It’s really not that complicated: It’s Complicated is not really that good. It’s in some nether world of not really a drama and not really a comedy. It doesn’t fully succeed with either element. Basic plot line is that Jane and Jake (Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, respectively), have been divorced for 10 years, after being married for 20. Jake has remarried a younger, sexier woman (played actually quite well by Lake Bell of Boston Legal fame), and Jane has a successful career as a bakery owner. When their son graduates from college, they have a reunion of sorts, and well, um, one thing leads to another. They deal with the feelings that come up, their 3 children deal with their feelings, and Steve Martin as Adam, Jane’s architect and suitor, deals with his feelings.
Maybe I need to turn in my cinephile card, but I just didn’t think that Meryl was all that great in this role. She was unable to handle this kind of humor, and I don’t even know what kind of humor this was. Each scene tried too hard, and I kept trying too hard to like it more than I did. There was an element of raunchiness, which was just sort of gross. For all the younger (younger than say 40) viewers, this movie was a little like the creepiness you might get when you imagine your parents, uh, together. Nancy Meyers, the writer-director, has done better work. Something’s Gotta Give was way good, and even her most recent, The Holiday, gave us more to like. So her screenplay didn’t give the actors something wonderful to work with, and the end result was a decided flatness.
Now with that said, I want to turn to the very cool Alec Baldwin who, for me, made the movie worth viewing. He has a great knack with comedy and a great knack with acting. He has won numerous awards for the television show 30 Rock, and was a total treat in the recent indie sleeper Lymelife. His character in It’s Complicated is interesting and finely tuned; he also reveals the reality of his 50-something year old body without reservation. Steve Martin’s character also displays a few nuances. But Jane’s girlfriends, played by perfect-haired, perfect-skinned Mary Kay Place and Rita Wilson, don’t really add a darn thing to the movie, and the same goes for Jane and Jake’s children.
If you are in that age group, old enough to join AARP, you will probably sit through this movie fairly happily. I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I did. Despite its shortcomings, it was entertaining overall, and let’s just hope that Nancy Meyers gets a grip and delivers something much better the next time. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]
Comedy/Romance
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 4/27/10
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