Movie · 2012 · Drama, Comedy, Romance · 1h 40m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 4.1/10 (46.5K ratings)
Sometimes to keep the magic, you need to learn a few tricks.
Overview
After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.1/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
Metacritic: 65
TMDB: 6.3/10
Director
David Frankel
Production
Columbia Pictures, Mandate Pictures, Escape Artists, Management 360, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Mandate International
Cast
Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell, Jean Smart, Marin Ireland, Ben Rappaport, Brett Rice, Becky Ann Baker, Elisabeth Shue, Charles Techman, Danny Flaherty, Damian Young, Mimi Rogers, Ann Harada, Jack Haley, Patch Darragh, Susan Misner, Rony Clanton, John Srednicki, Madeline Ruskin
Curator Review
Verdict
A gentle, adult relationship comedy-drama anchored by strong performances from Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. It’s most effective as a study of long-term marriage, awkward honesty, and the discomfort of change, though the material is fairly broad and the humor can feel uneven.
Best for
viewers who like mature relationship dramas with comedic edges
fans of performance-driven, dialogue-heavy movies
audiences interested in marriage counseling or midlife relationship stories
people who enjoy understated, character-based studio films
Skip if
you want sharp, modern romantic comedy energy
you prefer highly original or formally adventurous filmmaking
you’re put off by therapy-session structure and talky scenes
you want a film that fully commits to either comedy or drama
Overview
Hope Springs is built around a simple premise and a very specific adult anxiety: what happens when a marriage has settled into habit, silence, and routine. The film leans on the awkwardness of counseling and the discomfort of being emotionally exposed, but it’s carried by the cast, especially the contrast between Streep’s openness and Jones’s resistance.
Worth noting
The tone is mild and accessible rather than incisive. Some of the humor lands from embarrassment and generational awkwardness, while the emotional beats are sincere enough to keep the film from feeling like a sitcom in disguise. It’s not especially deep, but it is observant about the work required to keep intimacy alive after decades together.
Bottom line
If you’re in the mood for a polished, middlebrow relationship movie with strong acting and a humane outlook, it’s an easy watch. If you want something sharper, sexier, or more psychologically revealing, this one may feel a little too safe.
Top Letterboxd reviews
russman (3★) · 537 likes
Is the 40 year old virgin qualified to give sex advise?
shane (3★) · 407 likes
i don't think i can take michael scott as a therapist seriously
jack ✿ · 282 likes
it took 95 minutes but meryl GOT herself that rusty pipe!
nathan (3★) · 254 likes
i did not expect to spend my sunday watching meryl streep give tommy lee jones a blowjob in a cinema but we do live in unusual times