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Nancy Meyers…. does feel good entertainment get any better? Not in my opinion. Meyers is responsible for hits such as Something’s Gotta Give (one of my all time favorites), The Holiday, The Parent Trap, What Women Want, Father of the Bride, and Father of the Bride 2. If you know what these films are and what genre they fit in, then you clearly see a common thread here. It’s true that Nancy Meyers has a certain type of film she likes to make, and thank goodness because she excels at that type. And everyone needs a feel good type of film to relax and enjoy every now and then.
There are two different kinds of feel good films: lazy poorly put together ones that studios will just churn out to make money, and ones that are actually well made. I didn’t think this film would disappoint given the talent involved, and I’ve never known Meyers to make a bad film. Not only is it well directed, but it has the official goddess of Hollywood, Meryl Streep, in the lead role; so you know that if everything else is awful, at least the lead performance will be good.
It’s Complicated focuses on Streep’s character, Jane Adler, who has been divorced for about 10 years. Even though her ex husband Jake (played by Alec Baldwin) has been married to another woman for a number years and seems to have moved on, something very interesting still manages to happen between these two ex spouses. They end up staying in the same hotel while in New York for their son’s graduation and end up sharing a night of dancing and drunken sex. After this, Jane feels awful about it and vows never to let it happen again. The thing that ultimately makes the title of this film truthful is Steve Martin’s character. Martin’s character, Adam, is installing an add on to Jane’s house. Complications arise when Jane starts liking and getting involved with Adam, while still having the affair with ex husband Jake.
The first thing I want to focus on is Meryl Streep, my favorite actress. Streep is a legend and never gives a lazy performance. I really loved seeing her in a film that’s less serious. You can tell she’s having loads of fun; the feeling comes through clearly from her performance.
Of course when you look at this cast, how could it not be a fun film? We have three immensely talented actors here, ones that can handle both comedy and drama very well. Alec Baldwin was the perfect choice for this role as not only is he a talented actor but he also has very good chemistry with Streep. They compliment each other and the writing gives them chances to flex their comedic muscles, while still supplying both with some dramatic material, too.
Then, we have Steve Martin, who I enjoyed very much; he’s practically made for a role like this. His character Adam is a recently divorced man who is pretty shy and is honestly adorable and sweet. This is a persona that Martin does really well playing. But then we get the scenes where he gets to be the crazy comedian we are used to seeing him as. He shares scenes with Meryl, where they both smoke a joint, which are hands down the funniest parts of the whole film. Streep especially is hilarious.Meyers also continues her tradition of surrounding her characters with very nice houses and upper class luxuries. And I honestly really like it, because even though some people may not be able to relate, it sets a lovely tone and it’s all very beautiful to look at. Maybe not everyone will see it that way, but I do and I love that about her style of filmmaking.
Overall, I really enjoy this film. It’s a nice feel good movie that’s very well acted and directed. It doesn’t resort to cheap laughs and it’s also heartfelt and touching when it wants to be. There have been better films in the genre, but It’s Complicated is pretty high up there on the list. If you like this type of entertainment, then I think you’ll enjoy this a lot.
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