- Film Review
- Reviewed By Stella Papamichael
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3 out of 5
Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are amusingly brittle as a middle-aged couple trying to recapture that old magic in this daring comedy drama. There may be a lack of sparks in the bedroom, but there's dry wit in abundance, as Streep's desperate housewife makes a stand and enrols herself and her spouse in couples' therapy in the town of Great Hope Springs. Steve Carell plays their counsellor, eschewing the clumsy wisecracks that are his trademark and getting laughs instead from the brutally frank questions he delivers with a polite smile. His exchanges with a typically irascible Jones are especially funny, but David Frankel (who directed Streep in The Devil Wears Prada) mostly aims for understated humour and pathos. Ultimately, he doesn't delve deep enough into the emotional crux of the matter, but the intimate moments between the veteran twosome are refreshingly portrayed with great humour and sensitivity. In a word, touching.
Plot Summary
A middle-aged married woman feels her long-standing relationship with her unadventurous husband is becoming stale. When she hears of a marriage counsellor offering therapy sessions in his remote retreat, she persuades her reluctant spouse to join her for a week with the doctor rediscovering why they fell in love in the first place. Romantic comedy, with Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Kay Soames
- Meryl Streep
- Arnold Soames
- Tommy Lee Jones
- Dr Bernard Feld
- Steve Carell
- Vince
- Brett Rice
- Carol
- Mimi Rogers
- Karen
- Elisabeth Shue
- Eileen
- Jean Smart
- Brad
- Ben Rappaport
- Molly
- Marin Ireland
- Mark
- Patch Darragh
Crew
- Director
- David Frankel
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