MANILA, Philippines – We have always enjoyed Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones’ performances—but, casting them together as Kay and Arnold Soames, an unhappy married couple, in David Frankel’s adult rom-com, “Hope Springs,” initially seems uninspired because, despite their similarly impressive Ivy League roots (he’s from Harvard; she went to Yale), the Oscar-winning couple’s oeuvres and acting styles are simply too disparate.
The first time you see them together, Streep and Jones’ characters are not at each other’s throats, but you feel their muted aversion for each other. However, their lack of chemistry helps build the awkward tension needed to create an atmosphere of marital discontent. The thrill is gone!
The disturbing situation pushes Kay to seek the help of Dr. Bernard Feld (Steve Carell, who plays his character straight), a marriage counselor, to put the spark back in their sterile 31-year marriage. But, the move agitates—and alienates—Arnold even more.
At the start of their relationship, the couple couldn’t keep their hands off each other—but, romance has since flown out the window, and “marital bliss” has turned into a big bore. In fact, the last “intimate” act they shared together happened half a decade ago. Now, they sleep in separate rooms—and Arnold can’t even kiss his wife without closing his eyes!
The movie follows the serio-comic events that transpire as Arnold and Kay embark on a midlife “adventure” to save their marriage. As Carell’s character puts them through their paces, the awkward situations become a series of realizations that are as funny as they are painful to watch (the sex exercises in bed and inside a movie house, the strained exchanges, etc.)—which would be hard to pull off if it weren’t for the thespic alchemy Streep and Jones skilfully conjure up.
Forget about the plausible but cursory premise. More than anything, the film is a showcase for Streep and Jones’ acting gifts. Cinema’s greatest living actress delivers another peerless portrayal that captures the nuances of her character’s emotional dilemma—which is no easy feat, because it’s hard to imagine the glorious acting icon ever feeling inadequate over anything.
It’s hard not to get swept off your feet by the watch-and-learn accuracy with which Streep parries every low blow hurled at her by her uncooperative hubby. But, Jones is just as impeccable. As it turns out, their instructive partnership is a match made in acting heaven.
Without popping a vein, the actor matches Streep’s seamless delivery with a spot-on portrayal that succinctly delineates Arnold’s confusion and sincere yearning for a flickering light at the end of the embattled couple’s tepid, turgid tunnel.
They are each other’s yin and yang as they struggle to find their renewed zeal for romance—and passion for life. —But, will they emerge out of the dark and dangerous woods unscathed?