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.

Good Twins Prevail Over Impracticalities in The Parent Trap

Yesterday, I finished reading the LOST tie-in novel Bad Twin, so I have had twins on the brain, which led me naturally to The Parent Trap, the Nancy Meyers-directed Disney remake I saw for the first time a few weeks back. I was familiar with the basic story, though as far as I can recall I'd never seen the Hayley Mills version either. Two girls meet at summer camp and discover that they are identical twins who have been separated at birth. Having found that long-lost connection, they endeavor to reunite their parents.

In the 1998 version, the twins are played by a pre-scandal Lindsay Lohan in her first movie role(s). Hallie Parker is a spunky American who lives with her vineyard-owning father Nick (Dennis Quaid). Annie James is a posh young sophisticate who lives in England with her mother Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), a famous designer. The girls meet and, after a couple of unfortunate run-ins, declare themselves rivals, each launching a war on the other that lands them in solitary confinement - with each other. It's at this point that they really take note of their physical similarities as well as their complementary backgrounds. Before camp is over, they've figured things out and hatched a plan that, if nothing else, will allow each to spend time with her long-dreamed-of other parent.

The rivalry portion of the movie is silly and slapsticky, and the length of the girls' imprisonment is a little ridiculous, as is the entire premise of each parent being willing to act as though the other daughter doesn't exist for ten years and of these girls living on different continents happening to go to the same summer camp. I've heard of cases of identical twins reuniting after many years, but these particular circumstances seem very suspect. There are other absurd plot points as well, including a nasty trick that the girls play on Nick's frosty, gold-digging fiancee Meredith (Elaine Hendrix) that is downright dangerous. But some suspension of disbelief has generally been a given in Disney movies, and I'm willing to overlook certain oddities if the movie is enjoyable enough. For me, this one is.

The mid-section of the movie, in which the bulk of the action takes place, involves Hallie and Annie adjusting each other's way of life. Initially, there's the joy of reunion with the parent, though both girls must hold their euphoria in check somewhat to avoid arousing suspicion. Their new surroundings, and the cast of characters that come with them, soon come to feel almost homelike. Annie quickly bonds with Chessy (Lisa Ann Walter), a faithful housekeeper rather like Alice on The Brady Bunch; Hallie gets to know Martin (Simon Kunz), the emotionally open butler with whom Annie shares a secret handshake. Hallie also meets her doting grandfather for the first time, while Annie must deal with the unwelcome development of Meredith, who came into the picture after camp started. In both cases, the actual parents have no inkling that they are being duped by their daughters, but others catch on more quickly; Hallie's dog, for instance, isn't fooled for a minute.

It's fun to watch these girls try to pretend to be each other, a task made more difficult by the fact that they must always remember to put on a phony accent. While they manage that remarkably well, it's a bit more difficult to avoid slipping unlikely terms into conversation. Watching their struggles is entertaining, while watching them fall in love with their families is heartwarming. Richardson is especially radiant in this, the first of her movies that I saw after her death, while Quaid brings his usual likability to his role. There's never any question that the two will wind up together by film's end, despite the logistical problems with this scenario. Though the two have very little actual screen time together, they manage to sell me on the relationship, convincing me it could work out even though it didn't the first time.

The Parent Trap is a fun, frothy film about a family reconnecting despite numerous obstacles. It's squeaky clean Disney fun and a chance to see Richardson in full bloom and Lohan at her adorable, pre-adolescent best, interacting with herself so convincingly that I half-wondered if there was a twin Lohan we weren't aware of. With appealing secondary characters along with a hiss-worthy villainess, this might not be a necessary adaptation, but it certainly is an enjoyable one.