It's complicated

For three decades, Nancy Meyers has been churning out good old-fashioned romantic comedies. Starting with Private Benjamin, as writer, she's been consistently successful, occasionally nominated for awards, and little-honoured by her peers. It's Complicated is par for her course.


Romcoms had a better reputation when they were well-crafted vehicles for Tracy and Hepburn, the other Hepburn, Hudson and Day, Stewart (Jimmy), Monroe, Grant (Cary, not Hugh) and many other crowd-pleasing actors. Meyers works in an unfairly-scorned field where Billy Wilder and other talents created comic masterpieces. Give her three trusted old-style stars and she couldn't go wrong, could she?


She really didn't, not for audiences prepared to indulge in prettily-set escapism featuring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin as a divorced couple having another fling together while Steve Martin, also a divorcee, tries to get in on the action. That's all, folks, It's Complicated is simply not.


Pre-opening publicity was engendered by convenient protests about the trio of stars (and Meryl's son-in-law) toking singly and together on-screen, with amoral glee. My concern is that crowds of youngsters, forced to see the movie on family outings, could be led to believe that just one stick of grass could cause such cost-effective joy. Life's not that simple, Ms Meyers, is it? If it is, can I go to your parties too?


There are several gently comic strands in her script, including Baldwin's bitchy Latino second wife and manic stepson. Less amusingly, the three blandly prim children of Streep's bakery-owning character appear unrelated to her or Baldwin, while Martin is incredibly (for him) self-effacing as the architect designing Streep's home extensions.


It will be mildly interesting to watch Baldwin and Martin co-host the 2010 Oscars show. They're morally obliged to mention that Ms Meyer's latest movie gained three Golden Globe nominations (because Globes have a separate comedy category) but no Oscar nominations?


Will they rejoice that Ms Streep has a chance of gaining her second Best Actress Oscar, for Julie and Julia, this time because she's not competing with herself again, as happened at the Globes to the advantage of Sandra Bullock?


Yes, I couldn't believe it either. Ste Meryl of the Voice has only been allowed to win one Supporting Actress Oscar (Kramer v Kramer, 1979) and one Best Actress Oscar (Sophie's Choice, 1982). Go figure. That's what Baldwin/Martin should tell their Hollywood audience.