Writer/director Nancy Meyers has a genre practically all to herself – the Baby Boomer rom-com.
And if “It’s Complicated” is any indication, the new genre is in capable hands.
The new comedy stars Meryl Streep as a divorced woman who starts an affair with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) while fending off the advances of a new suitor (Steve Martin).
And if you think that kind of casting can’t possibly create a bad movie – pass “go” and collect $200.
But “It’s Complicated” takes a while before its simmering romance reaches the boiling point.
Streep plays Jane, a successful entrepreneur who’s finally come to grips with her divorce. It’s been 10 years, but she’s forgiven the infidelity that chased Jake (Baldwin) from her life.
Suddenly Jake decides he’s tired of his trophy wife (Lake Bell) and wants Jane back.
Jane finds odd comfort in having an affair with a married man, especially since they’re fooling around behind the back of the woman who separated them in the first place.
But Jane isn’t sure it’s the right thing to do, and her suspicions are doubled when a new man (Martin) enters her life.
The first third of “It’s Complicated” suffers from Cheery-Chick-Flick-itis, a horrible condition in which every main characters laughs too hard and greets friends and family as if they hadn’t seen them in 30 years.
See “Sex and the City: The Movie” for a textbook example of this malady.
Even Streep, who could walk on water at this point and no one would suspect special effects, falls prey to this over-stimulation.
But Meyers, who directed the terrific boomer romance “Something’s Gotta Give,” knows this territory too well to let audiences down.
Once Streep and Baldwin start, well, renewing their intimacies, the jokes hit their mark with more frequency.
It helps that this is the best comic performance by Martin in ages. Never mind the pratfalls from “The Pink Panther” films or his family friendly excursions. Here, he’s simply an older man trying to find new love.
In one raucous scene, Martin’s character shares some weed with Jane before their first date.
Cheech and Chong would be proud.
“It’s Complicated” can’t help but insert a few scenes with Jane chatting with her older gal pals, and audiences can practically predict every line from these stale sequences. And Jane’s children are so idealized, so buffed of any imperfections that they grate on our nerves.
“The Office’s” John Krasinski, playing the beau of one of Jane’s homogenized brood, is given the best reaction shots and makes the most of them.
Between “Away We Go” and “It’s Complicated,” the young actor seems ready to segue to a big screen career once he gets the pink slip from his day gig.
“It’s Complicated” even delivers a few belly laughs as the romantic storylines head toward some expectedly complex conclusions. Suffice to say you’ll never look at a web cam the same way again.
If Meyers has a genre all to herself, let’s hope her films remain as smart, sophistacted and sexy as “It’s Complicated.”
(Photo: Exes Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin) flirt in the new film from writer/director/producer Nancy Meyers, “It’s Complicated”, a comedy about love, divorce and everything in between.
Photo Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon. Copyright: © 2009 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Loved the movie and especially loved Streep. Nice review.