It's Complicated: Funny and Resonant in a Simple Way

Nancy Meyers is a woman I respect. She writes, produces and directs her own films. She revolutionized the romantic-comedy genre, both making them actually about something and writing characters who are flawed, successful, and sometimes near or past middle age. Her films are fearlessly romantic and realistically funny. No contrived situations or forced jokes. 

So you can see why I was excited to see It's Complicated. All of this and it has a great cast: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. This movie certainly isn't her best but it's also not her worst. My ranking would go:

1. Something's Gotta Give (her masterpiece)

2. The Holiday (my personal favorite)

3. It's Complicated

4. What Women Want

5. The Parent Trap 

Jane (Streep) and Jake (Baldwin) have been divorced for ten years and are still trying to figure out their relationships with each other and their three kids and one son=in-law. Jake's marriage to his second wife isn't going too well while Jane is also figuring out her love life. At their son's graduation, they reminisce about old times and realize how much chemistry they have. One thing leads to another and they sleep together which leads to a full-fledged affair. Things get even more complicated when Jake's second wife (Lake Bell randomly) wants to have a baby and Jane begins to get courted by her charming architect Adam (Martin). 

I read somewhere that Meryl Streep was surprised that, at her age, she's offered the lead in romantic-comedies. While this isn't one of Meryl Streep's best roles, she looks like she's having the time of her life and the feeling is infectious. Everything she is feeling just becomes what we, the audience, feels. She's a very funny woman, a symbol of forever youth and jubilance. Never once does she look tired (unless the script calls for it) and her chemistry with both of her male leads is fantastic. What took these three people this long to do a film together is beyond me. 

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin do what they do best. Baldwin's Jake is a charming rascal who really wouldn't deserve Jane if it weren't for their history. The best thing about the movie: it wants you to root for Martin's Adam as the "One She Ends Up With". Steve Martin and Meryl Streep's scenes together are just so wonderful which is a nice contrast to the guilty, forbidden feel of her scenes with Baldwin. 

Would I recommend this movie? Well, if you like the Nancy Meyers brand of film and/or any of the three lead actors, you will enjoy this movie. But it's nothing spectacular. It's enjoyable but that's about it. 

My Golden Globes Predictions (part 2)

Here's part 2 of my Golden Globe predictions.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees:

Matt Damon for Invictus

Woody Harrelson for The Messenger

Christopher Plummer for The Last Station

Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones

Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (will and should win)

First of all, I think there should be separate categories for Drama and Musical/Comedy supporting actors and actresses. Waltz has it in the bag playing the Nazi villain with the right amount of ambiguity, insanity and charm. I've only seen The Messenger and Harrelson was good in it but nowhere as outstanding at Waltz.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees:

Penelope Cruz for Nine

Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air

Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air

Mo'nique for Precious (will win)

Julianne Moore for A Single Man (should win)

Take out Anna Kendrick and put in Inglourious Basterds's stunning and fierce Melanie Laurent. Kendrick was good but nowhere near as good as Vera Farmiga and I think having both actresses from the same film is overkill. Mo'nique's win, like Christoph's, is a lock so I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Julianne Moore is overdue an award and her small role in ASM is rather remarkable and heartbreaking. 

Best Director

Nominees:

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker 

James Cameron for Avatar (will and should win)

Clint Eastwook for Invictus

Jason Reitman for Up in the Air

Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

The big question is: will Kathryn Bigelow be the first woman to win a major directing award? Or will her ex-husband win an award for creating an entire planet and mythology? Both films have almost universal critical acclaim. I think Avatar has the edge due to its revolutionary CGI work and its stunning action sequences. It'd be nice to see Tarantino or Reitman win but, with as Avatar as competition, it seems unlikely. 

Best Screenplay

Nominees:

District 9

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds (will and should win)

It's Complicated

Up in the Air

The IB screenplay is funny and chilling, with several long dialogue-heavy scenes that often change tone at the drop of a hat. Tarantino has also written many layered, complex characters with legitimate motivations and unique dialects. I only wish that (500) Days of Summer had taken District 9's spot but I guess two romantic-comedies is pushing it. UITA had a really nice screenplay, one that will be studied in years to come. I haven't seen It's Complicated but judging from writer/director Nancy Meyer's previous work (What Women Want, The Holiday and her masterpiece Something's Gotta Give), I'm sure it's a hilarious and insightful work. 

Best Animated Feature

Nominees:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Coraline

Fantastic Mr. Fox

The Princess and the Frog (pictured; should win)

Up (will win)

If any of these 5  flicks win the award, I will be happy. Up has the edge because it's a Pixar film that slmost shouldn't have worked. Wht kid wants to see a movie about an old man? But Up is funny, insightful and deeply adventurous. Coraline, Cloudy with a Chance and Fantastic Mr. Fox have totally revolutionized animated filmmaking but I think that since The Princess and the Frog successfully brought back a dead style (the two-dimensional musical), it deserves the win.

The ceremony airs this Sunday night at 5pm on NBC. I hope you enjoyed my predictions. Post your thoughts. 

My Golden Globes Predictions (part 1)

Awards season is starting! My favorite time of year cinematically. The Golden Globe is probably the 2nd most prestigious award for films and I personally think they're more accurate than the Oscars which can get caught up in their own drama. 

So here are my predictions for the 2010 Golden Globes:

Best Picture - Drama

Nominees

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds (should win)

Precious 

Up in the Air (will win)

While UITA is a wonderful and surprising film, Inglourious Basterds tells several different stories and yet never loses sight of any of them. The twists come and they come hard, the lines are quotable and resonant, and let's not forget Tarantino's flair for visual brilliance. 

Best Picture - Musical/Comedy

Nominees:

(500) Days of Summer

The Hangover (should win)

It's Complicated

Julie & Julia

Nine

I actually cannot predict this one. I am sure of one thing: Nine was only placed to fulfill the "musical" quota of the category. The Hangover deserves to win because it plays like a mystery story except it's wildly funny and wholly original. Summer might win because of its non-linear story-telling format. J&J and It's Complicated have the Meryl Effect but neither of them were as critically acclaimed as their star. 

Best Actress - Drama

Nominees:

Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria

Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side

Helen Mirren for The Last Station

Carey Mulligan for An Education (pictured; should win)

Gabourey Sidibie for Precious (will win)

Every awards season needs a breakout star. This year we have two but it's not a good thing. The difference between Mulligan and Sidibie is that the latter almost cheated her way into the limelight. She's not (nor did she ever plan to be) a professional actress, she's playing a role a little too close to home and she never studied acting a day of her life. Mulligan on the other hand earned her way to her first lead role (she acted in the Keira Knightley Pride & Prejudice as well as in several stage productions on the London and the New York stage ). Mulligan's Jenny is sarcastic, confused, confident and she has the most enchanting voice. I would be delighted if either Blunt or Bullock won but I think the nominations are their wins. 

Best Actor - Drama

Nominees:

Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

George Clooney for Up in the Air (will win)

Colin Firth for A Single Man (should win)

Morgan Freeman for Invictus

Tobey Maguire for Brothers

It would be amazing if Maguire won because it would be a win for the unsung Brothers, a powerful PTSD film. Clooney (and his film) is the critics' darling and does deserve to win. But Firth's studied, tragic and completely effortless performance as a man who lost his partner is just mind-blowingly subtle. I haven't seen Crazy Heart or Invictus. 

Best Actor - Musical/Comedy

Nominees:

Matt Damon for the Informant!

Daniel Day-Lewis for Nine (will win)

Robert Downey Jr. for Sherlock Holmes

Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer (should win)

Michael Stuhlbarg for A Serious Man

Probably the blandest of all fhe categories, this is probably the one award that Nine will win. It was nominated for many GGs, but I don't think it has a chance at winning them due to lack of critical and financial success. I havsn't seen it but Day-Lewis is the only male among many femalea and most of the songs are female solos. Does he actually do anything? JGL's win would also be his co-star Zooey Deschanel's win but it seems unlikely with past award winner Day-Lewis in the category. 

Best Actress - Musical/Comedy

Nominees:

Sandra Bullock for The Proposal (should win)

Marion Cotillard for Nine

Julia Roberts for Duplicity

Meryl Streep for It's Complicated

Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (will win)

Sandra Bullock is just too funny in this romantic-comedy but she displays a subtle vulnerability behind the tough boss mask. But I think the Julia Childs act has the edge because it is, in fact, a biopic. Personally, I'd just bury Streep with awards for the It's Complicated trailer alone ("It's appears I'm a bit of a slut!" still makes me laugh every time I hear/think of it) but alas! I am not the voter. Julia Roberts just cashed in on her screen persona which was entertaining but it just lacked the depth of Bullock's performance. 

Part 2 (Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Screenplay and Animated Feature) coming up. Post your thoughts. Thanks for reading!

My Journey with Johansson (part 2)

This is part 2 of my discussion of five of Scarlett Johansson's films. Part 1 is below. In part 1, I reviewed Ghost World and Girl with a Pearl Earring. Here, I'll be taking a look at Lost in Translation, A Love Song for Bobby Long, and The Other Boleyn Girl. These three films showcase different parts of Scarlett's talent. It also shows how she can rise above a mediocre film. Upon viewing these movies, I realized that Scarlett Johansson may not be the most beautiful woman in Hollywood but she does have an unmistakable charisma and screen presence. For me, she's one of the actresses whose 1 film (whichever it may be) makes me want to watch a few others as I am just obsessed with her and most of her films. 

3. Lost in Translation (2003; with Bill Murray, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris)

To be perfectly honest, I did not like this movie at all. The problem doesn't lie with the cast but with Sofia Coppola's screenplay and direction. It's a pretentiously minimalist film, as if Coppola decided that her film would be more "deep" without overly hilarious situations or overly moving dialogues. The characters drift from on-location set to on-location set and the actors (Johansson especially) try to figure out what they should be doing. This film is widely praised , winning Scarlett a BAFTA awatd and several nominations so perhaps I am the one who is missing something. (It's happened before.) I will give this film a second chance in a few months and perhaps you'll see a wholly different review on this very blog.

4. A Love Song for Bobby Long (2004; with John Travolta, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger)

Of the five films I viewed for my ScarJo marathon, this film is the best. Scarlett Johansson earned her 3rd Golden Globe nomination for this film and she delivers one of the best performances of her career as Purslane "Pursy" Will. With a slight Southern accent, Scarlett is delightfully controlled in this picture, never once going overboard like Mr. Travolta. Of everyone in this Southern passion-drama, Scarlett is the best. She gives Pursy depth and vulnerability. This film is funny, insightful and harmless. It never deviates from its central three characters to the point of distraction, the twists of the plot seem believable (for a Southern  passion-drama, that is). Best thing about the film: the so-understated-it's-not-even-there romantic chemistry between ScarJo and Gabriel Macht. Other films would have given them an overblown romantic subplot. But Bobby Long just isn't that kind of film. 

5. The Other Boleyn Girl (2008; with Natalie Portman, Eric Bana, Kristen Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess)

Can I be candid right now? I added this film to the marathon simply because I just love it. Yes, I'm not ashamed to love this gorgeous, historically inaccurate soap opera. I love it simply because it is gorgeous, historically inaccurate and a soap opera. Every actress needs a period piece on her resume and casting Johansson as Mary Boleyn was an inspired choice. She brings a vulnerable virtuousness to the role that other adaptations (namely Showtime's The Tudors) missed out on. The Mary Boleyn on that show is almost just as conniving as Anne Boleyn even though everyone knows that 2 conniving sisters is overkill. One conniving and one virtuous is just right. Also, Scarlett Johansson's English accent is impeccable and she looks just marvelous in those dresses. She and Natalie Portman (as well as she and Eric Bana) are just excellent together. This by all means is not a perfect film. But it's well-acted and a fun showcase for ScarJo's awesomeness. 

This concludes my 2-part series devoted to Scarlett Johansson. Feel free to leave comments and make sure you come back soon for more updates. Thanks for reading!

My Journey with Johansson (part 1)

I've always liked Scarlett Johansson. She's beautiful and talented and she always chooses roles that are unusual or offbeat. It wasn't until the second time I viewed her latest film, He's Just Not That Into You, that I decided to go further into her filmography and watch the films of hers I haven't seen. I have watched her most recent flicks (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Match Point, The Nanny Diaries, Scoop, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Prestige, among others) but it was time to have a marathon of her earlier work. 

1. Ghost World (2001; with Thora Birch, Steve Buscemi, Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas)

This dry, subversive comedy follows two high school graduates (Birch as Enid, Johansson as Rebecca) who are best friends and total social outcasts. They make fun of everyone mercilessly and try to avoid conformity. Johansson, despite getting second billing and being on DVD cover, is the 3rd lead. This means that her character's journey into becoming a square (maintaining a job, having work friends, getting her own apartment) isn't a well-developed  story-line. This is unfortunate because I found Rebecca to be more interesting than Enid. I wouldn't count Ghost World as one of Johansson's best for this reason and because the film is almost too dry, sarcastic and self-aware. It's like Juno but without Jennifer Garner's warmth. Eeek. 

2. Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003; with Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson)

2003 was an important year for ScarJo. She was nominated for two Golden Globes in the same year. Best Actress-Musical/Comedy (for Lost in Translation) and Best Actress-Drama for this film. She plays Griet, a maidservant who serves as the inspiration for the famous painting. The story is pure fiction but the film is a beautifully shot ode to art, passion, creativity and class differences. Scarlett's studied, nuanced, nearly silent performance sparkles with intensity and she matches her more experienced co-stars step for step. I don't love this movie but it's a nice watch for fans of the actress. People who don't necessarily like her should skip it as it's rather slow and heavy.

This concludes part 1 of my Scarlett Johansson series of blogs. Stay tuned for Part 2 (Lost in Translation, A Love Song for Bobby Long and finally The Other Bolyen Girl).

Post your thoughts on Scarlett, movie stars or what-have-you in the comments section. Thanks for reading!