An enjoyable, fun, mature comedy for adults, “Hope Springs” features a story that is long overdue. Also, a film featuring fantastic, believable and heartwarming performances by Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. Recommended!
© 2012 GHS Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
DVD TITLE: Hope Springs
DURATION: 100 minutes
DVD INFORMATION: 2:40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Audio: English, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, English – Audio Description Track, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French and Spanish
COMPANY: Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
RATED: PG-13 (Mature Thematic Content Involving Sexuality)
RELEASE DATE: December 4, 2012
Directed by David Frankel
Written by Vanessa Taylor
Produced by Todd Black, Guymon Casady
Co-Producer: Brian Bell, Kelli Konop
Executive PRoducer: Jason Blumenthal, Nathan Kahane, Jessie Nelson, Steve Tisch
Associate Producer: Chris Coggins, Lance Johnson
Music by Theodore Shapiro
Cinematography by Florian Ballhaus
Edited by Matt Maddox, Steven Weisberg
Casting by Margery Simkin
Production Design by Stuart Wurtzel
Art Direction by Patricia Woodbridge
Set Decoration by George De Titta Jr.
Costume Design by Ann Roth
Starring:
Meryl Streep as Kay
Tommy Lee Jones as Arnold
Steve Carell as Dr. Feld
Jean Smart as Eileen, Kay’s Friend
Ben Rappaport as Brad, Their Son
Marin Ireland as Molly, Their Daughter
Patch Darragh as Mark, Their Son-in-Law
Brett Rice as Vince, Arnold’s Friend
Becky Ann Baker as Cora, the Waitress
Elisabeth Shue as Karen, The Bartender
Mimi Rogers as Carol, The Neighbor
Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple’s specialist (Steve Carell) in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough – the real challenge for both of them comes as they try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place.
In August 2012, a new comedy titled “Hope Springs” from David Frankel (director of “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Marley and Me”) was released in theaters.
Written by Vanessa Taylor (“Alias”, “Gideon’s Crossing”) and starring Meryl Streep (“The Devil Wears Prada”, “Doubt”, “Adaptation”), Tommy Lee Jones (“No Country For Old Men”, “The Fugitive”, “Men in Black” films), Steve Carell (“The Office”, “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, “Crazy Stupid Love”), Jean Smart (“Designing Women”, “Graden State”), Elisabeth Shue (“Back to the Future” films, “Leaving Las Vegas”), Ben Rappaport (“Outsourced”, “The Brass Teapot”) and Marin Ireland (“I Am Legend”, “Revolutionary Road”, “The Manchurian Candidate”).
Receiving positive reviews for the performances by Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell, “Hope Springs” did well in the box office (considering the summer blockbuster competition) as the film budgeted at $30 million would go on to earn over $104,000. And now, “Hope Springs” will be released on DVD in December 2012.
“Hope Springs” revolves around Ohio-based married couple, Arnold and Kay Soames (portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep). Working hard and living life after their adult children moved out of the house and being devoted towards each other, Kay is not so pleased about her sex life.
Arnold sleeps in another room (because of his sleeping disorder), he rarely touches her and the spark is no longer in their relationship.
For years, this has bothered Kay and she decides to take out part of her life savings for the two to take part in marriage counseling with Dr. Bernie Feld (portrayed by Steve Carell) in the coastal resort town in Maine.
Arnold is not so happy about this and is quite upset that Kay has spent $4,000 of her savings on something that is not needed.   But Kay is adamant that the two need it for their marriage, so Arnold agrees to go with her to Maine.
And as the two take part in marriage counseling, Arnold is still belligerent towards the counseling, but as they continue their sessions and are able to communicate about their issues, Dr. Feld assigns them several lessons per day such as taking part in sleeping with each other, touching each other and as the two succeed in doing that, Dr. Feld wants the two to take part in the next lesson, and that is for both to have sexual contact.
But something is holding Arnold back from engaging his wife sexually and Kay is angry that her husband is distant. Will the two be able to achieve success in their next lesson of having sexual contact and achieve true intimacy?
VIDEO & AUDIO:
“Hope Springs” is presented in 2:40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and is presented in English and French 5.1 Dolby Digital and also presented with an English – Audio Description Track. It is important to note that for those who want the best picture and audio quality, there is a Blu-ray release version available for “Hope Springs”. Picture and audio quality are good as expected on DVD. Some scenes may be a bit dark at times but for the most part, the film does look good on DVD and the soundtrack is primarily dialogue and music-driven and audio primarily coming through the front and center channels. But for a movie like “Hope Springs”, PQ and AQ on DVD is good.
Subtitles are in English, English SDH, French and Spanish.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
“Hope Springs” comes with the following special features:
- Commentary with Director David Frankel – Featuring an informative audio commentary by director David Frankel.
- Gag-Reel – (5:07) Bloopers from “Hope Springs”.
- Inside the Perfect Movie Marriage: Meryl Streep & Tommy Lee Jones – (3:53) Brief interview with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones who talk about their characters and the film.
- Exploring the Scene – Alternate Takes Gallery – (17:48) Featuring four alternate takes: Motel Speech, Marital Gripes, First Time You Said It and Feld’s Second Wife with optional introductions by director David Frankel.
EXTRAS:
“Hope Springs” comes with an UltraViolet code which allows owners to download the film to their computer and select Apple and Android devices and have the ability to stream to computers, tables or smartphones.
An enjoyable comedy with a storyline that should have been made long ago.
“Hope Springs” is a storyline that many older adults can relate to. It’s one thing to be in love and grow old with your partner, but how does one keep the passion strong and alive?
I don’t know how many couples I have known that are like the characters Arnold and Kaye. Couples who are devoted with one another, but somehow intimacy has decreased a lot as the years go by.
As I get older, I find it fascinating how conversation with my friends have changed when it comes to relationship topics when we were in our 20’s and then in our 30’s and now in our 40’s and some friends who are in their 50’s or 60’s. There are many men and women who simply give up the intimacy and when I hear from guys who get all bummed out when they tell me they had not had any sexual intimacy with their wife in years, suffice to say, it’s sad to hear that older couples just give up the intimacy or no longer into it.
So, for years, I have always wondered when a film would be created on the subject. We always see movies about the new couple who have children and lose intimacy but what about the older couples?
Yes, I understand that Hollywood doesn’t focus on older couples as much anymore. When I really think about it, the films that have explored it took place back in the ’90s with films such as “Father of the Bride 2” which starred Steve Martin and his wife who is older but is expecting a baby, along with her daughter who is also about to give birth.
But there aren’t any films that tackle on intimacy. And maybe it’s because it’s something that many Americans face when they get older and some may consider it a depressing topic because perhaps intimacy for many couples don’t exist or are as not as strong when one gets older.
That’s why I really enjoyed “Hope Springs” and its message of how couples, no matter how great their marriage is, both need to try and become intimate. It’s one thing to hug and to hold but open communication about one’s needs in a relationship, no matter what age you are, is important.
And the performances by Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep feel natural. Arnold is a man who is uncomfortable discussing his sexual fantasies or problems with a doctor, while Kaye feels this is the only way she can get her husband to be intimate by bringing in professional help. Meryl Streep is a wonderful actress and to see both she and Tommy Lee Jones having fun in the film, not only was it fun to watch but I found myself hoping that many other couples who have lost that spark, maybe will try to regain it with their loved one right after watching this film! It’s quite inspiring and definitely a film that just makes you feel good because it is a film about relationships but also hope despite the problems a married (or unmarried) couple may have despite the many decades they have been together.
Along with Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep, the performance by Steve Carell was also rather fascinating. No comedy role or weird facial gestures, Carell plays the straight up Dr. Feld and is intent in helping this couple achieve true intimacy. It’s possibly the most serious role I have seen Carell be part of and it’s great to see him trying something different and not be the actual funny man of the film.
As for the DVD, as mentioned in my review, while PQ and AQ are good on DVD, for those wanting the best picture quality and lossless audio, will definitely want to watch this film on Blu-ray. Otherwise, the DVD does look and sounds good and also includes special features such as audio commentary, gag reel, interviews with Streep and Jones plus a featurette with alternate scenes.
An enjoyable, fun, mature comedy for adults and “Hope Springs” is a film long overdue. Also, a film featuring fantastic, believable and heartwarming performances by Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. Recommended!
