Review of It's Complicated (2009) by Ian H — 01 Jan 2011

I admit Streep bias. Meryl is my favorite living actress, who deserves even more accolades than have been conferred upon her (2 Oscars is hardly enough, and no momentary Sandra Bullock career hike can deflate it).

However, it's not for roles such as the one in It's Complicated that qualify Streep for said distinction. Sure, Meryl can do comedy like a pro (seen previously in Postcards from the Edge and Adaptation), but she does it better with well thought-out, less mediocre screenplays.

For a title that suggests a movie with complications, I observed very few. If Streep's character is meant to be intelligent and successful, why is she even giving her ex-husband Alec Baldwin anywhere near a second chance and back in her bed? He's a Neanderthal in a fancy car.

The moment he was fool enough to leave her for last week's fashion model, he should not even enter the vinicity of her sympathy scale, and this is before a few puffs on a reefer. What a delight, however, to see Steve Martin play a character equalling his own intelligence, showing he inhabits the straight man as well as the wild and crazy guy.

Some other issues: the children of Streep and Baldwin are practically non-distinct, certainly not enough to care about. So are, strangely, her gal pals, who in a most ditzy fashion encourage the get-back-together with Baldwin as if he were a piece of meat.

Why does she degrade herself to this low extreme? Plus, and this is without awareness of property values in California, but what need does Streep have to upgrade and expand her property, a development even Martha Stewart might say is too heavy.

Meryl does have the talent to take on many of the most popular rom-com queens today, but the suggestion from this reviewer is she needs to enter the fray with more substantial material. Here's another footnote: this flick is more than vaguely similar to Nancy Meyer's last hit, Something's Gotta Give, complete with food and middle-age sex.

Only with that one, Diane Keaton had a lot more to do and express...