In this latest and honest romantic comedy, audiences can see how tempting an affair with a former flame can be, while also examining the flip side of the coin insofar as how it affects one's family, albeit with a comedic twist.
It's Complicated Plot Summary
Jane Adler (Meryl Streep) is a divorced baker and mother of three grown children, who dreams of building an addition to her beautiful Santa Barbara house, so she may have the dream kitchen and bedroom with ocean view that she's always wanted.
Jake Adler (Alec Baldwin from TV's 30 Rock) is Jane's ex-husband, who cheated on her ten years back with a younger woman. A successful lawyer, he is now saddled with a bratty child and a controlling young wife named Agness (Lake Bell, Pride and Glory).
When their son Luke (Hunter Parrish, TV's Weeds) is about to graduate from College in New York City, all family members (with absentee dad Jake included) head to the Big Apple for the momentous event. When the young uns, including older sister Lauren (Caitlin Fitzgerald), kid sister Gabby (Zoe Kazan) and Lauren's fiancee Harley (John Krasinski, TV's The Office) set off to prepare a grad party of their own, this leaves Jane alone to dine by herself at the Regent Hotel's dining room.
this is a romantic comedy, though, so it isn't long until the audience discovers that ex-hubby Jake is also staying at the Regent, with his young wife having stayed behind with her hellion offspring suffering a stomach flu.
Both exes have a run in at the restaurant bar and reluctantly decide to catch up on the past decade's worth of stories; drinks start to flow, so do the laughs, they move on to dancing...you know how it goes.
Nature takes its course, and the formerly married couple are back between the sheets, after a decade apart. This happenstance triggers a hilarious series of events in which they opt to start an affair, perhaps in the hope of rekindling the flame of old.
When she's not trying to dodge her own children in order to hide her tryst with their father, Jane also develops feelings for Adam (Steve Martin, The Pink Panther 2), the architect in charge of the new addition to Jane's home.
As the film develops and reaches its peak moments, viewers discover how tempting the forbidden fruit can be, though the repercussions might not always be pleasant to deal with.
It's Complicated Overall Analysis
Let's just take care of the obvious point here: watching Baldwin and Streep in action opposite each other is an absolute riot. Sure, Streep's had her choice of love interests onscreen in past decades, but Alec Baldwin seems to bring out some old familiarity to their chemistry, the same way Stanley Tucci was able to exude muted passion as Julia Child's husband in Julie and Julia.
A definite irony about this film is that Steve Martin plays against type as Adam, the more reserved of this love triangle. Martin is known to movie and Oscar ceremony fans as the zany one, and director Nancy Meyers does throw him a bone, especially in a scene involving Jane and Adam attending a party while stoned.
Streep is perfect as always in the role of Jane, displaying some sensitivity in terms of playing a role which reflects her real age. At age 60, she's never seemed so vibrant and alive on screen, as she slowly starts to embrace age appropriate roles. Mind you, this is one of history's greatest actresses, so she could probably pull off any roles twenty years younger, without breaking a sweat.
Nevertheless, this offers some refreshing perspective on most romantic comedies, which of late have been peppered with 30 or 40 somethings.
Baldwin offers a different kind of comedy than is seen on the NBC hit series 30 Rock, while John Krasinski gets the chance to participate in some minor physical comedy by way of his facial expressions and impeccable comic timing as future son-in-law Harley. He shines most when he becomes the only member of the family to piece the secret affair together.
Shot in Santa Barbara for its outdoor scenes and also magically transported to an amazing interior set in New York City (ahh, movie magic), It's Complicated is a harmless tale of romance infused with the comic elements usually seen in Nora Ephron's romantic comedies films of the 80s and 90s.
The Final Word on It's Complicated
Folks, if you're the type of movie watcher who has an impressive array of shelves around the TV, stocked with hundreds of DVDs and Blurays, this one's a keeper. Any couple, young or old, looking for a great night in the arms of his respective spouse or lover, will eat this up time and time again.
It's Complicated DVD: 4 out of 5
Dominic Messier - Dominic Messier is a Toronto-based Film & TV writer, Sci-Fi TV and Film Dramas Topic Editor, and creator of PopCultureLandscape.com
