It's Complicated

Middle-aged men and women have a cinematic voice in the form of Nancy Meyers, who makes simple romantic comedy fare with considerably more wrinkles than the competition. Don't expect to find rom-com genre queens Kate Hudson and Katherine Heigl in Meyers' world. Meyers is far more interested in the challenges of plastic surgery than she is in the trials and tribulations of a young woman's search for Mr. Right. With Hollywood focusing the majority of its romantic comedy energy on young women in gimmicky situations, it's nice that Meyers is directing her own sensibilities at an older demographic. But while her intentions are intriguing, her latest movie is just another dull stab at mixing romance and comedy.

I am at a loss to drum up any personal enthusiasm for It's Complicated, but I have to say that at least Nancy Meyers gathered a good cast. Or at the very least, three good stars. Meryl Streep plays a divorced woman named Jane, who has remained on speaking terms with her cheating ex-husband Jake, played with doughy panache by Alec Baldwin. Years prior to the events of the movie, Jake had an affair with a younger woman and then married her when his marriage to Jane fell apart. That's earned him a lifetime of scorn from Jane's pals, but her anger and frustration has recently subsided into mere disappointment and something resembling sympathy for Jake's lost self.

Also tossed into the mix is a charming architect named Adam, played by the lovable Steve Martin. Adam is working on an addition to Jane's already spacious home and the two of them quickly hit it off. The two seem like a good fit since they both had their hearts previously broken in a pair of failed marriages and they both have similarly pleasant lifestyles. But things are complicated when Jane has a one-night stand at a hotel with Jake, which snowballs into an unexpected affair. It's a standard love triangle dilemma with a potentially engaging twist, but the strength of the three wonderful actors fails to conjure any magic with the premise.

The rest of the cast casually goes through the motions, leaving the comedic work to the solid trio of Streep, Baldwin, and Martin. The three stars rely on their usual comic shtick, which could be kind of fun if Meyers didn't keep them all on such a short leash. Her direction is so rigidly square that the actors are rarely given the opportunity to think outside the box. With Meyers' stale approach to the comedy holding them back, Streep, Baldwin, and Martin are forced to trudge through the forgettable plot in search of something, anything, that can be construed as worth laughing at.

Eventually, Meyers momentarily lets go of the reins and the actors loosen up. When the stars are finally given room to breathe, they produce a decent dose of comedic spontaneity that briefly showcases their abilities. It takes a long time to reach this point in the movie, but it is fun to watch once it arrives. Streep, Baldwin, and Martin unlock their inner silliness and their goofy energy invigorates the narrative. But the enjoyment of such reckless abandon is short lived and It's Complicated quickly returns to being safe and simple.

With its inconsistent attempts at humour and unfortunately restrained cast, It's Complicated gave me little to applaud. But at the same time, it gave me little to berate, as well. It occupies a cinematic space that is neither good nor bad. It merely is, content to pass for average fluff that never makes much of an impression. Nancy Meyers has a promising approach to romantic comedy movies, but It's Complicated fails to completely fulfill that promise. It's a cutesy little flick that happily trods the middle ground without any sign of leaning in one specific direction. I am without excitement for this movie, because it stirs no tangible emotion within me. I accept that it is forgivably forgettable and that its speedy exit from my memory has already begun.