Synopsis: After thirty years of marriage, a middle-aged couple attends an intense, week-long counseling session to work on their relationship.

Release Date:  August 10, 2012

Thoughts: I’ve long held to the belief that Meryl Streep is at the point in her career where she can do any movie she wants without apology.  She clearly takes on projects because she responds to something the experience would hold for her whether it’s a screwball comedy (Death Becomes Her), a gung-ho adventure (The River Wild), a musical (Mamma Mia!), or a Roseanne Barr vehicle (She-Devil).  The trailer for Hope Springs doesn’t lead me to believe we’ll see her walking the red carpet to pick up any sort of award…but this is also the woman who parlayed a stock character in The Devil Wears Prada to a Best Actress Oscar nomination.  Tommy Lee Jones isn’t as comfortable with comedy as Streep and the preview clearly illustrates this, though the presence of Steve Carrell may be a good equalizer.  As far as late summer comedies go, it may be a good antidote to the bombastic box office boffos that preceded it.