Sunday, September 9, 2012

A Movie Review: Hope Springs

Hope Springs. I was drawn to this movie because of Meryl Streep. Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) and Kay (Meryl Streep) are married, but aren’t married in reality. Kay feels this desire for more.  She comes across a book about marriage written by Dr. Feld (Steve Carell). She finds out that Dr. Feld also works one-on-one with married couples. She signs the two of them up. Arnold resists, but finally breaks down.

The movie shows how over a week this couple is able to repair their marriage. This movie had its moments, but I wouldn’t call it a solid thumbs up. My problem with the movie is that from my vantage point, it is Arnold who seems to be the main reason for the breakdown of the marriage (admittedly, Kay does have some role, but it just seems the focus is on an emotionally detached Arnold). Since both Arnold and Kay appear to be good human beings, I feel that the movie would work better if both shared equal responsibility.  Perhaps this conclusion is due to my being a male.  A female might better see the flaws within Kay.

I did have a laugh at one scene where Arnold argues that they aren’t in the same tax bracket as Dr. Feld’s other clients. Hmm. Arnold is a partner at an accounting firm. Kay is a co-owner of a shop. They live in a two story house. Their kitchen is top notch. Their furniture is top notch. They eat well. They aren’t top 1%, but they probably are in the top 5%.

No comments: