It's Complicated

December 26, 2009 - Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin play exes who have an oh-so-torrid affair in this comedy from writer/director Nancy Meyers. Steve Martin and John Krasinski also star. Rita Wilson and Mary Kay Place have small roles that amount to little more than cameos.

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.

Together, the three form a middle-aged love triangle. 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: *** Not quite worthy of three stars, but it rates more than two, so I'll round up. The movie generated a lot of laughs, especially in scenes featuring John Krasinski, who played Jane and Jake's son-in-law-to-be. My main gripe is that the movie felt like a string of sketches that didn't quite add up to a whole film. While individual parts were funny, the overall impression was that something was missing.