Robert Downey Jr., left, and Jude Law star in Sherlock Holmes.
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In It's complicated, Jane (Streep), a woman in her late 50s, is an object of great desire. Her ex-husband Jake (Baldwin), who left her 10 years ago for a skinny meanie, has suddenly taken to eyeing Jane as if she were the comeliest pole dancer in his favorite strip club. Meanwhile, a lonely, reasonably attractive architect named Adam (Martin) wants to take her to French film festivals and do the wild-and-crazy-guy dance with her.
We should all be grateful that there's a movie about a senior citizen who isn't French or Julie Christie having a sex life, right? By we, I mean feminists and/or anyone who is bigger than a size 6, grasps the concept of menopause or is generally outraged by how little attention Hollywood gives women of a certain age. I would like to say Meyers' film is cause for celebration, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Meyers has written some astute scenes about aging and regret, heartbreak and hope. In the role of a successful businesswoman--Jane owns and operates an upscale bakery-café--who finds herself having an affair with her ex-husband, Streep is radiant, funny and endearingly vulnerable.
But Meyers demonstrates, as she did in Something's Gotta Give, an extraordinarily limited worldview. Her heroines are allowed only one problem, and it will never include a lack of taste. Jane's Santa Barbara home is a hydroponic dreamland where tomatoes implausibly ripen in spring. Her beautiful kitchen is filled with cake plates just waiting to be graced with homemade bounty. Watching Streep in these surroundings feels akin to seeing Sarah Bernhardt trapped in a live-action edition of Martha Stewart Living. All that perfection is fun to look at until you realize you're more interested in Meyers' impeccable cinematic gift shop than in anyone's emotional outcome.
Moreover, Jake is so self-centered that the affair never seems like a good idea, although it does produce good comedy of the oh-no-he-didn't variety. Baldwin gobbles up the role, unabashed about playing awful. "Home!" he proclaims as he lies in bed with Jane after their first sexual encounter in a decade. This would be sweet if he weren't saying it as he's clapping his hand over her groin.
So what's in it for Jane? We understand that she wants the validation of hearing her husband admit he made a mistake. It's a wronged woman's dream, and Meyers' intent in showing the fantasy coming true is clever and fresh. But It's Complicated becomes the story of a choice between Jake and Adam, and thanks to Jake's case of permanent jerkitis, there's not a lot of dramatic tension there. Speaking of Adam, you know how he and Jane met? He was the architect on her kitchen remodel. All those cake plates of hers must have been feeling squeezed for space.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?
Directed by Marc Lawrence; with Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant
A couple of Manhattan marrieds on the outs join the witness-protection program after seeing a murder and are relocated to rural Wyoming. Cue homilies about how everything red state is adorable and everything blue state is phony. Aside from Hugh Grant's attempt to channel Cary Grant, this romantic comedy is a depressing endeavor. It should go into hiding.
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL