My daughter and I get together for lunch/dinner and a movie as often as we can. So much depends on what’s in the theater, and our differing tastes. The last movie we saw together was “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” which we both loved. She suggested “Hope Springs” this time, and I jumped at the idea. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones are both awesome actors. Steve Carell? It’s bound to be a hoot!
It didn’t take long to realize this story was definitely not a comedy. Spoiler alert! It’s about an unhappy wife longing to put some magic back in her marriage of 31 years and her resistant husband who is grumpy, complaining, vulnerable and afraid to risk what they’ve got, which isn’t much. There are no major secrets to be uncovered. No affairs (though a few surprising – cringe-factor fantasies), no addictions. Just a marriage of separate bedrooms that puts a husband in his easy chair dozing through golf shows while his wife washes dishes and goes to bed alone and lonely.
I could hear my daughter groaning softly in mortified embarrassment. At least she didn’t put her fingers in her ears and start humming la-la-la-la-la to block out the noises that went along with what she didn’t want to see.
My grand-daughter would call this movie “Old People Sex”. And I must admit there were scenes when I sunk in my seat and covered my eyes. They aren’t really going to, are they? Yes, apparently they are. Ughhh.
My daughter leaned over at one point and said she had an intense urge to flee. We often think alike. We stayed to the end, however, not wanting to embarrass the elderly couple behind us.
“Hope Springs” did lead to an interesting discussion on how marriages can deteriorate through lack of communication and that love needs to be nurtured and it is great fun to grow old together when you’re both growing and finding common interests. Like golf, travel, favorite TV shows, taking walks, talking about books, yelling at the news.
I did warn her. Next time I’m picking the movie.