IT'S COMPLICATED (2009)

It's Complicated isn't, really. This is a movie to rent (or better yet get free On Demand) when you just want a little something pleasant, an evening's distraction, maybe a few laughs. It's a film aimed at the menopausal set ... not that there's anything wrong with that. Women sit around with their wine glasses laughing about men and sex, while the men sort of flail around without a clue about how to deal with the women in their lives. There's a bit of stereotyping going on here on both ends, by writer-director Nancy Meyers, which may not ring true to many viewers. Thankfully, the high-quality actors help make the film watchable, though they are rather wasted on the non-complicated story.

Thankfully, the high-quality actors help make the film watchable, though they are rather wasted on the non-complicated story: divorced couple has a fling, former husband Jake falls back in love with former wife Jane while cheating on new wife Agness, as Jane is trying to move on with new boyfriend Adam. That's about it. Why are the stellar talents of Meryl Streep and Steve Martin required? Please, they could do it in their sleep. And the likes of Rita Wilson and Mary Kay Place cast in teeny roles as part of Jane's supportive klatch of friends is simply a waste. Alec Baldwin is fine for his part as Jake; he's funny, he's smarmy; he's Alec. But Meryl doesn't particularly shine in this average role as an average woman. Give Ms Streep a character and an accent and she'll bring you home another Oscar nomination, yet for the part of Jane Adler, a lesser actress would have been sufficient. On a positive note, cute and comical John Krasinski, from the American TV show The Office and the 2011 film Something Borrowed, provides a youthful balance as Harley, the fiance of Jane's oldest daughter. Krasinski supplies plenty of laughs with his wry remarks and expressive face, discovering Jane and Jake's indiscretion before anyone else in the family. But the highlight of the film is when Jane and Adam (played by Steve Martin) get high smoking marijuana and attend the graduation party of Jane's son. Here, their acting talents pay off with some genuinely uproarious moments. Ultimately, it's a movie worth seeing if you see it without very high expectations, maybe even with a group of friends and plenty of wine. And though perhaps it's reasonable to expect more from a Meryl Streep movie, It's Complicated is at least an uncomplicated good time.

Movie reviewed by Georgina Young-Ellis

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