Hope Springs

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 8:30pm

I went to see the new Meryl Streep movie this afternoon, and all I can say is: DON'T. The story is trite and predictable, emotionally vapid and sexually explicit. A woman took her teenage daughter out of the auditorium about half way through. I just felt uncomfortable and embarrassed for Streep. I have no idea why she thought this was a role for her. She and Tommy Lee Jones have no chemistry. Frankly, it felt like a movie written by a 25-year-old who has little or no understanding of or empathy for people over 50, and thinks "elder sex" is an oxymoron.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 8:30pm

Does Streep show pink?

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 8:33pm

I'm kinda impressed that it was more sexually explicit than the milquetoast ads make it seem, but otherwise you just justified all the terrible reactions I've had to the ads. Meryl certainly should have known better; like Mamma Mia or some of her other movies, or not, at least I get the sense as to *why* she would want to try those roles, but this... It looks like a subpar version of one of those movies Diane Keaton (who I also love) has done way too many of...

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 10:02pm

No nudity but let's just say that Streep learns about her sexuality much the way Portman did in BLACK SWAN. Among other things.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 10:12pm

Streep has a drug induced, "did they or didn't they", hallucinatory, lesbian encounter??? Now I kinda wanna see it...

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 10:18pm

Does she pick thorns out of her skin?? I wanna see it!!!!!

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 10:20pm

Remember how "It's Complicated" was gonna be the best movie ever before it came out, and then it did it was breathtakingly awful? That's what I feel like when I think about this movie.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 10:52pm

Yeah, every so often Meryl chooses to do a "fun" movie which just proves she usually makes really bad choices at picking "fun" movies.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 11:15pm

It's Complicated was Nancy Myers, who tends to make sub-par, attempts and Nora Ephron movies. This one looks like a sub-par attempt at a Nancy Myers movie (maybe Meryl did it as a favour for the director, who directed Devil Wears Prada).

I'm a little surprised from all I've seen that it's getting relatively decent reviews though (a 67% at Metacritic http://www.metacritic.com/movie/hope-springs ). Of course the top review is from Rex Reed, so...

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 11:37pm

"It's Complicated" is Shakespeare compared to this. IMO, of course.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/8/12 at 11:56pm

How's Elisabeth Shue?

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 7:40am

I'm hoping against hope that this will be what I'd hoped "It's Complicated" and "Crazy Stupid Love" would both be and weren't. And the 78% Top Critics aggregation over at RT is probably enough to get me to the cinema to find out.

A few of the reviews mention that the movie being marketed is not the movie that is. I remain hopeful.

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 9:28am

Elisabeth Shue is charming! I hoped that she would have more involvement in the plot, but this really ends up being a two-character study, with walk-ons.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 9:57am

It can't be that bad; the notoriously harsh Slant gave it **1/2:

"Though marketed as round two of Streep's over-the-hill nookie romp It's Complicated, Hope Springs is no cheap sex comedy; it's a decidedly adult drama about love and sex, wherein the comedy is largely incidental. Had it been directed Mike Nichols (as was initially planned), it might have been something great. As is, in the hands of The Devil Wears Prada helmer David Frankel, it settles to be something surprising. Frankel proves himself a faithful slave to commercial flourishes, packing on the product placement and endlessly resorting to oppressively tactless music cues (if you thought there was too much Madonna in the saga of Miranda Priestley, wait'll you hear what Frankel milks from Annie Lennox's "Why")."

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/hope-springs/6437


Meryl, Tommy, Steve Carrell & David Frankel on Charlie Rose

Updated On: 8/9/12 at 09:57 AM

[wonkit]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 12:08pm

Ah, yes. The music was obtrusive and obvious.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 12:45pm

Just yesterday, a friend and I were talking about this. We both mentioned seeing Jones and Streep on different talk shows. They were together, but on different shows. We both remarked how incredibly horrible the interviews were: to which I surmised that I believe that's the sign of a bad movie. If the actors (of this calibre, btw) can't pretend to be exicted by what they are hawkinng, they know the movie sucks and are embarrassed by trying to sell it.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 12:50pm

Well, Meryl Streep is on Andy Cohen's show tonight and I can't wait for that!

[tazber]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 12:57pm

Lisa Schwartzbaum from EW loved it. Check out her review.

I'll link it later.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 1:15pm

I'll link it now.
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20483133_20589920,00.html
So "f" u taz

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 2:05pm

One of my favorite critics, Alonso Duralde, gave it a really surprisingly good review. Like...HE was surprised he liked it.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 2:18pm

Roger Ebert liked it too. He seemed especially impressed with Jones.
Ebert's review

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 2:29pm

If Ebert liked it, I probably will as well.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 2:57pm

Thanks growl.

And you humble me by including "fabulous" in my moniker.

Most generous, but yes, you are still a douche.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 3:20pm

[tazber]

Posted: 8/9/12 at 6:19pm

Awww!

I've always known you are a stand up guy, growl.