Consider for instance, Jones' character's standard breakfast: bacon & egg(s). Granted it's a good source of protein but there's too much saturated fat involved. And if you watch the scene in which the wife & husband argue over breakfast, you might notice that he's adding quite a bit of salt to his meal. Perhaps that's just an editing oversight, but I know people who still, to this day, add salt to their meals, even before tasting it! Sure, not everyone is salt sensitive, but how many of you have checked your blood pressure for several days in a row, both on & off salt?
Next, let's talk about his sleep apnea. We see him sleeping but never w/his CPAP mask. Why not? Untreated sleep apnea can increase one's risk for obesity at best and sudden cardiac death at worst. Yes, I know, it's not sexy, it's noisy, it's whatever excuse you can imagine. But would you rather suffer the consequences? At least wear a dental appliance to bring your jaw forward & keep your tongue from falling back & obstructing your airway. And consider sewing a pocket to the back of your pajama top to hold a tennis ball in order to make it too uncomfortable to sleep on your back (worse position for sleep apnea).
What about his central obesity? It's on fair display under his shirt. As noted above, his untreated sleep apnea doesn't help. But neither does a breakfast of bacon & eggs, nor what it suggests for the remainder of the day. In fact, I wasn't impressed with the (lack of) vegetables displayed during the other meals (or did I miss them?), and I'm not counting starches. And physical activity? There was none of that save for a walk inside the office, a walk to & from Carell's character's office, and a short walk to a museum. As I've noted in other posts, regular physical activity is imperative towards improving our health. And more recently, lifestyle modification has been demonstrated to improve erectile function, too.
Speaking of which, granted there was a discussion of failure to launch because Jones' character wasn't thinking about Streep's character while doing the deed and when caught, lost his erection. But several times throughout the exchange with the marriage counselor, Jones' character denies any erectile dysfunction or need for Viagra. But as I just noted, you have to be interested in your partner in order to be sexually attracted enough to gain an erection. And given his untreated sleep apnea, his central obesity, his poor diet, and his lack of regular exercise, it's not likely his erections are as strong as they once were.
Regardless, as the film conveys, there's hope for improvement assuming one wants to improve. But just as we can only lead the horse to water, we can't make you eat the right foods & exercise daily. Only you can choose to do so. OK, one more thought. For someone who is presumably several years post-menopause, Streep's character remarkably became lubricated enough to engage in penetrative hanky panky with just a few kisses. I suspect that this isn't true in real life and that more attention must be paid to the (aging) female in preparation for sexual activity. But then, what do I know? I'm just a guy.
Bottom line: go watch Hope Springs. You'll laugh at all the scenes in which you recognize yourself & your partner. I certainly did! Then go home and start working on improving your health (and your relationship).
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I have Severe OSA, treated with CPAP and saw a bit of my life before the machine in the character of Arnold portrayed by TLJ. After 6 years of experience and knowledge of the disorder, TLJ has conveyed a believable person with inferred associative traits. I think an open discussion with the writer and director could reveal more intention, motivation, depth and breadth of their knowledge. To be honest, it is good to have had this in the conversation, 65% of adults over 60 have UARS/OSA. I have dozens of family, friends, acquaintences who have OSA, some even refuse treatment inspite of deterioting health consequences. Most who have OSA also have or had ADD/ADHD, ASD, OD, OCD, Depression, Anxiety histories.
ReplyDeleteThough it tried too hard to go for the rom-com conventions, it’s still succeeds as a study of where relationships can go, and how dull they can sometimes get. Streep and Jones are perfectly cast and keep this film moving like it deserves to. Good review Alvin.
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