It's Complicated

Sometimes there are cues at the start of a film that signal you're unlikely to completely enjoy it. For me it seems that involves opening slow panning shots over a sumptuous estate and/or coastline with nothing especially memorable for musical backing. Followed by zooming in on people having a discussion at a party with a backdrop overlooking the ocean/estate/orchards. It's a bad, bad, sign. Measured against that standard It's Complicated is better than I expected after the first 5 minutes of viewing. But not but a large margin.

It's clear to me that if the director wasn't graced with the talents of Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin I'd probably be getting settled in to write a far worse (though perhaps more personally satisfying) review. To be clear - this isn't in the same category of train wreck I'm expecting based on the ads for Did You Hear About the Morgans? Just not as awesome as I'd hoped. The skills of these actors helps everything rise above an uninspired script. It's funny at times, boring at others and interesting enough to keep me from indulging my weird compulsion mid-show to throw my plastic beverage bottle into the audience just to see what would happen (not kidding about that). There's not a particularly interesting story at the heart of the film but put enough likable people put together and a decent movie you can make. I don't think anyone is likely to hate it, but overall a tad shy of memorable in my book.

Streep and Baldwin are a couple that were married for 20 years and more recently divorced for ten. Baldwin has remarried his far younger mistress and Streep is finally getting used to being without him. Both appear to be ridiculously successful financially. Together they have three well adjusted adult children. The level of material success is almost a caricature. Even Streep's vegetable garden is like something just a little too nice to make into into Martha Stewart living as there's only so inadequate they want to make "normal people" feel. But of course in the movies money can't buy happiness, or at least satisfaction (yes, I know that's true in life - though I suspect this amount of money helps cushion the pain). So there's issues to be dealt with. You've probably seen the commercials and these cover all you need to know. Streep ends up in an adulterous affair with Baldwin. Steve Martin is her other love interest. Complications and partial hilarity ensues. Mixed in are some stretches where I wasn't particularly interested. But I did laugh - nice enough light entertainment for the holiday week. Unlikely to offend anyone you're going to the movies with either. The film will win some points for portraying a love story between folks over 30, and sexual attraction where the older woman wins out. That is one of the semi-unusual (in a good way) aspects of the film - though perhaps points off when the older people are Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.