Film

It's Complicated

Name: It's Complicated
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Released: 2009
Cast: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Krasinski, Caitlin FitzGerald

A stylish romantic comedy about a divorced couple who reconnect at their son's graduation and fall back into bed together, despite Jake's current marriage and Jane's budding romance with her architect. It's a grown-up film about messy feelings, second chances, and the complicated ties that bind us to our exes. Meryl Streep commands every scene with wit and grace.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sharp, talky romantic comedies that find real humor in second chances and bad judgment, with Meryl Streep doing much of the heavy lifting.

Skip it if you want a brisk, tightly plotted comedy, since this one drifts into long stretches of kitchen-island conversation and wanders at over two hours.

What it asks of you: Two hours of unhurried, dialogue-driven scenes, where the laughs land between awkward silences rather than in quick cuts.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Something's Gotta Give2003

Another Streep vehicle about a woman of a certain age refusing to disappear from romantic narratives. Jack Nicholson's infidelity mirrors Jake's complications, and the emotional honesty beneath the comedy is just as sharp.

But Released in 2003, it feels very much of its time—the hair, the house, the casual ageism of its era. It's also uneven; not every joke lands.

When Harry Met Sally...1989

The gold standard for romantic comedies about adults. The premise—can exes stay friends?—haunts this film too. It's funny, tender, and genuinely thoughtful about what we want from the people we've loved.

But The pacing in places feels slack to modern viewers, and some of the supporting characters are thinly drawn. A few jokes land with a thud.

Mamma Mia!2008

Streep in full radiance, making joy look like the easiest and most defiant act. It's unapologetically frivolous and musical, and she carries it with such conviction that you believe in every ABBA-fueled moment.

But If you don't like musicals, this won't convert you. If you cringe at broad comedy and earnest dancing, steer clear.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from It's Complicated

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Savages2007

Both films are about adults reckoning with the consequences of their own choices and the people they're bound to, with Streep at the center of emotional complexity that refuses simplification.

Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman as adult siblings dealing with their failing father and their own fractured lives. It's a comedy—genuinely funny—but also a serious film about mortality, responsibility, and what family actually means. No easy answers.

But It's bleak and unglamorous. The humor comes from uncomfortable places. If you came for a feel-good movie, this will disappoint you severely.

The First Wives Club1996

Three women—Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, Barbara Streisand—reclaim their lives after being left for younger women. It's funny, cathartic, and surprisingly smart about female friendships and collective power. A spiritual ancestor of this story.

But The comedy is broad and sometimes mean-spirited. The plot mechanics creak audibly. It's very much a product of 1996, which is either a feature or a bug.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008

A romantic comedy about a man blindsided by his girlfriend's infidelity, played with genuine vulnerability by Jason Segel. It balances cringe humor with real heartbreak and finds genuine wisdom in moving on.

But The humor is often crude and sexual. Some jokes misfire badly. If you want sophistication over laughs, you'll find precious little here.

The Holiday2006

Two women swap homes and heal from romantic disappointment in a witty, gorgeous film. Nancy Meyers directs with such care for her characters' interior lives that the rom-com machinery never feels cynical.

But It's very long—over two hours—and the tone is uneven. Some plot threads feel dragged in from nowhere. It's also aggressively heterosexual and wealthy in its worldview.

Eat Pray Love2010

Julia Roberts as a woman rebuilding herself after divorce, traveling and falling in love again. It's earnest about female selfhood and the messiness of starting over. Roberts has real chemistry with both her romantic interests.

But The privilege and spiritual tourism have aged poorly. It's sometimes self-indulgent and the tone wavers between comedy and melodrama without choosing either convincingly.

Ghostbusters II1989

Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver's comic chemistry is perfect, with an undercurrent of real attraction beneath the chaos. It's silly and affectionate about people who once loved each other.

But It's a franchise sequel with uneven jokes and a thin plot. The supernatural elements feel like an excuse rather than the point. It has not aged well.

Love, Rosie2014

A sweeter, lower-key version of 'It's Complicated' about two best friends who circle each other for years. Sam Claflin and Lily Collins have genuine rapport, and the film trusts the audience to feel the ache beneath the smiles.

But The romance is predictable from the opening scene. The humor is safe and soft. Some will find it too gentle; others will find it treacly.

Olive Kitteridge2014

Both are about long marriages and their aftermath, about people who thought they had their lives figured out only to discover they hadn't, with an unflinching eye toward what stays and what breaks.

Frances McDormand as a retired teacher whose marriage, friendships, and small-town life fall apart and reassemble in unexpected ways. It's a miniseries that moves at a novelistic pace, finding comedy and tragedy in ordinary American lives without sentimentality.

But It's bleak and unglamorous about aging and disappointment. McDormand plays a woman who is difficult, unkind, lonely, and real. There is no redemption arc; there is only endurance.