Hope Springs (2012)

Why so much hype?

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's such a beautifully honest film. Streep and Jones make a great and truthful couple. It's delicious to follow them on their journey to re-connect. Every time I watch this film it makes me remember and value the blessings I have enjoyed in my own relationships. Definitely worth a watch.

I loved it. I have been married about the same as this couple and the film actually made me think too about how my husband and I interact with each other. I loved it, communication is the key to a good marriage, you should be able to talk about anything and everything, and never loose sight of each others needs. Highly recommend it to everyone who is married. Its fun, sad, emotional and thought provoking. Ace great acting by two of my favorite actors.

for its deep realism. for the fascinating artistic duel between two great actors. for Steve Carell who represents a real revelation for his admirable performance. it is a film who impress for a great script, for humor, for grow up of old feelings, for fears, vulnerabilities, desires and the fight against yourself. and, more important, for the trip in an aspect of middle age couple who has the admirable virtue to be example of wise equilibrium. a film about a marriage and its new beginning. simple, direct, convincing, refreshing. a honest portrait about a delicate theme. and a great work because it is not easy to imagine better interpreters as Kay and Arnold. sure, a good film. maybe great. for its delicate exploration of an age and the feelings who define it.see it ! not for admire the acting. but for understand rules of a too serious game.

I like both Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. And I'm sure under the right circumstances, the two of them could make an excellent movie. But "Hope Springs" seemed problematic to me--not entirely because of them, either. The acting aside for a moment, let's talk about the soundtrack. When Meryl is walking through the bookstore, the music is so loud that I thought, "Was anybody awake when they mixed this?" It was very "in your face" to the point that I wanted to stop watching it. This happened about three times, including the "hit-the nail-on-the-head" song, "Everybody Plays the Fool." The entire film would have had more impact had the soundtrack not gotten in the way. As for the story: The reality of relationships, such as this couple's, seemed quite real to me. That wasn't the problem. The problem was: Why didn't Meryl walk out on him years ago? What was there to love? It wasn't like Tommy was showing her any affection at all. So, while her attempts to entice him were funny, I didn't get what it is about him that she wanted to love or care about. He was one-note for almost the entire film and as such it made it difficult for me to accept their relationship. That said, Meryl's character seemed very real to me. She was honest. And that was appealing. But it did seem that she didn't really have any friends or life outside her relationship with Tommy and while it certainly seemed that they were going to have a better relationship as the film ended, she still didn't have much of a life. Also: It was really hard to feel sorry for people that lived in what I would consider luxury. Who wouldn't kill to have that kitchen? The house was vast. It was like a mansion. I thought, "Meryl, honey, if Tommy is so stuck-up, gruff, and out of it, then just go find yourself a nice guy, have a shag and call it a day." I guess throughout I never felt the two leads were really connected. I always felt they were acting. Now, they are professionals and they did their job well, meaning, they showed up, followed directions, hit their marks, and read their lines, sometimes quite wittily. And the simple locations were all shot well, and the story was simple: it was about them. We didn't have to follow a cast of thousands. But ultimately, I didn't care about these people and at the very end when they get re- married on the beach, I felt Steve Carel was on the verge of bursting into laughter. It looked like an outtake. It was very, very, very light fun for viewing at home, but as for a major motion picture that would give you goosebumps or affect you or make a difference in your life, I'm thinking... no.