Double Feature

February 2010 - Well, 2010 is moving right along, isn't it? A couple months ago, I got to thinking about how time seems to pass more quickly as we get older. But, hopefully, there’s still time for romance. So, as Valentine's Day approaches, why not check out a couple of movies about love for the – shall we say – mature set.

In theaters over the holidays, It's Complicated stars Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin as exes who have an oh-so-torrid affair. Nancy Meyers wrote and directed this R-rated comedy.

Streep and Baldwin play Jane and Jake Adler, a couple who divorced about 10 years ago after three kids and 15 years of marriage. He's a lawyer with a new, younger wife and a young stepson. Jane runs a pastry shop and is finally getting around to putting an addition onto her house. Steve Martin is Adam, the architect who is designing the addition.

Jake and Jane rekindle their passion during a trip to New York to see their son graduate from college. The affair continues when they return home to California. But, Jane has her doubts about giving Jake a second chance, and things get complicated when Jane invites Adam to an engagement party for her daughter.

Overall review: Liked it. The performances are fine and the film generates a lot of laughs, especially in scenes featuring John Krasinski, who plays Jane and Jake's son-in-law-to-be. But, my overall impression is that the movie plays like a string of sketches that don't quite add up to a whole story.

The story of Last Chance Harvey is one in which Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson find love in London despite the fact that neither one seems to care very much. James Brolin and Kathy Baker co-star in this PG-13 film from 2008.

Hoffman plays Harvey Shine, a long-time writer of commercial jingles. He's going to London for his daughter's wedding, but plans to return to New York quickly for what may be his last shot at keeping his job. Thompson plays Kate Walker, a single woman who surveys airport travelers for the British government. She might have a life if her mother weren't so needy.

Hoffman arrives in London only to be basically ignored by his daughter, who wants her stepfather (Brolin) to give her away. Harvey goes to the wedding but skips the reception and tries to catch a flight home. He misses that flight, ends up at an airport bar and hits on Kate during her lunch break. Can these two lonely people find love? What do you think?

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. This movie had a nice little vibe to it and it didn't seem to drag. But, I feel it lacks emotion. Hoffman and Thompson play their characters with such reserve that it's difficult to imagine Harvey and Kate having more than a passing conversation let alone a romance. On the other hand, these two pros can make pretty much anything work and they do a pretty good job of it here.