‘It’s Complicated’ is banal and disconnected, but in a funny way

Editor’s note: Peter Lewis has agreed to use whatever it is you call his writing style to provide some measure of analysis to those folks who still go to a theater to see a movie. Enjoy.

review by Peter Lewis

Despite the name, “It’s Complicated” really is not all that complicated, at least on the surface. It is a film about love, loss and uncertainty.

As with all things related to that greatest of passions, things can get complicated. Not because love itself is complicated, but because of natural irrationality of human behavior. Most of us, until love is found at least, slip, slide, and stumble as we try to climb toward that goal. Focus is placed directly on the end result and often the road on which we walk is forgotten completely … hence the slight “hiccups” along the way.

None of this really has much to do with anything other than to highlight the inherent problems folks have with love and relationships. And to highlight the underlying premise behind the film: relationships are far from clean and easy. (Insert “I dated her once” joke here.)

This particular film directed by Nancy Meyers (“The Holiday,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “What Women Want”) is most certainly femme-centric. While my presence (and review) maybe a surprise to some, let me assure that I have no particular qualms with the romantic comedy genre Iin fact, I’ve seen the aforementioned films and would rate them as good, middle of the road, and piss poor, respectively). What separates this particular romantic comedy from a lot of the other schlock is the presence of Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.

While Streep has been lauded far and wide as perhaps the best living female actress today, Baldwin is a separate story. Though he has found a wide new audience playing on the award winning NBC comedy, “30 Rock,” most of his career he has been known by the general public more as a Baldwin brother than one of the most consistently great actors of his generation. This is a true injustice and though it is far from an award-winning performance, I trust that his turn in “It’s Complicated” will go a long way in helping change this perception.

The film itself follows Jane (Streep). A highly successful bakery owner (and general kitchen extraordinaire), she has been divorced from Jake (Baldwin) for 10 years. With her youngest going off to college, her middle child graduating, and her oldest married and on her own, Jane is seriously struggling with loneliness. Not only this, but she has to see her ex-husband shacking up with a much younger woman who is not only sexy, but sports a very large tattoo on her shoulder.

Enter Adam, an architect (played rather subtly by Steve Martin) working with Jane on an addition to her already large home and who quite plainly fancies her. What is born out of this awkward love square is a rather broad, rollicking good time. Baldwin and Streep seem to be natural counterweights to one another and John Krasniski (playing Jake and Jane’s son-in-law) offers an additional level of reassuring levity throughout the film.

Though desperately banal, the film largely works. It will please the crowds of women it draws, as it probably should. What drags the film down is a disconnecting lack of reality. The events take place in that Hollywood fantasy land where everyone is successful, everyone can afford these nice shiny cars, spend evenings in New York in ritzy hotels, and afford to remodel their already palatial dwellings. Certainly there is a place for these sort of scenarios in film, but the surroundings neuter the possible power of the film.

There is nothing beyond the laughs. Jane, despite this supposed aura of independence and girl power dinner chats, lets herself be defined by men. Never once does she call a spade a spade, or in this case, a Class A hound dog. For even with all the laughs and good times he provides, Jake is a petulant and self-serving child. That Jane never once reprimands him or calls him on his behavior or motives is beyond me (Lord knows I’ve never been lucky enough to get free passes from the ladies in my life, so why should he?).

As disconnected as it is, in the end it is perhaps better to just sit back and enjoy the broad laughs. There are certainly plenty to go around.

• It’s Complicated is playing at the Carmike 14 and the Malco Van Buren Cinema. Link here for time and ticket info.

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