A Bar Stool Review of IT'S COMPLICATED

From the juiced-box and the soundtrack: David Bowie - Rebel, Rebel

Ramblings: It's Not That Complicated, Or Interesting
Final Proof: 1 Shot

You know how you go over to your best friend's house and he's not there but his mother is and she's been sipping white wine most of the afternoon so she encourages you to wait on the living room sofa? She's not all that attractive but you want to be polite and plus you got nothing else going on so you plop yourself down. She doesn't offer you anything to drink and, fortunately, she doesn't hit on you which is also kind of a drag because all she does is keep refilling her glass and get all maudlin while she goes over the details of her divorce and the drunker she gets the more information she feeds you. You start to think maybe you shouldn't have sat down because there's not a whole hell of a lot to do and you could head off to the bar or hook up with another friend or pick up a six-pack and a couple Taco Bell Value Menus and hang out in a park with your favorite radio station on and the windows down. Anything's gotta be better than listening to her maniacal giggling, right? That's kinda the way it is with It's Complicated.

i agreed to see It's Complicated with Brandi Alexandra because the reviews weren't so bad, i thought i could use it as a bargainning chip to see Orphan with her (but she told me, after we saw the movie, that she's ditching me for Orphan to hang out with a friend of hers) and i love trashing romantic comedies.

It's Complicated was no exception. i mean, we're talking the same director who did The Holiday for chrissakes. There was some originality in the idea of it being a divorced couple, but that's not enough to break the framework of romantic cronies that Nancy Meyers herself helped construct with Something's Got To Give. Like rom-coms aren't boring enough, they gotta make them with old people as well. Just because they got tons of money to spend and no old fart movies to spend it on.

Man, just give me a six-pack and Taco Bell.

Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers)
Sex: 0 Stars

It goes without saying that Maryl Streep does a solid job but maybe the limitations of the role, or of the director, keep her from shining as brightly as she usually does.

Thankfully, the only partially undressed scene we get of her is a shot with her dress off her shoulder and one cup of her geriatric bra. Sure, she's still handsome for a woman her age (60) but let's get real.

On the brighter side, we get Lake Bell (30). Lake is cool. i liked how in some scenes it looked like god, after doing her boobs, got tired making her face halfway through and cut corners on her chin. It adds charm.

Zoe Kazan has a couple brief appearances as Gabby, the youngest daughter. Which means we got a 26-year-old playing an 18-year-old.

In the role of the oldest daughter, Lauren, we're treated to a relative newcomer. Caitlin Fitzgerald has done a couple spots on series and minor roles (like "Young Woman" in Taking Woodstock) and though her role here is heftier, she carries it off with talent and grace, proving she's ready to move onward and upward.

Drinking With Tom Collins In The Bar

To finish off, we get a couple Silken Butterflies, those beautiful visions that flit briefly across the screen in the break of a heart. A toast to their future successes.

Rosalie Ward as "Biltmore Reception Clerk".

Here's Marina Squerciati:

For  Brandi Alexandra (and the other babes in the Bar None), i came up with a couple shots for you, too.

Traditional sex symbol: Hunter Parrish (22)

Indie sex symbol: John Krasinkski (30)

Drink: 2 Shots

Quite a few drink references, actually. For example, they couldn't eat a freakin' meal without corking at least one bottle of wine, usually white.

Also, the movie opens with a party and a champagne toast to anniversaries, plus there's more champagne at a graduation lunch.

The reason i went all the way up to two shots, though, is because the pivotal moment of the movie is based in booze. Jane (Meryl Streep) and Jake (Alec Baldwin), a divorced couple, get back together again because they meet in a hotel bar and get trashed together. Jane starts off with a dry Tanqueray martini with twist before she and Jake pound at least three bottles of wine and top it off with a cognac. After they do the deed, and we get to see Alec Baldwin's gorilla hairy chest in bed, Jane leans over and pukes in the nightstand. Then she goes to the bathroom to finish the recycling.

Tanqueray Martini With A Twist

Rock & Roll: 0 Shots

There are a couple parties with some real music (like the Bowie up top) and then we get stuff like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, "Don't Do Me Like That".

i'm not sure how much this qualifies as 'rock', but i know Brandi Alexandra likes it and so someone else may, too.

Fine Young Cannibals - Good Thing

Boring Technical Crap

Written by: Nancy Meyers

Directed by: Nancy Meyers

Starring

Meryl Streep - Jane

Lake Bell - Agness

Caitlin Fitzgerald - Lauren

Zoe Kazan - Gabby

Rosalie Ward - Biltmore Reception Clerk

Marina Squerciati - Melanie

John Krasinski - Harley

Hunter Parrish - Luke

Alec Baldwin - Jake

Steve Martin - Adam

Bottom Line

Don't see it. You might get chick flick points if you take a date, though.