It’s enjoyable…

Pic: It's Complicated; Source: Wikipedia

It is always a joy to watch Meryl Streep on screen; she defines what we call ‘screen presence’. An otherwise average film, It’s Complicated depends heavily on this talented actor to make it good. Written and directed by Nancy Meyers, it is a romantic comedy that tackles subjects like marriage and divorce in a light hearted yet sensitive manner.

Jane (Meryl Streep) is a divorcée who runs a successful bakery and has finally come to terms with her divorce with Jake (Alec Baldwin), a lawyer. She stays alone happily with her grown-up children away, and bitches about her ex-husband’s much younger wife, Agnes (Lake Bell) with her bunch of girl-friends. Everything is fine till she goes to New York to attend her son’s graduation. She ends up getting into an affair with Jake and secretly enjoys being the other-woman.  To add to the complication, there is another divorcée, Adam (Steve Martin), Jane’s architect who also likes her.

The film has some genuinely funny sequences including one where Jane goes to a plastic surgeon and smokes a joint before attending a party thrown by her children. Though funny, Alec Baldwin’s stripping scenes are not a pleasant sight. Performance wise, Meryl does not disappoint; she is charming, believable and genuinely funny. Steve Martin in a somber character is very good; you empathise with him and want him to get the girl. Somehow, I am unable to digest Alec Baldwin opposite Meryl Streep; while he suits the character well, he is just not charismatic enough to match up to her.

It’s Complicated is smartly written and beautifully shot (Cinematography: John Toll). Special mention for the production designer and the stylists who make the film look great. Overall, it is quite enjoyable and if you like Meryl Streep, you won’t be disappointed…

My Rating: * * * ½ Three and a half stars on five

– Shrey Khetarpal