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2009 was a great year for female filmmakers. From filmmaking veteran Kathryn Bigelow, whose The Hurt Locker is stirring up all kinds of award season support, to rookie director Drew Barrymore, who showed plenty of promise with her fun-loving debut, Whip It, they’ve definitely shown their girl power. Now, to close out the year, another veteran director, Nancy Meyers, teams up with an all-star cast for her latest middle-age rom-com, It’s Complicated—a movie that managed to pick up three Golden Globe nods before it even hit theaters.
After ten years on her own, Jane (Meryl Streep) is finally getting used to being divorced. She owns her own business, she spends time with her friends, and she’s finally able to socialize with her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin), and his young wife, Agness (Lake Bell), without going crazy. Now that the last of her children has moved out, she’s even renovating her house and turning it into her dream home—with the help of charming (and available) architect, Adam (Steve Martin).
It seems that things are finally starting to work out for Jane—until, while she’s in New York for her son’s graduation, she runs into Jake. They have a few drinks, they do some dancing, they start reminiscing…and they wake up together the next morning.
Convinced that they’ll get back together and live happily ever after, Jake is thrilled. Jane, however, is mortified. She and Jake once had a great marriage—but she’s not sure that she’s ready to overlook the bad years (not to mention the cheating…or the fact that Jake’s remarried) and give it another try.
Known for her more mature chick flicks (like Something’s Gotta Give), Meyers has definitely worked with some of the hottest chicks in Hollywood—from Diane Keaton to Kate Winslet—as well as some of Hollywood’s favorite leading men (like Mel Gibson, Jack Nicholson, and Jude Law, just to name a few). So it’s no big surprise that she pulled together a big-name cast for her latest. The surprise, instead, is just how underwhelming their performances are.
Though I typically love all three of the film’s stars, they’re just not at their best this time around. Contrary to what her pre-release nomination might suggest, Streep is a bit too loose. It’s clear that she had a whole lot of fun while making the movie—but she needed someone to rein her in (and tone her down). Baldwin, too, is completely over-the-top—while Martin, on the other hand, is bland and awkward as the architect who gets caught in the middle. His role is simply a waste of comedic talent. Believe it or not, then, the film’s best performance actually comes from John Krasinski, who plays Jake and Jane’s conflicted future son-in-law, Harley.
Fortunately, though, It’s Complicated isn’t the typical, boilerplate chick flick. It has its share of surprises—and some light-hearted comedy, too. But it only gets crazier and crazier as it goes—until a bizarre pot-smoking scene takes things completely over the edge.
For chicks of a certain age, It’s Complicated will have its appeal. For everyone else, though, I recommend choosing one of this year’s other holiday releases.
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