Hope Springs (2012)

After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.

Director:

David Frankel

Writer:

Vanessa Taylor

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Kay
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Arnold
Steve Carell	...	Doctor Feld
Jean Smart	...	Eileen, Kay's Friend
Ben Rappaport	...	Brad, Their Son
Marin Ireland	...	Molly, Their Daughter
Patch Darragh	...	Mark, Their Son-in-Law
Brett Rice	...	Vince, Arnold's Friend
Becky Ann Baker	...	Cora, The Waitress
Elisabeth Shue	...	Karen, The Bartender
Charles Techman	...	Charlie, The Docent
Danny Flaherty	...	Danny, The Bookstore Clerk (as Daniel J. Flaherty)
Damian Young	...	Mike, The Innkeeper
Mimi Rogers	...	Carol, The Neighbor
Ann Harada	...	Ann, The Happy Wife

Storyline

Kay and Arnold are a middle-aged couple whose marriage has declined until they are now sleeping in separate rooms and barely interact in any meaningful loving way. Finally, Kay has had enough and finds a book by Dr. Feld which inspires her to sign them up for the Doctor's intense week long marriage counseling session. Although Arnold sees nothing wrong with their 30 year long marriage, he reluctantly agrees to go on the expensive excursion. What follows is an insightful experience as Dr. Feld manages to help the couple understand how they have emotionally drifted apart and what they can do to reignite their passion. Even with the Doctor's advice, Kay and Arnold find that renewing their marriage's fire is a daunting challenge for them both.

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Plot Keywords:

scene during end credits | story continued during end credits | marriage | couple | marriage counseling | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes to keep the magic, you need to learn a few tricks.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content involving sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Great Hope Springs

Filming Locations:

Guilford, Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,650,121, 12 August 2012, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$63,536,011

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$114,281,051

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Mandate Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The French movie, that Kate and Arnold see in the theater, is Le Dîner de Cons (1998), which was remade as Dinner for Schmucks (2010) starring Steve Carell, who plays Dr. Feld.

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Goofs

In almost every exterior scene of Kay and Arnold's house we see a Buick sedan and a Subaru station wagon parked in the driveway in front of the garage. However, when the taxi picks up Kay to take her to the airport and drops Arnold and Kay back from the airport the cars are not in the driveway. It was suggested that since they were going out of town they might have moved the cars into the garage, but when Kay leaves it is unknown, even to Arnold himself, if he will accompany her.

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Quotes

Arnold: If you want to go to intensive couples counselling all by yourself, I'll see you when you get back.

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Crazy Credits

There is a scene during the end credits.

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Connections

Features Le Dîner de Cons (1998)

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Soundtracks

It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over
Written and Performed by Lenny Kravitz
Courtesy of Virgin Records America, Inc.
Under license from EMI Film & Television Music

User Reviews

Charming Film Helped by Great Leads

Hope Springs (2012)

*** (out of 4)

Charming comedy about a married couple (Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones) who have been together for thirty-one years but the wife starts to think they're losing everything. She forces her husband to go to a marriage counselor (Steve Carell) and soon they realize that a lot more is wrong than they thought. If you're looking for some deep, hard hitting marriage drama then I highly recommend you check out Ingmar Bergman's SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE. If you're looking for some light entertainment that will make you laugh then HOPE SPRINGS is just the film for you. Yes, I understand you could argue that Streep and Jones are too talented to appear in such a simple comedy but I personally don't think it matters and especially since both of them are so enjoyable here. What really struck me is that the two really do come across as a real couple who have been together for over thirty-years. Both actors are clearly into their roles and this is especially true for Jones who easily steals the picture. He can play grumpy like no other person out there and he does a terrific job here. His replies to being pressured by the doctor have a certain comic timing, which I found downright hilarious at times. Carell is also very good as the man in the middle. He basically just has to sit there and ask questions but the actor made the role quite memorable. The film is far from perfect as there's no doubt that it starts to wear down in the final fifteen minutes or so but the two actors are simply so charming that it's still worth watching.