Review of It's Complicated (2009) by Jim H — 29 Jun 2011
It's actually not that complicated: a woman has an affair with her ex-husband while engaging in a budding courtship with her architect.
I haven't seen all of Nora Ephron's films, but what strikes me about the ones I have seen are the reaction shots. In this film especially, every reaction shot displays the actor's pearly whites. It seems like people in Nora Ephron films are grotesquely, annoyingly happy all the time. And while this may seem like the ramblings of a hopeless cynic to some of you, I suggest that Ephron's emotional palette is restricted, and thus the stories she can tell and the notes the actors can play are also restricted. After all, the characters in this film are often dealing with heavy relationship-busting issues, but the shots in this film only display "aw-shucks" disappointment and life-is-beautiful glee.
Overall, Nora Ephron is now on my list of directors to avoid, and actors as good as Meryl Streep and Steve Martin can't come to the rescue.
This review of It's Complicated (2009) was written by Jim H on 29 Jun 2011.
It's Complicated has generally received mixed reviews.
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