Hope Springs

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones star as Kay and Arnold - a married couple that appears to have fallen into the routine and the mundane. Kay isn't happy about it, and wishes to rekindle the spark that brought the two together, so she enrolls in a week long, intense marriage therapy program led by noted author and counselor Dr. Feld (Steve Carell).

The irascible and private Arnold is none too happy about the whole ordeal, but he loves his wife, and decides he better go along.

Can Kay and Arnold's marriage be saved?

What will they discover?

Did Steve Carell get his full salary even though he's not in this movie all that much?

Hope Springs is a nice, quaint, funny, middle-of-the-road and sometimes touching movie delivering simple entertainment when you are not completely blown away by Jones's performance. It's as comfortable as your favorite pair of slippers, and about as sexy and exciting.

Streep finds some moments to shine, but this was a role for her to take and have some fun with people she respects and wants to work with. It isn't a part on the level with some of her greatest work, but it's nothing to be ashamed of either. Streep keeps Kay from becoming silly and shrill, but the master performance in Hope Springs comes from Jones.

Wow. Just WOW is the best way to react to what Jones is doing on screen. While Arnold starts off as a one note, grumpy old man with the kind of retorts and one-liners you would expect, it turns out Jones is just lulling the audience in, so he can amaze us later.

I was shocked and thrilled to see all of the shades of emotion Jones displays for Arnold. We see his passion, anger, confusion, fear and sadness all at varying times in Hope Springs, and all perfectly delivered at the precise moments. It's not a demonstrative or flashy role, but, if you know a young actor, buy that man or woman a ticket to see Hope Springs, since it will serve as an acting class for the thespian who pays attention to Jones.

Writer Vanessa Taylor plays it safe, and benefits from such a great cast. Likewise for director David Frankel, who doesn't show any amazing flair or style. Each one doesn't rock the boat, doesn't do anything spectacular or groundbreaking, and doesn't blaze a new trail, but sticks to the basics to let us enjoy the obvious. It's a predictable movie, but one that pays off.

Hope Springs is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content involving sexuality.