We both liked this lightweight comedy with heavyweight actors Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones in the story of a 60-something couple looking to return passion to their stale marriage. Streep (last in these pages in her Oscar-winning performance as The Iron Lady) creates a new voice--a high, insecure one--and she and Jones (Men in Black III, so much more) give us the familiarity and frustration that come with a relationship such as this one, written by first-time screenwriter Vanessa Taylor, who wrote two episodes of the intense, serious, couples-therapy drama series Tell Me You Love Me. Steve Carell (most recently in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) seeks no laughs, playing it absolutely straight as the couples counselor.
The publicity materials all say "from the director of The Devil Wears Prada" (2006), but they could recognize David Frankel for the pleasant The Big Year. He certainly is good at bringing high production values, even in this setting that ranges from chain stores such as Coldwater Creek, Econo-Lodge, and Barnes & Noble to the quaint Maine town where the couple visits the counselor.
The soundtrack by Prada and Big Year composer Theodore Shapiro isn't available, but you can look at this list of songs.
Jack picked this three weeks ago, expecting it was tops on my list. It wasn't but we were both pleasantly surprised by our reaction. On rottentomatoes the averages were 73% critics and 67% audiences, so still fresh. It's still playing in this neck of the woods. If you want to see it or even if someone needs to drag you to it, you will probably be entertained.
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