IT'S COMPLICATED (Blu-ray; Universal/Relativity Media)

Mike LoManaco

Studio Name: Universal (Relativity Media/Waverly Films)
MPAA Rating: R
Disc/Transfer Information: 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1; Region 1 (U.S.) Release Tested
Tested Audio Track: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Director: Nancy Meyers
Starring Cast: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin



SYNOPSIS:

From the director of such video store estrogen attracters as What Women Want, The Holiday and Something’s Gotta Give comes It’s Complicated, an attempt at bringing together the comedic likes of Steve Martin, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin interwoven in a story about having an affair with your ex. Before we get to any plot discussions, let’s, for a moment, take a closer look at Alec Baldwin – what has happened to this porker? Gone is the physique and slim caricature that defined him in The Hunt For Red October or The Juror…since then, and specifically as of late, this guy has routinely showed up in films looking like a poster child for Jenny Craig, and the pounds seem to miraculously pile on. In this ever-growing physical wake, Baldwin has looked like he is ready to bust out of his Joseph A. Banks suit pants and jackets, appearing bloated and swollen in Along Came Polly amongst a handful of other mainly Universal-heralded comedies which now include Nancy Meyers’ It’s Complicated.

Now that I got that off my chest, let’s examine the film’s narrative and plot structure. Streep and Baldwin were once married, but Baldwin is now married to a sexy, curvaceous young thing with long brunette hair and a body to faint over. Streep hasn’t quite moved on like her ex has, and things get, well, complicated when the two are forced to be in each other’s company during a weekend in New York, where their son is graduating college. When Streep finds herself alone at the hotel bar after her kids ditch the adult dinner and gathering to party amongst same-aged friends, Baldwin approaches and informs her the sexy wife couldn’t come with him for the weekend because of her brat of a son’s illness of some sort. After ridiculous bottles of wine and flirting with each other over “old times,” the two of them find themselves back in her hotel room having sex. I cannot stress to you the level of nausea I had to endure watching multiple scenes of Baldwin’s naked old wrinkly behind in these sex sequences with Streep; they really got overdone after awhile. This guy really needs to get in shape – to say nothing of the fact that men watching these films are completely and utterly disgusted by these kinds of images. Of course, Meyers is targeting the snobbish, self-important female-driven demographic through her films, and so this isn’t really a factor. Putting that aside, Baldwin develops a very strange obsession with getting back together with Streep – even though at home is a good looking girl many years Streep’s junior.

Into the mix comes Steve Martin, who appears as though the human aging process really hasn’t been treating his downright ugly nose or bad white hair all that well – Martin stars as a contractor assigned to Streep’s home expansion project, after they meet at her self-owned bakery through a mutual designer/contractor. As a divorcee himself, Martin connects with Streep and of course begins to take an interest in her; over one meal, a relationship apparently develops and before she knows it, Streep is back with a man again. This is after she admits to her girlfriends, whom get together routinely to man-bash and talk about how sexually frustrated she is. Meanwhile, Baldwin continuously stops by her house to have impromptu sex sessions with her and continues his odd obsessive behavior in wanting to get back together – suddenly, it seems as though Baldwin is cheating on his sexy young wife with his ex wife, while Streep is “cheating” on Martin with her ex husband…hence, the title of the film.

As their “affair” with one another heats up (that is, between Baldwin and Streep), Baldwin’s sex kitten but bitchy wife takes notice of the magnetism between them when they attend a party for one of their kids – not being able to deal with the wife any longer, or her idiotic kid named “Pedro” (if I remember correctly), Baldwin leaves her and actually admits to Streep that he has done this for her. Of course, at this point, Streep is kind of falling for Martin’s character, who is so defensive about being hurt by a woman again that he warns her not to get further involved with him until she is truly over her ex. Got all that?

In all fairness, It’s Complicated had some genuine moments, such as watching Streep and Martin get high on a joint before going to the aforementioned party and a side-splitting sequence in which Baldwin hops into Streep’s bed naked as she goes to the bathroom after talking to Martin via computer camera, and his manhood is stuffed right in the camera’s eye as Martin comes back to his screen and finds it – the chaos that ensues after Baldwin jumps off the bed, bare naked wrinkly behind and all, while Martin yells in absolute horror and shock on the other end of the laptops, was truly hysterical.

Essentially, Streep rejects Baldwin’s advances after he misses a dinner date at her house, and refuses to rekindle the romance between them. Similarly, Martin rejects her for not being honest with him after the Baldwin naked behind event on her laptop. For what it’s worth, Streep and Baldwin admit the fling they had with each other – as exes – was simply fun, and one of the final sequences of the film shares an honest moment between them on a front yard swing. While Streep believes she’ll never hear from Martin again, he appears amongst a group of construction workers of his firm as they begin the expansion project on her home one rainy afternoon.

VIDEO QUALITY ANALYSIS: HOW DID THE DISC LOOK?

The audio and video quality analysis of Universal’s Blu-ray release of It’s Complicated will be nothing of the sort – in usual Universal fashion, we have here an absolutely gorgeous looking 1.85:1 non-letterboxed widescreen 1080p transfer. From the very beginning, in the outdoor sequences of the party Baldwin and Streep are attending, the video quality is downright stunning – the detail of the leaves on the trees, the vividness of the colors everywhere, the stunningly clear look of the close-ups on the actors, the lack of noise or film grain…just magnificent. There really wasn’t one problem with the transfer of It’s Complicated; if there was, I am simply not recalling it. True eye candy.

But to be honest, I didn’t expect any less from Universal.

AUDIO QUALITY ANALYSIS: HOW DID THE DISC SOUND?

Equipped with Universal’s codec of choice, an English DTS-HD Master Audio track in a 5.1 configuration, It’s Complicated didn’t fare as well on the audio side of things. Locked into mainly a center channel position, the mix didn’t possess any raw power or memorable force; of course, I realize we’re dealing with a certain kind of material here, but there seemed to be an overwhelming lack of sizzle or dynamics, with dialogue delivery ending up a bit hushed in the mix. This required me to jack the master volume of my system up a bit higher than usual – actually, more than just a bit. A rain sequence put the sound of the drops into the surrounds, but very gently with a subtle touch, not really immersing the listener in the experience all that well. Sequences accompanied by music or score spread into the front channels, but again without much tactile punch.

In the end, I suppose the track got the job done.

EXTRAS:

Feature commentary with the filmmakers and a “making of” featurette were the extras on this disc, as well as a plethora of “interactive” Blu-ray features like “pocketBlu” and “SocialBlu,” making me wonder if the point of home entertainment is really to actually be enjoyed at home in a theater-like setting…

SUMMARY & RECOMMENDATIONS:

If there’s nothing available on the Blockbuster shelf, this is a decent rental. Guys won’t like it. Anyone with any testosterone won’t like it. But Meyers, like other filmmakers, seems to have a following about her work, so those with a soft spot for the likes of The Holiday or Something’s Gotta Give will probably notice her style in It’s Complicated and will appreciate it.

Demiurge

It sure is.

Mike LoManaco

Demiurge wrote: »

It sure is.

What is?

treitz3

It's complicated.

comfortablycurt

I didn't really think it was that complicated.

nooshinjohn

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

SYNOPSIS:[/b]

Before we get to any plot discussions, let’s, for a moment, take a closer look at Alec Baldwin – what has happened to this porker? Gone is the physique and slim caricature that defined him in The Hunt For Red October or The Juror…since then, and specifically as of late, this guy has routinely showed up in films looking like a poster child for Jenny Craig, and the pounds seem to miraculously pile on. In this ever-growing physical wake, Baldwin has looked like he is ready to bust out of his Joseph A. Banks suit pants and jackets, appearing bloated and swollen

Baldwin is now married to a sexy, curvaceous young thing with long brunette hair and a body to faint over.

Baldwin’s naked old wrinkly **** in these sex sequences with Streep;


even though at home is a smokin’ hot piece of **** many years Streep’s junior.

Into the mix comes Steve Martin, who appears as though the human aging process really hasn’t been treating his downright ugly nose or bad white hair all that well

Baldwin’s sex kitten but bitchy wife

Baldwin jumps off the bed, bare naked wrinkly old **** and all, while Martin yells in absolute horror and shock on the other end of the laptops, was truly hysterical.

Baldwin naked **** event on her laptop.

What is it with your need to bash every single actor/actress physical appearance or talk about someone being a hot piece of !**** in your reviews? Is it possible that the appearance of an actor may well have been altered specifically for their role? A perfect example would be Tom Hanks in Cast Away, where producers had him add 25 pounds to his frame, and then loose 45 pounds (to achieve an emaciated look), grow his hair and beard to an unkemped, matted mess, unmanicured nails, among other things in order to acheive the desired look for his character? There was a delay in filming of more than a year for him to complete that transformation.

While I can appreciate some of your reviews, and the effort you put into them, I can truly say you would do better if you would stick to the movie itself rather than how the actors and actresses look in their roles. There is a reason for their appearance and it always has to do with playing the part.:)

Toolfan66

nooshinjohn wrote: »

What is it with your need to bash every single actor/actress physical appearance or talk about someone being a hot piece of !**** in your reviews? Is it possible that the appearance of an actor may well have been altered specifically for their role? A perfect example would be Tom Hanks in Cast Away, where producers had him add 25 pounds to his frame, and then loose 45 pounds (to achieve an emaciated look), grow his hair and beard to an unkemped, matted mess, unmanicured nails, among other things in order to acheive the desired look for his character?

While I can appreciate some of your reviews, I can truly say you would do better if you would stick to the movie itself rather than how the actors and actresses look in their roles. There is a reason for their appearance and it always has to do with playing the part.:)

Thanks DAD!!!

nooshinjohn

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

Thanks DAD!!!

LOL... I spent a LOT of time on the backlots and production locations, and I have seen some of the extraordinary things they will do to get the shot. I would hope an understanding of the creative process will enhance Mike's reviews.:cool:

muncybob

complicted?...no
boring(sans the pot smoking scene)....yes

mrbigbluelight

TOOLFORLIFEFAN wrote: »

Thanks DAD!!!

That was good !

buccidiego wrote: »

abcde

First DIBS.