It’s Complicated Synopsis: When attending their son’s college graduation, a couple reignite the spark in their relationship. But the complicated fact is they’re divorced and he’s remarried.
Jane (Meryl Streep) is a woman at a crossroads. A divorced mother of three, her oldest daughter is engaged, her only son is about to graduate college, and her youngest is finally moving out. Her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) has remarried a younger, beautiful woman named Agnes (Lake Bell) with whom he has a five-year-old son, so Jane is left to deal with the empty nest syndrome alone.
A successful baker, Jane is building a new addition to her home to expand her kitchen, and this is when she meets Adam (Steve Martin), a divorced architect. The two seem to hit off rather quickly, but just as Jane begins to consider delving back into the dating pool, she runs into Jake during their son’s graduation, and after one too many drinks, they fall into bed together.
Despite Jane’s best efforts, this does not remain a one-night stand. Jane and Jake continue their affair secretly while Jake’s wife sends him to a fertility clinic so they can get pregnant with baby number two. The problem is Jake is pretty sure he’s still in love with Jane. Or at least in love with her again. Jane is not sure how she feels, but she finds it challenging to tell Jake no.
I’m a huge fan of Nancy Meyer’s Something’s Gotta Give and her ability to write her own experiences into her scripts with grace and humor. The Holiday remains one of my favorite rom-coms. It’s Complicated was an okay movie, and I enjoyed watching it, but it seemed to be missing something special that made Something’s Gotta Give click. Most of the film focuses on Jane and Jake as they rediscover each other while remembering what drew them together in the first place and what tore them apart – beyond the affair Jake had with Agnes, of course.
The problem is, even while Streep and Baldwin play so well off of one another, you already know they won’t work out. Is Jake still in love with Jane again, or did he realize that the fantasy and freedom Agnes represented has now faded into martial boredom, complete with a new child and new obligations? And while Jane remains confused about her feelings, she soon realizes it’s not all that fun to be the Other Woman.
I would have loved to have seen more between Jane and Adam. Meryl Streep has a very natural, easy chemistry with Steve Martin. Adam has been divorced for a while, but he is still clearly working on moving past it, giving him and Jane some common ground, and frankly, their scenes together are just sweet. My favorite part of It’s Complicated is when they get high and dance at her daughter’s party before Jane takes him to her bakery to make him chocolate croissants. It was a shame there wasn’t more of that. Steve Martin was sorely underused here, which was a massive disappointment.
It’s Complicated is a likable film. It has a few solid laughs and an incredibly talented cast, but it lacks the depth you can find in Something’s Gotta Give and The Holiday. That being said, if you are a fan of Nancy Meyers, It’s Complicated is definitely worth a watch.
Watched: 02/20/2019
Notable Song: Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys