Yes ladies and gentlemen I had my hubby take me to see the new summer movie “Hope Springs” starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones along with Steve Carell as Dr. Feld a marriage counselor in Maine. Although this film is not a rom-com so to speak, it does however have some very funny, laugh out-loud moments. Streep who plays the role of “Kay” and Jones who plays “Arnold” are an older couple whose children are all grown. After 32 years of marriage Kay is looking to re-kindle the intimacy in their marriage and Arnold who thinks that everything is “fine” wants nothing to do with it. Kay ends up purchasing plane tickets for the both of them. She informs her husband that she will be on the 10am flight to Maine to begin counseling sessions with Dr. Feld. Still adamant on not going, Arnold decides that morning to meet his wife on the plane…and the journey begins.
I must say that I love both Streep and Jones in this movie. I also love their courage as they face the realities of marriage and attempt to improve their adult intimacy. As I watched the movie I realized that every marriage couple no matter how long or how short they’ve been married can benefit from this film. For young marrieds it can help them see the importance of not losing sight of showing affection. I know this is not easy especially when you begin to have children. Don’t get me wrong, children are a wonderful thing, the Lord says that they are “blessings” from him. But what happens is as parents we are giving a large amount of our time to our careers and raising children and if we’re not careful we can lose sight of each others needs as a couple especially the “intimate” moments. I don’t mean just sex either. I mean the simple things like holding hands, kissing and hugging.
One very healthy thing my husband and I have always continued to do even while our children were very young is go on dates at least once a week! I cannot stress how important this is in a marriage, time together without the kids. Even after nearly 26 years of marriage we still love our dates which usually consist of something we both enjoy and that is lunch and a movie (we prefer afternoon dates). Or we’ll spend a day at two of our favorite places (especially in the Fall) St. Augustine, FL and Washington Oaks Gardens.
Everyone loves a good ending, at least I do and this film delivered! Kay and Arnold broke their daily routine and began to see, enjoy and touch each other again, they brought the “fun” back into their relationship. So if you think that this film is just for “old” people, you could not be farther from the truth. It will make you laugh, cry and inspire you to keep the “flame” alive and continue to enjoy each other for years to come!
