HOPE SPRINGS

HOPE SPRINGS is an utterly banal, highly disappointing drama about an elderly couple in a sexless marriage going to therapy. Though marketed as a slightly risqué comedy (Meryl Streep suggestively holding up a banana), the movie is actually a very, very talky drama, with most of the 100 minute run-time spent with the two leads (Streep an Tommy Lee Jones) uncomfortably discussing their marriage in front of a poker-faced therapist (Steve Carell).  There are no character-deepening revelations, no telling moments of wry humour - nothing at all to hold our interest in Vanessa Taylor's deathly straightforward script and David Frankel's workmanlike direction.  Given the high-class cast, and potentially fascinating set-up, what a desperate shame!

HOPE SPRINGS is on release in the USA, Canada, Hungary, Israel, Brazil, the Philippines, Australia New Zealand, Croatia, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Argentina, the Czech Republic, Singapore, Ireland, Poland and the UK. It opens on September 21st in Norway, on September 27th in Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, on October 5th in Finland and Turkey, on October 10th in Belgium and France, on October 18th in Hong Kong, Italy, Estonia and Iceland, in Denmark on November 15th, in Greece on November 22nd, in Chile on December 6th, in Russia on December 13th, in Bulgaria on December 21st, in  Macedonia on December 27th, in Taiwan on January 4th, and in Mexico on February 22nd.

HOPE SPRINGS has a running time of 100 minutes and is rated PG-13 in the USA.

iPad Round-Up 1 - THE BIG YEAR

THE BIG YEAR is a charming, gentle comedy about the importance of family and following your dreams.  Jack Black stars as a guy in a dead-end job who has a passion for bird-watching, and defies his father's incredulity to do "the big year" - a challenge in which US birdwatchers compete to see the most species.  He's competing against Steve Martin's successful executive, who's about to retire and spend time with his loving family.  And both the Steve Martin and Jack Black character strike up a friendship in opposition to their common enemy - Owen Wilson's slick, hyper-competitive, incumbent title-holder - a man who has sacrificed his marriage to his obsession.

There are no big revelations in terms of the performance.  Jack Black plays his typical loveable loser character.  Steve Martin plays his typical loveable cool dad character.  Owen Wilson plays his typical loveable rogue.  The direction (David Frankel - MARLEY & ME) is workmanlike and the script (Howard Franklin - ANTITRUST) is efficient.  But the movie had a genuinely warm tone to it, it successfully conveyed the madness and the beauty of birdwatching, against all odds, and I had a good time with it.

THE BIG YEAR was released in Canada, the US, Ireland and the UK in 2011 and earlier this year in Malta, Australia, Portugal, Lithuania and Romania. It opens in Germany on June 14th and in France on September 19th. It is available to rent and own.