IT’S COMPLICATED

My feelings about It’s Complicated are, indeed, somewhat complicated. I consider Meryl Streep to be THE great actress of our time. But I don’t know what the hell she was portraying in this movie. Her being appeared to be just too busy, with a lot of movement, sighing, laughing, etc.

The stars appearing to connect more than they did in the film.

It’s a love triangle of sorts, with Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin as her two love interests. And, I swear, it didn’t seem like she could bear to kiss either one of them. I don’t blame her because neither could I, but I’m not that great of an actress.

There were several laughs in the film, but not enough. And they came mainly from Meryl herself. Not being funny, mind you–just laughing for no reason, other than appearing to be directed to. It seemed that the director told her to have lots of “girly fun.” She laughed in scenes with the men, her girlfriends, her children, and worst of all, alone. Just as I was about to lean over to my friend to ask, “Why is she laughing?,” Meryl’s character said to herself, “Why am I laughing?” It was probably an ad lib!

I think the problem with the film as a whole might be that pat sort-of directing. Plus, (here’s a comment on the ending, so maybe skip this paragraph, even though I don’t tell you what it is,) the ending was kind-of strange, and meant nothing. There was no real build-up to it. I had been thinking that the good part was that I really had no idea what the outcome would be, and then it just didn’t ring true. I don’t really think that anyone has to decide between an ex and a new guy in a blink of an eye, especially at that advanced age. I think they’d just let it play-out. There didn’t seem to be any real reason she suddenly rejected the one she did.

All that being said, I was grateful for a break from the other mostly-painful, and at the very least, serious, films that we have to see to be able to vote honestly. I hate when voters (for the SAG Awards, in my case,) don’t see every nominated performance, or whatever their category is, but vote anyway. It’s simply not fair. I guess most awards aren’t. Nor is life itself! But I guess it’s all just complicated.