'Hope Springs' review: mature themes abound in Meryl Streep,
Tommy Lee Jones vehicle
FILM_REVIEW_HOPE_SPRINGS_20460209.JPGView full sizeMeryl Streep
and Tommy Lee Jones as a couple seeking marriage advice from a
doctor played by Steve Carell in "Hope Springs." When the MPAA
announces the reasons for a film’s rating, they frequently use
phrases like “mature themes” or “adult situations.” But when
they do so, they’re usually talking about teenagers trying to
get lucky or hostages in a bank holdup, not the sorts of things
faced by your average American grownup. (Then again, who wants
to see a movie about taking out a second mortgage or trying to
unclog a toilet?)  So when you notice that the abysmally titled
movie “Hope Springs” is rated PG-13 for “mature thematic content
involving sexuality,” you might then be surprised to discover
that’s exactly what it’s about. Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee
Jones, two of the most reliable workhorses in the business, star
as a Nebraskan couple with a 30-year marriage that has de