It's Complicated?

I watched It's Complicated for the first time tonight. Pretty good flick. For months I have heard people saying that the movie was hilarious and that I had to see it. It didn't live up to the months worth of hype, but what movie does? Needless to say, I enjoyed it.

Well the movie certainly lived up to its title. I know nothing is simple when it comes to divorce, but when you begin an affair with your ex-husband 10 years after your divorce and he is remarried with another child, saying "it's complicated" might be an understatement. The land of romantic comedies allows us to laugh along the way and also to learn a lesson. No one ever got really upset. No one ever got really hurt feelings. I think that's why we like romantic comedies. It may be a fresh story, but the formula is still the same. No matter how many plot twists their are, we still have a happy ending.

That being said, one thing about the movie really bugged me. At the climax of the movie, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin are found out by their three children and Steve Martin, who Meryl had begun dating. Alec admits that he and Meryl have been seeing each other for a couple of weeks and that he hoped to get back together. All the kids look distressed and are crying a little. Alec does not understand this and asks why they are not happy about their parents getting back together. One of the daughters repsonds with a tearful, "We're still getting over the divorce." Seriously?

The story of the movie tells us that Alec and Meryl have been divorced for 10 years. The kids they have together range in age from 27-22. Really? No one is over this divorce? I realize divorce is hard, but is 10 years really not enough time to get over it? My parents are divorced and I am way over it! Sure it hurt at first. Sure it hurt later. And for those of you who know my Dad, he made sure it hurt for a long time after that, but you have to move on! Maybe it is different for me since my mom remarried two years later and my dad is no longer in the picture. I was just trying to put myself in the shoes of the kids in this movie. This may not be true for everyone, but I think I would be more upset about my parents getting back together than I ever was about them splitting up!

I know that their is an air of ignorance to the tone in this blog. Divorce is hard and sure it still bothers me sometimes. These days it is more of a fleeting thought though than a constant in my mind. I guess that's what bugged me about the movie. I just think it would have been funnier if the kids had a different response. Would that have been the natural response? Maybe. I'll never know. Divorce is not to be taken lightly, but in the case of this movie it can be a laughing matter. Nice to see that sometimes!