It's Complicated

I think that the problem with contemporary “love” stories in Hollywood are that they all have the same plot line. A flow chart would look something like this; two people fall in love, something bad happens so they split up, and they get back together again. Whether “It’s Complicated” falls in to the category of love story, though I would argue that it does, is probably something that could be debated. “It’s Complicated” doesn’t fit this flow chart at all really. Up front I will point out that the trailer for this movie is quite deceiving, it makes the movie appear as a comedy about two previously married individuals that are both now remarried, only Baldwin’s character is remarried. This is a story about two people, Jake (Alec Baldwin) and Jane (Meryl Streep), who have been divorced for 10 years when we arrive in their tale. Jake is remarried to a younger woman, exponentially younger than his age, 58, who comes with some baggage to the tune of a 5 year old son named Pedro (Emjay Anthony) that is a lot for Jake to handle. As you can imagine someone that is the age of a grandpa playing dad gets complicated, pun intended. At their son’s graduation, Luke (Hunter Parrish-Weeds), Jake, and Jane hook up in a hotel in the Big Apple. Upon returning from Luke’s graduation they continue their escapades, getting caught in the act by someone close to the family and a big ordeal ensues. Jane, at the same time, begins to fall for her contractor, Adam (Steve Martin), and that changes the dynamics of the movie a bit. This is a movie about a narcissist, Jake, and an at times vulnerable ex-wife, Jane, finding out what life back together 10 years post divorce would entail. There are lots of funny little quirky things that happen in this movie, not different than many other romantic comedies, which really round things out quite a great deal. Some of the things that happen in this movie are predictable but the way that the two leads (Streep and Baldwin) interact with each other and with their children and significant others on screen really helps this movie out. I think that a fair amount of people that see this movie, the typical crowd that watch romantic comedies, will not be happy with the way things are resolved in the end. It doesn’t have an ending that fits a profile of any typical movie type. In the end of this is another romantic comedy, though better than most. I would recommend this movie to someone who would like a change up from the typical “He’s Just Not that In To You” or “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”, though there isn’t anything wrong with either of those movies. I think that Alec Baldwin is quite charming, as usual. Meryl Streep, is well Meryl Streep, she is unquestionably the greatest of our time and potentially ever. The way that she commands the camera while she is on screen is breathtaking. She has vulnerable moments and at moments appears as though she could be the next Commander In Chief of the United States Military. Don’t expect to see Streep in her best form for this movie, but still head and shoulders above the rest of the actresses you will see in nearly every movie this year. Having John Krasinski (The Office), Harley, play the fiancé of the eldest daughter was fantastic. He always feels like just another one of the kids at times and a perfect outsider at others, though always appropriate for the events happening at the moment. I would probably give this movie 5 out of 5 stars for romantic comedies but a 3 out of 5 stars overall. Good Viewing.
JP