30 Rock Is a Regular Laughfest

The show 30 Rock first caught my attention a couple of years ago when I began seeing the rather epic American Express commercial demonstrating the zaniness of a typical day for harried head writer Liz Lemon. I thought the ads were hilarious, though it wasn’t until the season three finale that I finally watched an episode. A guest appearance from Clay Aiken was what drew me into Kidney Now!, but I was happy to sit through the episode, what with its hilarious spoof of We Are the World and its outrageous premise involving a character played by Alan Alda and a situation that reminded me very much of the pathetic backstory of LOST’s John Locke. Pretty funny stuff.

I’ve only caught the show sporadically since then, but after I revived my dormant Netflix account and my brother discovered that several seasons of the series were available for instant viewing, he suggested we watch it from the beginning. I agreed, and we’ve been chortling over it ever since.

Tina Fey stars as Liz, a sharp-witted, perpetually frazzled sketch comedy writer who oversees a show on NBC. Her world turns upside-down when Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is made her boss and begins demanding major changes to her series. One of his first suggestions is to bring eccentric movie star Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) on board. Much of the first season involves the struggles of the rest of the cast and crew to accept the changes that come with Tracy’s presence. Though he is both smarter and more ethical than anyone would guess at first glance, Tracy remains a loose cannon, so it’s never quite clear what he’s going to do next, especially since he has a difficult time keeping his ego in check.

Like Fey, Morgan was a familiar sight to us thanks to Saturday Night Live, where his zany antics often cracked us up, especially during the sketches in which he played the bizarre host of Brian Fellow’s Safari Planet. Baldwin, too, has been on SNL many times, though as a host rather than a regular, and other SNL alums turn up periodically, most notably Chris Parnell as the dubious Dr. Spaceman, who attends to the medical and psychiatric needs of Tracy and others, and Rachel Dratch in a variety of minor roles. It’s fun to guess where she might turn up next, as her appearances are extremely random. Also showing up in a slightly more serious role is Jason Sudeikis, a potential love interest for Liz.

Of all the major characters on the show, Liz seems the most normal, though she certainly has her share of issues. Still, she seems much more well-adjusted than folks like anti-social geek Frank Rossitano (Judah Friedlander) or attention-grabbing Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski), the actress who is most threatened by Tracy’s arrival. My favorite character is Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer), an enthusiastic intern with a perpetually enormous smile. His naivety and determination to go above and beyond the call of duty in all situations makes me think of company clerk Radar, my favorite M*A*S*H character, and he and Tracy are the two characters who most consistently make me laugh.

30 Rock is a madcap sort of show that is frequently self-referential, poking fun at a lot of the elements that go into making a television show. It’s one of these series where things frequently go extravagantly wrong; pratfalls are plentiful, as are miscommunications and outright disasters. At the same time, we get to see bits and pieces of the show-within-a-show, as well as bits of movies, music videos and other shows, and these are generally very funny. I especially like the original songs, which tend to be written on extremely odd topics. For instance, the first season features Tracy’s nonsensical Werewolf Bar Mitzvah and Jenna’s provocative Muffin Top.

As with most contemporary prime time comedies, 30 Rock can be a bit crude, but most of the humor derives from these very odd characters all working closely together to try to produce a coherent show. Nathan and I breezed right through the first season and are chuckling heartily over the second, so if you’re looking for a comedy that’s just plain silly, give the show a whirl.

Nancy Meyers Mixes Scandal and Sweetness in It's Complicated

My friend Libbie decided last week that the time was ripe for another girls’ movie night with my mom. The consensus was that we wanted something light, but preferably not too juvenile, so we decided to give It’s Complicated, a romantic comedy focused on characters in their fifties and sixties, a try.

My first thought as we began to watch the movie was that it reminded me of Something’s Gotta Give, the 2003 comedy starring Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton as very different people brought together under unusual circumstances. I wasn’t that surprised, then, when I learned that both movies were written and directed by Nancy Meyers, who also helmed 2006’s The Holiday.

The premise of It’s Complicated involves a divorced couple who, ten years after infidelity separated them, rekindle their passion for each other on a trip to see their son’s college graduation. Alec Baldwin is Jake Adler, a rogue who is no longer so thrilled with his youthful wife Agness (Lake Bells), who has become an insufferable nag and whose son from another relationship runs him ragged. He has no moral qualms about cheating on his second wife with his first; indeed, it seems that a part of him wants to pretend that the last ten years never happened.

Meanwhile, although Jane (Meryl Streep) resents Agness, she feels guilty about the adultery. What’s more, she can tell that even as Jake rediscovers his old affection for her, the narcissistic characteristics that caused such a problem in their marriage are still very much in force. She has spent the past decade building a life for herself, becoming truly independent and successful as a pastry chef, so Jane is uneasy from a moral perspective and because she fears getting hurt again.

Jane and Jake have three children, all of whom remain unaware of their parents’ dalliances throughout the majority of the film. I was familiar with none of those youthful actors, who didn’t have to stretch themselves much as their roles were fairly minor. However, I found the closeness of the characters sweet; it was refreshing to see a movie in which young adult siblings all get along so well.

By far the most interesting member of the younger generation is Harley, who is engaged to the older Adler daughter. The unassuming, affable charm that makes him so lovable on The Office is very apparent here as subtly comedic John Krasinski portrays this man who feels like one of the family and who has been burdened with the accidental knowledge of what the Adler parents are up to. Equally likable is Steve Martin in the uncharacteristically mellow role of Adam, a gentle architect who begins to fall for Jane as he works on an addition to her house.

The slowly developing romantic storyline between Jane and Adam is very tender and easy to root for, though Meyer left me guessing for most of the movie as to which suitor, if any, Jane would ultimately choose. While Streep and Martin both bring a mature sweetness to their roles, Baldwin is just bumbling enough that it’s possible to sympathize with him when he’s being outrageously inappropriate. There’s a bit of lurid language, mostly among the women in Jane’s circle of longtime friends, but the movie never gets graphic, and nudity only figures into one scene, where it is used to great comic effect. Indeed, this particular scene had my mom in stitches, as did an extended sequence involving the main characters sharing a joint at a party and acting extremely loopy as a result.

After the movie was over, Mom said that she didn’t think Libbie and I appreciated the movie quite as much as she did. I do think that It’s Complicated is probably funniest and most poignant for those who are closer to the ages of Streep, Baldwin and Martin, but I found it funny and surprisingly sweet overall and was glad to see at least some acknowledgment of the negative consequences an affair can bring about, even if it is between two people who were once married to each other.