Hope Springs (2012)
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 159
Fresh: 118 | Rotten: 41
Led by a pair of mesmerizing performances from Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, Hope Springs offers filmgoers some grown-up laughs -- and a thoughtful look at mature relationships.
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Critic Reviews: 45
Fresh: 32 | Rotten: 13
Led by a pair of mesmerizing performances from Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, Hope Springs offers filmgoers some grown-up laughs -- and a thoughtful look at mature relationships.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 45,038
Movie Info
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
Cast
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Meryl Streep
Kay -
Tommy Lee Jones
Arnold -
Steve Carell
Doctor Feld -
Jean Smart
Eileen Kay's friend -
Ben Rappaport
Brad their son -
Martin Ireland
Molly their daughter -
Patch Darragh
Mark their son-in-la... -
Brett Rice
Vince Arnold's frien... -
Becky Ann Baker
Cora the waitress -
Elisabeth Shue
Karen the bartender -
Charles Techman
Charlie the docent -
Daniel Flaherty
Danny the bookstore ... -
Damian Young
Mike the innkeeper -
Mimi Rogers
Carol the neighbor -
Ann Harada
Ann the happy wife -
Jack Haley
Jack the happy husba... -
Susan Misner
Dana Doctor Feld's W... -
Rony Clanton
Ronnie the taxi driv... -
John Srednicki
John the waiter -
Madeline Ruskin
Maddie Brad's girlfr... -
Lee Cunningham
Lee the unhappy wife -
Paul Letersky
Paul the unhappy hus... -
Rogina Bedell-O'Brie...
Rogina the exiting p... -
Stephen Lee Davis
Steve the grocery sh... -
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Hope Springs Trailer & Photos
All Critics (159) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (118) | Rotten (41) | DVD (2)
Streep fans, I think you're going to enjoy this one. I know I did.
Top CriticThe film, a rehab job on a beached marriage, displays the most tender respect, the most exquisite tact, and yet it would be completely unwatchable -- an outright embarrassment -- with any other actors than Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep.
It's tough to come up with new superlatives for Meryl Streep, but the 63-year-old actress delivers her most frankly sexual performance yet in Hope Springs.
All that's missing are commercials for estrogen cream and erectile-dysfunction meds.
Streep is warm, and she's got the timing of a stand-up. Her performance demands you bat for her woman.
It's all a little depressing.
As well-written as it is, with frank analysis of what can make a good marriage lose its spark over time, the film gets its emotional resonance from the heartfelt performances.
This dramedy offers a refreshingly-honest and comedic look at an aging couple still trying to make their relationship work.
As estranged bedfellows, Tommy Lee Jones (he's a little bit Harvard) and Meryl Streep (she's a little bit Yale) make great combatants in a rousing battle of the sexes.
...a refreshingly adult endeavor that benefits from its honest sensibilities and from the stellar performances of its leads.
Sure, there's some big, general things about common couples' problems that ring true, but Hope Springs is all posturing with very little believable character building.
Should this marriage be saved?
Absolutely not the comedy it implies, this mostly serious, very frank story is simplistic, even awkward, but captivates because of the leads.
[D]azzlingly graceful as a narrative and brutally frank emotionally, while still also working as a piece of popcorn entertainment...
While it may feel familiar to some, such awkward home truths do not a great viewing experience make. Jones is bereft of charm, while Streep seems misplaced as his loyal wife.
Streep and Jones's acting is probably better than the film's direction and script deserve, but, thanks to them, Hope Springs is tender, sad, funny and honest.
Hope Springs is not an easy experience, but it is a tremendously rewarding one.
Meryl Streep is always worth watching. That's a given.
Who could resist a showdown between two such formidable stars, even when both (Jones does his sour, squinty thing) are coasting?
People will go to see this film for Streep. Its secret weapon is Jones.
Funny and moving in equal measure.
Mildly diverting, but far from either of its lead actors' best.
Audience Reviews for Hope Springs
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
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- Kay: You know, how you think you're always headed toward something? You think "when we get married" or "when we have kids" or "when the kids go and it's just us again." You know, there's always something to look forward to. And one day, I realized that we are not going toward anything anymore.
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- Doctor Feld: I Iike to think of it...The metaphor of when you have a deviated septum and you can't breathe? You have to break the nose in order to fix it.
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- Karen the bartender: How many in here are not getting any?
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- Kay: Carol? ...with the Corgies?
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- Kay: I want a real marriage again.
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- Kay: Oh! We got each other the new uh cable subscription.
- Kay: A lot of channels.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Dont watch this movie. | 4 months ago | 8 |
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Foreign Titles
- Wie beim ersten Mal (DE)
- Hope Springs (UK)
