It’s Complicated

With Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan, Hunter Parrish, Caitlin Fitzgerald and many others.

After having been divorced for at least a decade, Jane and Jake Adler find themselves on turning points in their lives again. Jane is about to redecorate her kitchen to all of her cooking wishes, Jake is having trouble keeping his younger wife happy, who wants to have another baby and his fertility has apparently gone down the drain over the years.

Then, Jane and Jake’s youngest graduates, making the family reunite in New York. Albeit in different rooms, it appears they are staying at the same hotel. And unexpectedly, Jake is alone. His wife and 5 year old stepson didn’t come along as his stepson fell ill.

This ends up in a heavily, heavily drunken night, with Jane and Jake sleeping together.

To both their hugest shock. To Jake’s delight in the morning, Jane is the one feeling guilty (how typical, eh?). Jane feels like she betrayed her kids, while Jake feels like he did quite the opposite. Then again, they know each other so well, it happens again. The reliving of a shared past, the emotions of having shared kids and a life together, makes them very vulnerable and open to one another.

But then the architect of Jane’s new kitchen, Adam (played by Steve Martin, not sure why: he isn’t bad, but also not witty or funny in this particular part), becomes more boyfriend material. Jane finds herself more and more in moral trouble due to her fling with Jake.

A good old chickflick that shows how men can be confronted with their utterly stupid made decisions earlier. It is, as always, a joy to see Meryl Streep, with a boyishly charming Alec Baldwin and their children who have cast to look not even a bit like either of them. OK, they have all blonde hairs, but other than that? Not much.

Still, if you’re into a hilarious chickflick, this one is for you 🙂