Movie – Hope Springs

Along the story line of It’s Complicated about post-divorce 50 somethings, this one also has Meryl Streep in it so I wonder, what’s not too like? Then I remember the cringe worthy Mama Mia and go and see this anyway.Plus it has Tommy Lee Jones playing the husband, Arnold, opposite Meryl’s timid Kay who is determined to bring love back into their marriage.  After leaving her comfort zone  and trying the usual tricks; new lingerie, makeup, hair etc. she goes to the last resort and books them onto a marriage counselling week in New England. Cue lots of small town walking in beautiful Maine with its quirky little stores and old school family diners. I love this film just for that!So will they or won’t they get their mojo back? At a small cinema in London they actually tag this film ‘where Meryl Streep gets her mojo back.’ I’m not sure she ever lost it to be honest but in this film, it’s the husband who has given up trying and just wants a simple life where he goes to work after eating his wife’s perfectly timed breakfast with the newspaper and comes home to dinner and small talk.Arnold of course gives the therapist looks ranging from ‘what do you know?’ to ‘I’m going to rip your head off’ but I love the conversations they have. The therapist sets them exercises designed to move them back to intimacy which is difficult with separate bedrooms. Many times we are lead to believe Arnold is coming back to Kay and these are some of the best moments, only to pull away again, literally in one case.Any viewer will love both the characters and want their marriage to work and Hope Springs is tender and touching as well as being funny.A must see. 8½/10Smile factor 9/10More on Hope Springs