It's Complicated review (2009) Meryl Streep

It's Complicated (2009) / Comedy-Romance

MPAA Rated: R for some drug content and sexuality
Running Time: 120 min.

Cast: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Mary Kay Place, Rita Wilson, Alexandra Wentworth, Hunter Parrish, Nora Dunn
Director: Nancy Meyers
Screenplay: Nancy Meyers

Meryl Streep (Doubt, Lions for Lambs) finds her role reversed when she becomes her ex-husband's mistress, who left her years prior to marry a much younger woman. She plays Jane, a 50-something divorced baker and restaurant owner who separated from ex Jake (Baldwin, The Good Shepherd) for roughly ten years, who finally has her Santa Barbara home to herself now that their three children have grown up and gone to college. She has tenuously forgiven Jake for his indiscretions, feeling partly responsible for their marriage not working out, but while he seems to have it all, she is finding her loneliness in life growing, with no one to share her home with.

The two cozy up while in New York attending their son's graduation from college, and they take this one night stand back home as Jake begins to miss all of the reasons he fell in love with her all over again, now stuck in a marriage with the gorgeous but demanding Agness (Bell, What Happens in Vegas). In the midst of this, a newly divorced architect working on Jane's home takes a liking to her, leaving Jane to consider whether she's content to continue to give Jake a momentary happiness, or if she needs to cut off the affair in the hope of finding some happiness of her own.

Targeted mostly at older female viewers, though it can be enjoyed by many others, em>It's Complicated is a film that extols the virtues of the older woman, the longtime wife and mother. While many men find themselves succumbing to the allure of the younger, hotter woman and leaving their wife and kids behind, the storyline in this film shows that men who pursue such directions often give up their best companion, the well-being of their children, then, after the sexual enticement of their new lover has begun to fade and reality sets in, they've given up their happiness and ability to communicate.

NNancy Meyers (Something's Gotta Give, What Women Want), who excels at crafting just these sorts of romantic comedies for more mature female audiences, delivers perhaps her most original premise for a film. Even if the plotting of the relationships never quite deviates from the cliché, the actors still sell their characters and situations, whether it be for laughs or a moment of poignant reflection, and the end result is a movie that delivers just enough choice, novel situations and funny moments to get a solid recommendation. Corny? Definitely, at times. Just remember that Meyers is the one who wrote and directed The Holiday, which worked in an unabashed embracing of the corny right in its very storyline./p>
PPerhaps it's needless to say, but a film like this can only succeed on the strength of the actors to imbue their very quirky characters with believability, and Streep and Baldwin prove every bit up to the task. Steve Martin (The Pink Panther 2, Baby Mama) gets a sizable supporting role, though one that doesn't very much require his comedic talent so much as for him to be likeably normal, perhaps even square and boring. John Krasinski's (Leatherheads, License to Wed) appearance is practically superfluous, perhaps worked in merely to capitalize on his rising stardom, as he gets quite a bit of screen time for someone so unimportant to the overall family dynamic.

You know what to expect from a Nancy Meyers film -- immaculate homes, pretty vistas, and feasting on decadent desserts or dinners in every scene. And a story that will leave people smiling from the old-fashioned (though bawdy) good cheer, though toxic for those who are inured to such obvious manufactured pleasures. Also like her other films, it runs a bit too long and contains an overabundance of sire stories and characters that seem more a distraction than as a means to push forward the story, but It's Complicated surprisingly doesn't sag even when Meyers indulges in excess. It's a fun, delightful confection, though not to be confused with a full course meal.