It's Complicated was a real relief from the juvenile romantic comedies that seem to dominate (understandably, I guess) television, the theaters and the awards. I think of them as the post-Seinfeld romantic comedies--little if any nuance, lots of OMG, & an insufferable dose of It's All About Me. This work is sophisticated and intelligent, more like the classic comedies of the past with more skin and contemporary language.
It has often been said that it is more difficult to do comedy than drama, and I think this is true. In It's Complicated we see 1 actor who is extraordinary at both genres--Streep; 2 actors who are accomplished at comedy (& who can on occasion do serious) Martin & Baldwin; and a young man who, for the first time as far as I can see, may have the ability to outgrow his mugging serial persona and do something better than reincarnations of Jim in The Office or replications of what he is, a 30-ish, appealing young man--Krasinski.
Alec Baldwin was a total hoot--so unashamed of his corpulence & willing to put it all out there, laugh at himself & invite us to laugh at him. There was a lot of laughter from the audience throughout the movie & I think it came from both women & men.
Yes, I am over 50 & a widow. Yes seeing a movie where the female star has both great intelligence, beauty and wrinkles is balm to the spirit. Although I'm not in the market, I know how grim the prospects for finding someone to "like a lot" (as Martin says at one point) are. This movie did not give me hope in that regard (it is, after all, only a fairy tale) but it made me laugh for a couple of hours. A wonderful way to spend a dreary Saturday afternoon.
It has often been said that it is more difficult to do comedy than drama, and I think this is true. In It's Complicated we see 1 actor who is extraordinary at both genres--Streep; 2 actors who are accomplished at comedy (& who can on occasion do serious) Martin & Baldwin; and a young man who, for the first time as far as I can see, may have the ability to outgrow his mugging serial persona and do something better than reincarnations of Jim in The Office or replications of what he is, a 30-ish, appealing young man--Krasinski.
Alec Baldwin was a total hoot--so unashamed of his corpulence & willing to put it all out there, laugh at himself & invite us to laugh at him. There was a lot of laughter from the audience throughout the movie & I think it came from both women & men.
Yes, I am over 50 & a widow. Yes seeing a movie where the female star has both great intelligence, beauty and wrinkles is balm to the spirit. Although I'm not in the market, I know how grim the prospects for finding someone to "like a lot" (as Martin says at one point) are. This movie did not give me hope in that regard (it is, after all, only a fairy tale) but it made me laugh for a couple of hours. A wonderful way to spend a dreary Saturday afternoon.