Film Review: HOPE SPRINGS

These two deserve an Oscar just for looking dumpy.

Hope Springs is one of those cinematic gems that is panned by the critics, so it's yanked from the theaters before you ever see it, finding a second life on Netflix where it becomes the darling of the couch crowd. Big stars depict real people in real situations, and they do such a good job you forget they are big stars. It's funny, sad and profound all at once, with the added bonus of a great soundtrack that fills in the blanks left by a weak script.

A borderline "chick flick," it would benefit any married man to take a peek. If your marriage is good now, see it to make sure it doesn't derail. If it's already bad, you might find a few pointers for the price of admission that could get it back on track.

Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are two old pros who can effectively telegraph complicated emotions with a raised eyebrow or half a smirk. The only problem when they are both on screen is choosing who to watch. They play Kay and Arnold, a husband and wife sleepwalking through a dull marriage, both dying of boredom after 31 years of the same-old-same-old, and no sex for the last five. Funny guy Steve Carell plays the very serious shrink they pay $4,000 for a week-long retreat of Intensive Couples Therapy, and he does a sterling job at being totally humorless. The three of them portray such kind, endearing people that I wished I could have had them all over for dinner after the show. And the state of Maine looks so pretty that I spent a considerable amount of time trying to pinpoint just which town it was, until the final credits revealed that Maine was played by Connecticut. (Go figure.)

The only sour note was sounded at the concession stand, where they wanted $6.50 for a medium popcorn.