Guilty Pleasure

Like many a man getting on in years, I like to keep my hipness quota high.  Last thing I want to feel is too old for the room; admittedly, my avid pursuit of obscure indie pics and equally obtuse alt bands is probably fueled in part by my zeal to remain at least somewhere in the vicinity of the cultural cutting edge.

So what, then, am I to do with the incontrovertible fact that I thoroughly enjoyed the new Nancy Meyers movie?  I'm tempted to deny even seeing It's Complicated, let alone go public with such scandal - I might as well write SQUARE on my head in indelible marker.   But Living the RomCom strives for bloggeristic integrity, so I will risk tanking my formerly respectable cool cred rating with a full confession: I actually watched part of it again. 

Let me quickly remind you that I've gleefully reviled Nancy Meyers on occasion, and generally I steer clear of her stuff, with the sole exception of Something's Gotta Give, a movie I admire, despite its typical Meyers weaknesses (the Better Homes and Gardens of it all, the glossy schmaltz, the obscenely bourgie values, etc.).  Meyers movies are a middle-aged upscaler's Designer Porn, at times more luridly interested in beautiful kitchens than in getting us to believe the characters who supposedly inhabit them.

For this reason, along with the check-your-brain-at-the-door formulaic indulgence that's echoed in the weirdly (yet appropriately) generic quality of her titles, I suggested to a fellow reader at Uni, during an extensive in-studio search for this one's title, that the picture be called A Movie With Great Furniture and Pretty People in It.  That was before I saw it.  Now I think that what sounded like another inane non-title when I first heard it... kinda fits.

It's Complicated is one of the few romantic comedies I've seen in the modern era - a rom-com period fixated on boy-men and unmarried bridesmaid drama - that delves into the deeper complexities of long-term romantic relationships.  I know, Meyers and complex sounds oxymoronic.  Nonetheless, as a thrice-married man who's done that kind of time, I had a number of laughs of recognition during this "I'm having an affair with my Ex?!" story.  Which is the point, finally: hate or love a movie like this one - you can't deny that it's funny.

With an Alec Baldwin-Meryl Streep-Steve Martin triangle at its center, this shouldn't be surprising.  I don't want to be a spoiler (the movie doesn't officially open 'til Christmas), so I won't go into the specifics of why I watched what I watched twice - I'll just say it's the moment where Martin finally gets to release his wholly reined-in wild and crazy guy persona - but there's a reason why Baldwin has become 2009's favorite just-past-his-prime comedic star, while the adage, "I'm not getting older, I'm getting better" was evidently coined for Meryl Streep.

Don't get me wrong: I'm already back to re-screening The Bicycle Thief and the latest mumble-core, while listening to Sonic Youth and Animal Collective, okay?  And I have my roster of excuses ready, should anyone challenge me on my Meyers folly.  #1, It crawled into my hand, honest (i.e. The movie came to my house, uninvited, as a screener).  #2, Many friends of mine worked on it, so I had to see it (Jack Dolman, great keyboard cues!)  #3, I can find all kinds of things wrong with it (e.g. It's at least ten minutes too long, with a groaner of an unnecessary Streep and Baldwin scene in the end).

But it took my seeing the appalling Lovely Bones - a fundamentally dishonest, pretentious travesty of a movie that, wallowing in its show-offy pyrotechnics, unwittingly mocks the supposed High Seriousness of its subject matter - to make my peace with the lure of artful fluff like It's Complicated. 

Given the dark, grim parameters of this hellish American holiday season (coupla endless wars, coupla useless political parties, coupla holes in everybody's pockets) it's nice to know that in one little corner of the filmic universe, our wish-fulfillment-fantasies of being adult, sophisticated, and benignly well-to-do can still come true.  Guilty pleasure though it may be - it's like cinematic Vicodin laced with helium - this uncool, middle-of-the-road movie provides some sweet moments of escape.

Comments

[E.C. Henry]

Billy, you'll never be "too old" to be in the room with this hick from B.Lake, WA. Though, just so you know, we still have deer, elk and chickens impeading one's trek down the road on a regular basis. Okay, maybe not chickens, but yes to the other two.

No need to defend your liking of "It's Complicated." The cast justifies all. Meryl Steep is always fun to watch, and Alex Balwin has carved out quite a nitch lately for himself. LOVE him in "30 Rock."

No offense, but I can't wait to see "The Lovely Bones" JUST because Peter Jackson is involved with it. After watching "District 9" this summer Peter Jackson has officially won me over as a fan for life. Besides a few years ago he did do "King Kong" justice too for a little studio you may be familiar with...

It's the Holiday Season, Billy. Get happy. And come on up to Bonney Lake -- we've got eggnog now!

- E.C. Henry

[Molly]

Don't forget it has a screamingly funny Skype scene in it. It's not *that* unhip.

[Christina]

I'm in the middle of reading the script and am enjoying it! Definitely a movie I'll take my mother to during the holidays.

[mernitman]

EC: Oh, to have my trek impeded by deer and elk.

Molly: You're absolutely right, and so there!

Christina: But on the other hand, there it is - I've admitted to enjoying the movie that you take your mother to...

[Ben]

I just saw a preview for this movie and it looked really interesting. I'm glad I read this blog post because I had counted it out. I wasn't planning on seeing it. But now I think I will. It sounds like it's worth the $8.50

[S. Boyd]

Thanks, Billy. I'll make a study of the movie and maybe enjoy it along the way.

[binnie]

I saw a screening of this movie today. SO many things bugged me about it, Billy, but there are too many spoilers...I'll wait to discuss. But there was a real "ugh, ick" factor in this movie for me. So much made me uncomfortable. Ah, well...

[Patty]

I just saw It's Complicated from Netflix. (Hence this belated post.) The previews suggested it would be a lot better (color that funnier) than it was, but it certainly provided a lot of fuel for discussion. For instance, I was SO relieved that she chose to reject her ex, while the person I watched it with hoped they would get back together.

I found myself discussing that light movie way more than others I have seen recently. (Which reminded me of a whole lot of arguments about a very different movie by Bergman.) And laughing at odd moments for a couple days after when recalling the more salacious jokes.

But you hit the nail on the head: the movie disappointed because it was middle of the road. A plastic product. It took on a theme which hell nearly every American adult can relate to then threw in lots of glossy sets and props which only distract from the center.

But maybe that is just my own take, because I couldn't really relate to the beautiful people thing going there.