Nancy Meyers’s “It’s Complicated” is not really as complicated as a typical synopsis of it would seem. It’s actually a rather delightful and hilarious comedy with some standout performances from its cast. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a few problems, which it does, but the film makes up for them in unexpected ways.
Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin) have been divorced for ten years. Jake is now married to Agness (Lake Bell), who has a kid from another man. Jane and Jake’s last son, Luke (Hunter Parrish), is graduating. The entire family attends the ceremony in New York, but something also happens there that Jane and Jake did not expect: they end up getting drunk at the bar and then sleeping with each other. So begins a reawakening of passion between them, well, more so for Jake than Jane, who wants to dismiss what they did.
Back home, Jake continues to push for their affair, which Jane eventually comes around to accept. Meanwhile, an architect, Adam (Steve Martin), who is doing some extensions on Jane’s house, becomes attracted to her. He too is going through a divorce and wants to go out with Jane, who is still trying to hide her affair with her ex-husband. So, you see, it’s not really all that complicated….is it?
From the trailers, this looked like another generic romantic comedy, but happily, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The first half of the film feels like it takes a long time to begin developing, as in the characters feel like they’re in the same situation for at least half the film before it actually begins to progress, but then something happens.
The film becomes much, much funnier. It has a few small laughs in the first half from some quick one-liners, but they really begin to pile up around the halfway mark. I won’t go into much detail other than to say that there’s Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, John Krasinski, and a joint, all combining to give the film some of its best laughs.
Throughout the film, it felt as though a lot of the plot points were random, especially the scene I just alluded to, but the film begins to make up for it with its great sense of humor, almost to the point where you just don’t care if the story isn’t really adding up or connecting smoothly from point A to point B.
It’s greatly aided by its fine cast. Meryl Streep is a delight as always, but the best performances (or at least the funniest performances) come from Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski. Baldwin has an interesting way of being funny. He doesn’t really have to force it. Perhaps it’s just his familiar dry delivery of the dialogue that gives him that edge.
Krasinski plays the fiancée of one of Jake and Jane’s daughters who, while planning his wedding with his bride at a hotel, notices that both Jane and Jake sneak in. It’s no wonder we’re treated to a famous clip from “The Graduate” later on. Harley, Krasinski’s character, has to keep his knowing about the affair under wraps, but gets incredibly nervous whenever the two of them get near each other, with some very amusing results.
While it’s not exactly a breakthrough in the romantic-comedy genre, it’s pleasant enough to see just for the several laughs it provides, which is a lot more than can be said about a film like “Did You Hear About the Morgans?” The weaknesses in the story are forgivable enough because it is just fun to watch these great actors do what they do best. Meyers has taken a dramatic situation and infused it with an interesting sense of humor to deliver a satisfying, and uncomplicated, film.
3/4 stars.
You can read this and other movie reviews in my column at The Richmond Examiner.