IT'S COMPLICATED (English/PG13)
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Release Date: 25 March 2010
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Running Time: 121 minutes
Director: Nancy Meyers
Producers: Nancy Meyers, Scott Rudin
Writers: Nancy Meyers
Casts: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Lake Bell, John Krasinski
Plot: Jane (Streep) is in an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake (Baldwin) after a decade of divorce. But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son's college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable - an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness (Lake Bell), Jane is now, of all things, the other woman.
THE VERDICT
The movie isn't that complicated as it sounds like via it's complicating title. Nancy Meyers, the love guru director whom brought you so much lovely bites over the past (What Women Want, Something's Gotta Give and The Holiday) brings you another twisted love tales in the form of; oh well, it's complicated. This time she targets the middle aged one and as usual, she write and directs this with much hilarious and lovable, or partly.
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A successful bakery owner, Jane (Streep) has been divorced from her attorney ex-hubby Jake (Baldwin) whom had remarried the much younger woman. While Jake and Jane attend their son's graduation in New York, a dinner is all what it takes to create a new affair, making Jane "the other woman". To complicate stuffs, you also have Jane's architecture Adam (Martin) who is himself healing from a divorce of his own and begun to fall in love with Jane. In the end, who will charms Jane's heart?
The plot is not so complicating after all. The plot is cleverly created to cater the middle-aged audiences and its sexual explicit talk-about. It has always been a taboo in Malaysia that many will shun away from talking so deep about sexuality. In this case, vaginoplasty is one of the subject matter and believe me, living in Malaysia made me difficult to swallow the topic. I mean, I am an open-minded person but I was left battling my own angels and demons, as well as resisting the uneasiness among the audiences next to me. I really enjoy the plot and themes of their discussion about sex. Luckily they are not over the top but I am still not convinced if this is the best story Meyers has ever came out.
As I said, compared to other works by Meyers, It's Complicated comprises of a very superficial texture and predictable story. While the nuance and subtlety may have gained the plot some extra points, but I have to go for B- for the story presentation. It feels pleasurable and nice, but there are times it is aching disturbing to see the story goes in beyond by dragging it all up and a cliff-hanging at most of the time. 121 minutes for this kind of romantic movie is too long, wish the story at these length could have been given to Clash Of The Titans - 121 minutes with more story complexity and actions.
The star-appealing for this movie is irresistible. Pairing Streep, Baldwin and Martin together looks fun. The chemistry between them are so intoxicating and they gel well. Nevertheless, Streep is always in her elegance styles and simplicity, truly the one with the most Oscar acting nominations to date and I can still understand why she is terrific. Baldwin can be achingly annoying at most of the times - sounded like a sex beggar or something. Martin is way out from his pivotal and signature role in Pink Panther or any of those you have seen in Cheaper By The Dozen, it isn't that silly but it is calmer. John Krasinski is witty and hilarious when he needs to deal with secrecy handling.
For a short review, I would like to end this by calling this movie a sub-entertaining and partly complicating. Good chemistry between casts, good humour, explicit intake about discussing sex in such a gory manner and what else if not an average and predictable plot.
THE RATING:
Story - 2.5 stars
Casts - 3.5 stars
Cinematography - 3.0 stars
Effects - 3.0 stars
OVERALL - 3.0 stars
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 11.8