances will be ignored come Oscar time.

As I near the age that these two people are in the midst of, the movie made me look back at my own life and will do the same for anyone in their 40s on. Young viewers might want to look at it and realize what they can expect down the line unless they pay close attention. In any event this movie was a delight, offering insight into what is truly important in the lives and love of people. It touches on many levels and it is definitely a movie worth watching. 

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