Make no mistake,
It’s Complicated is porn for middle-aged woman. Jane Adler (Meryl Streep, in shrill Mamma Mia mode) is the walking talking embodiment of everything a fiftysomething woman could possibly want. She’s the chef / owner of a successful restaurant. She has three grown children who are all beautiful, well adjusted and well on their way to being successful. She has a group of friends who fall all over each other to tell her how great she is. She’s got a fabulous home complete with a huge garden (both of which seem to magically require no upkeep). The architect designing the addition that she’s planning (which will double the size of her house) is head over heels in love with her. And now her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin, happily reveling in his physical shortcomings), even though he’s remarried to a hot thirty-year-old, finds her irresistible. The dialogue in the film is pretty much an unending stream of compliments to her and everyone seems to appreciate and respect her. Who wouldn’t want to be Jane?
The problem with all that, though, is that it doesn’t make for very compelling drama. Jane’s only ‘shortcoming’ is that she has a tendency to forget appointments. But even this ‘failure’ is seen as endearing by her architect suitor. The woman can do no wrong. And watching her for two hours as she goes around being fawned over and envied is pretty damn boring.
Of course, I’m not the target audience for this movie. Maybe if I were a middle-aged divorcee I’d find it less insufferable. Maybe this sort of wish fulfillment is enjoyable to that demographic (in the same way, I guess, that something like
300 is enjoyable wish fulfillment for teenage boys). Since there are relatively few movies that cater so exclusively to that audience, maybe I shouldn’t begrudge tripe like this. But I can’t help myself.
It’s Complicated (and, for that matter, every film that Nancy Meyers has ever made) is utter garbage and should be avoided at all costs no matter what demographic you fall into.
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