In Nancy Meyer’s new film, It’s Complicated, Meryl Streep stars as Jane, a divorced woman and mother who owns her own bakery in Santa Barbara, California, who has to come to grips with the repercussions of her broken marriage. When her last child leaves for college Jane (Streep) experiences the empty nest syndrome. Even though her divorce occurred ten years earlier she still feels insecure as a woman because her husband Jake (played by Alec Baldwin) left her for a younger woman. To further complicate the situation Jake’s wife (Lake Bell) had a child a few years into the marriage by another man.
The story really begins one night while at Jane’s house her girlfriends are sharing stories about their husbands and lovers. They encourage Jane to go out and meet men after having spent the last ten years raising her children, building her business and dealing with the after effects of her divorce. As a result hilarity ensues.
It was entertaining to see Meryl in a role where she played a down to earth mother rather than a character who dealt with life altering events such as her roles in Silkwood and Sophie’s Choice. Meryl Streep has always been a favorite actress of mine. The first film I saw her in was Kramer vs Kramer. When most actresses find they are not offered more than cameo appearances once they hit fifty Meryl who has entertained audiences for years seems to have proven she is a true enduring talent in the film industry.
Streep presents a very accessible character with whom many women will undoubtedly be able to relate. Jane is in many respects the Every Woman. Like her women throw themselves into the responsibility of caring for others and lose themselves in the process.
As far as the overall plot goes it proved to be unusual which added an unfamiliar and refreshing element to the film. It also raises quite a few questions which serves as good food for thought. On one hand how would any other woman feel if their husband left them for a younger woman and how would they feel to find themselves still attracted to him? Would any other woman have made the same choices as Jane?
On the other hand how does one negotiate relationships with this many issues? Jake seemed as if he found what he was looking for in his marriage to his younger bride but when it became apparent that Jane was starting to get out and date he had to confront his lingering feelings for Jane. Although they end up sharing a string of sexual encounters it still raises the question whether such encounters would be enough to maintain the bond that existed between them.
And finally how does such behavior ultimately affect other people? When the children now young adults found out about the affair they have to cope with residual effects of how their parents’ divorce affected them now that they were out on their own.
In short, I liked this film. I thought Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep had great chemistry together. The script was well written. And is nice to see Hollywood recognizing the need for films with with mature characters rather than the many films featuring younger adults. There was not a moment when I lost interest. The dialogue was humorous although some scenes are not intended for younger audiences. Nancy Meyers is a talented writer. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future. There was a time when romantic comedies were only considered chic flicks. But now given the broad appeal of such works as It’s Complicated, it should be no surprise that theaters are now being filled with both women and men alike. If you have the time and the money you could do far worse than going to see this film.
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