> It's Complicated
Director: Nancy Meyers
Cast: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Lake Bell, Hunter Parrish, Zoe Kazan, Caitlin Fitzgerald, Mary Kay Piace, Rita Wilson
Rating: (M)
5 stars (out of 5)
Reviewed by Christine Powley
Back when Meryl Streep first began appearing in films she was a serious young thing, wining critical kudos in dramatic roles.
Well, recently there has been a sea change for Oscar's darling.
In her last few outings she has let her hair down, learned to cook and developed a flirtatious look in her eyes.
It's Complicated (Rialto) sees Streep as Jane, a woman who has finally got her life together after a divorce.
Her youngest son is graduating and the family gathering for the ceremony sees her rekindling the flames with her ex-husband.
Jake (Alec Baldwin) is married to the younger woman he left Jane for but their marriage is feeling the strain and he has started to think longingly of the life he had with Jane.
As the title says, it's complicated.
Jane knows that it is wrong to have an affair with her ex but the familiarity of Jake in her bed keeps clouding her brain.
Consistent with the old men-are-like-buses theory (you wait for ages then two arrive at once) a perfectly presentable new man appears on the scene.
Adam (Steve Martin) has his own divorce trauma but Jane, with her complicated life, gets his attention.
In lesser hands this would become tedious, with dithering women and childish men.
Mostly, writer-director Nancy Meyers keeps this feeling fresh, and the fabulous cast easily picks up any slack.
Best thing: Alec Baldwin manages to look as if he has a truck-load of sexual chemistry with the normally aloof Streep.
Worst thing: Steve Martin has too little screen-time to establish his side of the triangle.
See it with: A gaggle of girlfriends or even your significant other, as this is not a straight-out chick flick.
