It’s really not that complicated; it’s not very entertaining, either

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This article was published 24/12/2009 (6112 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Despite Nancy Meyers’ desire to haul out the mental blender for a holiday-season comedy cocktail geared at adults, It’s Complicated isn’t all that convoluted. It’s not even all that grown-up.

A mild punch of a romantic comedy featuring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin as former spouses, It’s Complicated feels entirely too structured and premeditated from the opening sequence.

Streep, as Jane Adler, is at a formal gathering among old friends when she bumps into her ex-husband Jake Adler (Baldwin). The two look great together. They also look incredibly content — until Agness (Lake Bell) sidles up to Jake with her hard Pilates body and her cold, fake smile.

Agness is Jake’s new wife, and with a slightly apologetic smirk, Jake backs away from Jane — with palpable reluctance.

It seems there’s still a small spark between the two embittered partners, and Meyers is more than happy to facilitate the reunion over the nearly two-hour running time.

Actually, she drags it out much longer than she had to, but when you’ve got Streep and Baldwin sharing the soundstage, her desire to stretch it out for as long as possible is understandable. But she’s not doing herself, or the movie, any favours.

Comedy needs quickness, and while the two leads are fleet-footed, and entirely capable of delivering any line or mood or character quirk the narrative required, It’s Complicated gets bogged down in sticky, over-steeped sentiment and some truly painful henhouse bonding.

It’s endurable, because Streep sits at the centre of the story, and she’s the equivalent of a one-man band — with a comic snare drum fixed to one leg and a dramatic accordion bellows glued to her belly.

The actor makes music with every step, because she fills her vessel to the brim, regardless of how brainless her character may be. That said, Jane Adler would have to be one of the dimmest bulbs in the otherwise brilliant Streep marquee.

Jane suffers from low self-esteem, despite having created a highly successful pastry business and raising three children. Her lack of ego stems from being cuckolded and eventually abandoned by her egotistical lawyer husband.

For him, life just moved on with a younger woman and a new kid. For her, life ended — every way except physiologically.

As sad and pathetic as it sounds, it’s entirely believable: Women who’ve lost the validation of a man often find themselves bereft of personal value, because they based their entire worth on the opinion and desire of someone else.

Jane recognizes the woeful flaws in her own logic, and attempts to recalibrate with a little more personal conviction, but when she finds herself sharing a stiff drink with her ex as they both prepare to celebrate their daughter’s wedding, all common sense flies out the window.

The only thing that truly redeems Meyers’ tube of baloney is the professionalism that Baldwin and Streep bring to the table, and their absolute lack of inhibition. Even when things get a little too average to be interesting, and the whole movie feels like a long letter to Dear Abby, Streep and Baldwin sink their teeth into the thin lines and draw blood.

Steve Martin tries to pull off the same feat, but he’s not as skilled an actor, and without great comic lines to fill his sails, he’s largely inconsequential.

A good idea that’s never fully developed, It’s Complicated proves a little too simple.

 

— Canwest News Service