Review of Hope Springs (2012) by Walter M — 11 Jan 2014

In "Hope Springs," Kay(Meryl Streep, who is not acting anymore but imitating) and Arnold(Tommy Lee Jones, who ranges here from growly to slightly less constipated), an accountant, have had their marriage stagnate over the past 31 years, living in Nebraska. Seeing some hope, Kay picks up a self-help book at random. Agreeing with what Dr. Feld(Steve Carell) is saying, she books a one week intensive therapy session for her and her husband with him in Maine, despite the fact that anybody who has ever read a Stephen King book could have told her that only bad things happen there.

"Hope Springs" is a tone deaf bit of wish fulfillment that proves once and for all that if Elisbeth Shue is the best thing about a movie, then somebody should definitely hand in their filmmaking license. In trying to be an intimate movie about repairing a marriage, the movie unleashes two huge Hollywood presences who overwhelm everything else. That's not to mention the scenes which should be touching that just end up being deeply uncomfortable to watch. In the end, since all good things come to an end, maybe we should not mourn when a dying marriage ends, thus allowing one person to find happiness and the other to find a golf tournament on television to watch.