I saw "It's Complicated" with my husband a couple of weeks ago- and I'm glad I did- I still get a little smile on my face when I think about it.
I'm not a huge fan of the romantic comedy genre, in that I usually come away thinking, "well that was too post-modern/immoral/ air-headed /implausible for me"- and so I rarely choose to spend my money to see one, except on a rare occasion. But if I get to belly laughing, if I find myself thinking about the actors in their roles later on, and have good memories of the film- then that means I probably really engaged with it, and it must have had some degree of redeeming quality about it.
What can I tell you about "It's complicated"? It was a bit sexy, it was middle-agers having fun, it was 2 brilliant and mature actors being able to do comedy, it was a well -put together ensemble of supporting cast, who were collectively sympathetic and fit comfortably in the whole schema. It was a long movie, but it had a satisfying conclusion. I am now in love with that big grumpy buffoon of an actor Alec Baldwin. God knows he probably would be difficult to live with, we ALL know that- but hey- he's funny- and funny is sexy.(Just watch 30 Rock- he is HILARIOUS).
If you don't know the story line, it's about a divorced couple who find themselves alone together and surprised by their depth of attraction for each other after 10 years of being apart. They indulge in a clandestine affair to see if their relationship is a better alternative to Streep's abstinence and Baldwin's unhappy marriage to a much younger woman. To complicate things further, Meryl Streep's character also has a burgeoning relationship with her Architect, (Steve Martin, who does get the opportunity to be as funny as he likes- brilliant). The situation becomes more and more twisted, and crazy, until the ultimate crisis point, where reality sets in, and facts are faced.
The reality bit is quite bearable, because the director has obviously indulged her own need to see the plot portrayed with enough sympathy, and enough time to be plausible. I like this. What I hate about most about romantic comedies is the time factor, which is of course linked to the script and the editing, (I have no idea what goes on in between- how many scenes are actually filmed). The implausible love stories are not only ridiculous in their premise- but then the magical/fantastic comes into play as well, and you may as well forget it. Fairy stories are great, if that's what you have paid to see.
We all LOVED Hugh Grant in "3 Weddings and a Funeral", but that had one of the most implausible plot lines in history. The settings, the cast, all impeccable; Hugh, clumsy and gorgeous declares his LOVE for his fling after one drunken night of very badly acted sex, and we are all supposed to believe this? My "Best Friend's Wedding"- another bomb in my books.- We ALL gave up trying to rescue Julia's man back from the brink of a fatal mistake an hour before Julia did- so why the hell did it go on so long? Her obsession became nigh pathological, and I questioned my own sanity in sitting through it, (thankfully it was a video).
I could name 50 terribly conceived plots in movies; a few of these may have been redeemed by the quality of the acting or the comedy, but rarely does one tick all the right boxes. "It's Complicated" thankfully ticked all mine. My husband even liked it, and he's an Charles Bronson/Bruce Willis/ Rambo sort of movie goer.
If you're not sure, see it just for the party scene : ).
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