Written by: Nancy Meyers
Starring: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan
Rating: [3/5]
Going from a place of marriage where two individuals pledge to love the other for the rest of their days to splitting up for whatever reason caused the separation can really leave a mark on the individuals involved, including those kids. At best, an amicable divorce can leave these individuals at least as friends, where it leads to the least complication in the lives of all involved. Or we can have what transpires in the aptly titled It’s Complicated where it presents a circumstance where a married man begins an extramarital affair with his ex-wife.
Now divorced for ten years and having fully moved on, Jane (Meryl Streep) has her last child graduate, creating an empty nest for her. Celebrating the commencement of the college graduate, she spends time with her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin) where they spend the night together. With infidelity being the source of their divorce, Jane finds it ironic she now exists as the other woman in the life of the remarried Jake’s life.
Getting divorced does not magically zap away all the feelings the two parties have for each other. After all, at some point the pair stood at an altar amongst witnesses and pledged themselves to each other. It only further makes sense that these residual feelings may recreate a spark many years later when time allows for the healing of the wounds that caused the separation. Therefore, we have Jane who was cheated on now take the place of the other woman that plays into an intriguing dynamic Nancy Meyers hopes to play with in this story but ultimately it seeks to provide a good time.
Nothing about this film seeks to be overly complicated but rather a fun little romp where instead of a younger woman being the other woman, it’s the older ex-wife. Jake is now currently married to the woman he cheated on Jane with, Agness (Lake Bell) as it reverses the script of what these tales of infidelity typically look like. It also displays that men seriously can just never have enough in their sexual lives. They abandon the woman who raised their kids for a younger woman and then when they become a pain, he goes back to the broken heart he laid a direct hand in shattering. For the serious path this material could have gone down it remains light-hearted mostly because we see this film through the perspective of Jane where she finds the arrangement a bit exciting and fun for this stage of her life. Obviously from Agness’s perspective this experience is horrifying.
As with all of her films, Nancy Meyers adds her charm to the screenplay and the overall look of the film where her characters never have to worry about the basics in life but rather something emotionally and physically tantalizing. She adds many elements of fun here, especially with Jane sneaking into hotels for a rendezvous with Jake, adding the excitement to the entire experience for her. The film has an airiness to it where these characters forsake any real problems to deal with the relationships at hand within their beautiful homes. It fits the Meyers aesthetic and vibe through and through, even though it gets overly silly in the direction the plot goes.
Having Meryl Streep in a Nancy Meyers film just makes sense and their pairing makes for such a lovely and playful performance by the legendary actor. Streep plays into the comedy of the situation, as well as a woman finding a bit of excitement in an age where boredom usually exists as the status quo. She brings her ever-charming aura to the situation that pairs well with the effortlessly arrogant portrayal put on by Alec Baldwin. These two work well together even if Streep mostly carries this film on her shoulders, much like most of the works within her storied filmography.
A bundle of fun throughout and overly silly, It’s Complicated combines Meryl Streep and Nancy Meyers in crafting an easily enjoyable film. We receive some fun characters going through a confusing time in their lives as Jane and Jake rekindle their relationship made long dormant a decade ago, making for many laughs and several sweet moments. It has everything one wants in a Meyers film even with its deficiencies.
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