Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest:
The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home,
Rests and expatiates in a life to come.

– Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man

Hope Springs, the movie where Tommy Lee Jones just says no to Meryl Streep.  Is the man insane?  Well, in a world where “Grey Divorce” rates are climbing, a film that looks at longstanding relationships is definitely a timely one.  Luckily, Hope Springs is buoyed by brilliant performances by it’s leads and a script that doesn’t pull any punches.  It’s a wonderful look at the ins and outs of a couple that has spent over 30 years together and still have a relationship worth rooting for.

Now this is the part of a review where you usually get the skinny on the plot.  But really, what you see in the trailer is what you get; a couple that have drifted apart head to a couple’s counseling workshop in order to try to fix the broken parts of their 30+ year marriage.  As is typical in Hollywood stories, it’s the gal that is hoping for a fix, and the grumpy stick-in-the-mud hubby that is “perfectly fine” with things the way they are.  As Kay and Arnold (gal and grump, respectively) spend time at the workshop (led by Steve Carell’s Dr. Feld, playing it straight) they dive into problems they know about, as well as conflicts that have been long buried.

Wait; didn’t the women who are in this age bracket now burn their bras back in the 60s?  Weren’t they the leading force of mid-20th Century feminism?  As a woman that is a generation or two below the fighting weight of these characters, I have to say that I and most of my friends would be pulling a big ol’ Aw Hell No at the way Arnold treats Kay, and how Kay puts up with the status quo.  I’m not the only one; I heard quite a bit of sharp breath-intaking at the screening, where I’m sure quite a few women wanted to say “Yo; anniversary!  Step up!” to Arnold.  But this isn’t a movie about feminine empowerment, nor is it a movie about good guys or bad guys.  This is a film about how two people drift apart, and how they fumble toward coming together again.

I would have liked to have seen more of the little things that make up these characters, but by taking them out of their usual digs and into the couples retreat, we get only hints.  Luckily, Streep and Jones are up to the task of getting us deeply connected to these characters.  And director David Frankel — who helmed one of my favorite films of 2011, The Big Year — knows how to take low-key subjects and keep viewers engaged.  The last time Frankel and Streep worked together was in The Devil Wears Prada; the directors ability to get such a different, yet just as impressive, performance from the actor speaks well of his abilities.  (There’s really no need to trot out Streep’s accomplishments; she is, and always has been, one of the best actors of our time.  Plus, she’s awesome at an awards podium.)

Streep as an introverted gal who blushes at the mere thought of S-E-X is a woman you want to hug and console with a glass of wine and The Joy of Sex.  Jones, as the gruff accountant she’s been married to for decades, still clings to the man’s-man definition that was handed over to him as a younger man.  A definition that was probably already on it’s way out even then.  So when Jones’ Arnold and Streep’s Kay have to unlearn their upbringing and get into learning about themselves?  It’s funny, touching and even a bit voyeuristic.  This movie definitely gets kudos for bringing out Jones’ softer side, and the actor gets my deep appreciation for attempting a role that is so outside of his usual forte.  They’re both playing real people, not airbrushed Hollywood 20-somethings that came straight from makeup and stylists.

Hope Springs is what one of my former professors would call a “small film”.  It’s a story that won’t get folks running to the theaters based on glorious FX or scandalous narrative.  Instead, it’s a film that focuses on an Everyman couple and their life together.  A small piece of the world, rather than a large overview of life.  But in that small piece there’s a great deal of life, love and yeah, hope.  Hope Springs is for anyone who wants to slow down and enjoy a brief tale well told.