At 19, I'm a little younger than the targeted audience of "It's Complicated," but my friends and I have been dying to see this movie since we caught the trailer online a few months ago. All the parts of the equation looked great to me: Meryl Streep, effortless and fabulous and now a box office queen and wrangler of light-hearted, comedic roles; Alec Baldwin, the gem of the brilliant "30 Rock"; Steve Martin, always lovable and in need of a good move part; Nancy Meyers, a pioneer of older and sometimes divorce-centric romance ("Something's Gotta Give", "The Parent Trap"); and a unique story line, featuring an older woman in between her married ex and a new man.
The movie was different than I expected, but I was certainly far from disappointed. I had heard the film was not laugh-out-loud funny; this is completely false. The entire theater laughed for a good eight minutes straight in a scene about three quarters of the way through featuring the three main characters and a joint (c'mon, who doesn't want to see the woman behind "Doubt" and "Sophie's Choice" completely stoned? She was great at it). John Krasinkski stole the movie, delivering his lines with the pace and talent of a very worthy contender for America's new favorite handsome goofball actor. His easy, hilarious banter with such Hollywood royalty was a blast to watch.
I really liked that I felt sympathy for all of the characters involved in the love triangle, even the adulterous cad, Baldwin. The acting is flawless throughout, from Streep's post-coital hangover to her chemistry with both leading men.
A few warnings: if you don't like Meryl Streep, don't see this. She's in almost every scene. This role was pretty much her role in "Mamma Mia" minus the singing and the Greek island. Also - and this might sound silly - but if adultery makes you uncomfortable, I wouldn't suggest it, because everyone in Streep's lonely but stable, post-divorced life encourages the affair, even her shrink. And the ending, while not easily predicted, was a little flat, the outcome not disappointing but poorly executed. I will gladly report, however, that there is a merciful shortage of the sex that was so prominent in "Something's Gotta Give" because the actual act is less important to the story line here. The bedroom scenes are sensitive, funny, and PG.
Bottom line: It was funny, it was relevant to modern families and divorce-bred dilemmas, and, in the words of my friend as the credits began to roll, it pulled all the right heartstrings.
The movie was different than I expected, but I was certainly far from disappointed. I had heard the film was not laugh-out-loud funny; this is completely false. The entire theater laughed for a good eight minutes straight in a scene about three quarters of the way through featuring the three main characters and a joint (c'mon, who doesn't want to see the woman behind "Doubt" and "Sophie's Choice" completely stoned? She was great at it). John Krasinkski stole the movie, delivering his lines with the pace and talent of a very worthy contender for America's new favorite handsome goofball actor. His easy, hilarious banter with such Hollywood royalty was a blast to watch.
I really liked that I felt sympathy for all of the characters involved in the love triangle, even the adulterous cad, Baldwin. The acting is flawless throughout, from Streep's post-coital hangover to her chemistry with both leading men.
A few warnings: if you don't like Meryl Streep, don't see this. She's in almost every scene. This role was pretty much her role in "Mamma Mia" minus the singing and the Greek island. Also - and this might sound silly - but if adultery makes you uncomfortable, I wouldn't suggest it, because everyone in Streep's lonely but stable, post-divorced life encourages the affair, even her shrink. And the ending, while not easily predicted, was a little flat, the outcome not disappointing but poorly executed. I will gladly report, however, that there is a merciful shortage of the sex that was so prominent in "Something's Gotta Give" because the actual act is less important to the story line here. The bedroom scenes are sensitive, funny, and PG.
Bottom line: It was funny, it was relevant to modern families and divorce-bred dilemmas, and, in the words of my friend as the credits began to roll, it pulled all the right heartstrings.