Earlier this year, Alec Baldwin announced that he proposes to retire from acting in 2012. I suspect that seeing himself here will do nothing to dissuade him. It’s not that he’s bad, but It’s Complicated is too lightweight and forgettable to justify a change of heart. Without doubt a chick flick, It’s Complicated is marginally more enjoyable, though equally as estrogen-fuelled as director Nancy Meyer’s earlier alleged comedy, What Women Want.
This is in great part thanks to the genius of Meryl Streep who can elevate even the most mediocre material. Streep plays Jane, a divorcee who indulges in a guilt-riddled affair with her re-married ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin). Her performance provides the only semblance of a backbone in this all too spineless film as Jane rediscovers her sexuality and identity and the empowering affect they have on her life.
Quite how much the fact that It’s Complicated is heavily skewed towards a female audience affects my assessment is difficult to gauge. Certainly romantic comedies are generally considered the domain of women, but even so there are plenty that provide a universal appeal. One reason might be the fact that neither of the central male characters is particularly engaging. The adulterous Jake possess no endearing qualities whatsoever, and his relationship with Jane seems particularly ill-matched. While divorcee Adam (Steve Martin), who finds himself caught in the tangled triangular relationship, is rather too insipid.
Jane and Jake had been married for 20 years and divorced for ten when they meet up in New York on the eve of their son Luke’s (Hunter Parrish) graduation. With his younger, hardnosed wife (Lake Bell) at home looking after their young son, Jake and Jane begin reminiscing which, combined with copious amounts of alcohol, results in the pair ending up in bed. Jane wakes up remorseful while Jake sees it as a chance to reunite with his ex-wife.
One bright spot is the performance of John Krasinski as Harley, the fiancée of Jane and Jake’s elder daughter Lauren (Caitlin Fitzgerald). Having accidently discovered Lauren’s parents’ illicit affair, in what is one of the film’s many convenient coincidences, Harley starts behaving rather peculiarly. Steve Martin appears awkward when playing it straight, only coming alive when given license to goof around. And Baldwin? Well, for the most part, he looked like 2012 couldn’t come quick enough.
Kevin Murphy
