Hope Springs' Stonington Faces, Places a Big Hit with Boroughites

Town and area residents finally got the chance to see themselves — and the borough — in Hope Springs, the new movie that was partially shot in Stonington and premiered Wednesday, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.

Many town residents were extras in the movie, which stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, and several borough businesses were transformed for the filming of the scenes. 

"We anticipated seeing the movie for a year so it was cool to see how all the scenes got put together and how they edited it," said Noelle Nolcin, a resident and movie extra.

For those lucky enough to be chosen as extras it was thrilling to share the spotlight with Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep, as well as get an up-close-and-personal look into movie-making.

"It was kind of surreal," said Howard Taylor, owner of Pandion Yacht Brockerage, referring to his 8- or 9-second role in a scene at Noah's Restaurant.

"It took me back to the time I was there ... we were being served by a waitress and there was Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep, who had a little argument in the restaurant, and we were in the background," he said.  

Seeing her dad on the silver screen was also exciting for Taylor's daughter, who, upon seeing the scene, yelled out, "There you are, dad!"

Seeing the finished product is very, very different from the actual production, noted Wolcin.

Playing "a happy couple" with Alex Turner she said, "we did so many takes of so many different scenes." She explained that although she had three different husbands and 10 different outfit changes, she was in the movie for a quick shot of her walking into Noah's Restaurant right in front of the big stars.

"Two scenes were shot in Noah's Restaurant and one could see the mural they painted on the outside wall," restaurant owner, Debbie Papp, wrote in an email right after seeing the movie with her husband, John.  "We were VERY EXCITED to see our business in the movie." 

Papp said she thinks it's great to have Stonington getting this kind of exposure. Ainslie Turner, owner of Skipper's Dock, concurs. Last weekend, in anticipation of the release, they offered patrons a "Hope Springs Huckleberry Lemonade Cocktail" embellished with fresh blueberries and served in Ball jars. 

In honor of Streep's visit to the restaurant, they plan to put a plaque on the bar inscribed with "Meryl Streep sat here!" 

While the movie was partially shot in Stonington, moviegoers will never hear the name of the town. Instead they will hear the couple is travelling to the ficticious town of Hope Springs, Maine.

"I think the filmakers made a mistake in that they didn't say Stonington, Connecticut, right from the start," said Taylor. "I think that would have been great.  It would have been nice if they would have done that.  It's a nice enough movie and a nice enough story and everything, but it's a shame that they concentrated, for some reason, on being in Maine.  It could have taken place in Stonington and the story line would have been the same!"

Papp commented locals will probably notice things in the movie that do not really seem to fit into life in Stonington.

"The green Volkswagen parked on the side of Cannon Square seemed very out of place, didn't belong in that shot," she said. "We laughed at the shot of the sailboats sailing back and forth in the sunset shot of the Harbor. That too was VERY unrealistic. If we had been advisors we would have said no way to those two shots! But all in all, we enjoyed the scenes."

Even with the minor critiques, everyone was excited to see their hometown shining on the big screen.

"Stonington looks great. I felt proud to live in such a beautiful place," said Wolcin.  "The place looks really pretty. Tommy Lee Jones makes a comment at one point when he's walking down the street, 'What is this town, made for Hansel and Gretel?'"  

"Since most people who see the movie will think it was shot in a town in Maine, it may not help bring people to Stonington Borough, " said Carolyn Yost in an email. "But for those who do hear that it was filmed in Connecticut, I'm sure some will come to investigate ... and find a real treat."