I don't mean to be discriminatory or disrespectful towards the elderly. It's analogous to why I don't really like to watch some kiddy shows because I didn't think I could relate to the storyline.
Starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell, it relates the story of Kay who after being married for thirty odd years and whose two children were no longer living with them, found herself leading a lonely sexless life despite having a husband under the same roof. They were sleeping in separate rooms and Arnold had not touched her physically for almost four years. In fact, she could remember the date and details of the event vividly. Their daily lives revolved around a regimental routine that never changed for years. The sad and unfulfilled housewife was so tormented by the lack of physical and mental intimacy in her marriage that she could bear it no longer.
One fine day, she threatened her husband to go for a week long intensive marriage counselling with Dr Feld at a coastal resort town. Reluctantly, Arnold tagged along but things did not turn out well. They tried to rekindle the sparks in their marriage and were forced to act beyond their comfort zones in terms of physical intimacy, especially for Kay who went all out to do what she felt was necessary to salvage her marriage. Although there was some slight progress, the retreat did not yield the satisfactory outcome yearned by Kay. The week was soon over and they had to return to their usual mundane lives.
When everything resumed back to what it was before the trip, that was the last straw for her. She finally wanted to throw in the towel and end her marriage. In her own words, she said she would rather be alone without anyone than to be with someone and yet feel lonely. Did the marriage end with a sad or happy note for the couple? I will not give the ending away for this case.
Meryl Streep was competent and funny in her role as the prim and proper Kay. In fact, it was kind of awkward to see her touched Tommy Lee Jones with trembling hands, went down to give him a blowjob at the cinema and masturbated herself in her room. Maybe I am too uptight myself.
Anyway, if the producers combine the movies "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Hope Springs" together and portray Meryl Streep as the mega-bitch career woman who returns home as a helpless emancipated woman in an unhappy sexless marriage, I think that would be most brilliant and totally makes sense. It would explain why her unhappy personal life translates into a sadistic boss at work.
