Kay (Streep) has been married to Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) for thirty-one years. Their marriage has been so distant nowadays that they don't even sleep in the same room together. One day, Kay finds out about self-help guru Dr. Feld (Steve Carrell) and his miraculous couples counciling. She immediately drags Arnold along for a week-long therapy session in Feld's town of Great Hope Springs, Maine.
Upon arriving, Arnold hates it. In fact, he hated the thought of even going. And he especially hates the thought of confiding with some stranger about his marriage. Which leaves the important question: will this be even a good week?
There were a few laughs here. A few of them came from a very deadpan Carrell as Dr. Feld. At least, those were the few legitimate giggles. A lot of the other humor comes down thanks to the film's gentle tone. As a result, it comes down in one of two flavors: "huh?" or "awkward."
At the core of the film, there's Streep and Jones. On the bright side, Streep gives a reliably good performance as Kay. It's quite understandable that she's bored that he's boring. Or rather, that she's upset that he's dense. But on the down side, the film doesn't develop their problems further than that. It ends up making it hard to fully emphasize with their relationship.
If you wish to see this film, then go ahead and do it. It's a harmless dramedy, nothing more. But then again, it'd be nice if there was something more with the New England scenery.
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