It's Complicated, stars Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin.

Meryl Streep is divorced, with 3 grown children, the youngest just graduating from college. She has her own catering business, which seems to be doing well.

At a chance meeting at a party, she gets involved again with her ex-husband, Alec Baldwin. He's remarried, with a much younger wife and stepson, and this wife wants to have another child. He says to Streep that he's not happy in his second marriage. This results in unexpected sex and Streep enjoys it very much.

At the same time, Streep has become attracted to Steve Martin, her architect, who is helping her design an addition to her post-divorce home.

The movie explores some serious themes:

• If Streep is still attracted to Baldwin, but she had divorced him because of his cheating, are there enough values there to warrant a reconciliation?
  

• If he cheated on her originally and now he cheats on his second wife, will he one day cheat on her again?
  

• If they had grown apart before the divorce, was this the real cause of the separation, not his cheating?
  

• Although, in a way, Streep enjoys being the other woman, is this the basis for a serious relationship?
  

• Is Streep's potential new relationship with Martin worth casting aside for an ex-husband?

The script is well-written, including several portions of low-key comedy. Once, when Streep goes from her kitchen to confront Baldwin, her daughter's fiance removes a carving knife still in her hand.

Baldwin's amorous attempts seem to have ended Streep's possible relationship with Martin, who says she needs a new architect to complete the project.

These are the conflicts faced by Streep’s character. The plot of It’s Complicated ends on a hopeful, heartwarming basis.

Labels: It's Complicated, movie reviews, Movies, Norm's Thoughts, norman e hill

posted by Norm  6:00 AM

Two years ago, a young acclaimed actress is returning to New Jersey from Cape Cod. She is deeply troubled. Several days ago, she saw a man nicknamed "Jess," who seems to be the same man her roommate, murdered 15 years ago, had for a lover. She also may be worried about her ex-husband, who may be stalking her.

When she returns to her house, she sees an intruder, who shoots her several times. Later, a neighbor sees the open door, finds her, but she cannot be saved.

The ex-husband is a person of interest, but the cops don’t have enough to charge him.

Today, however, a convict, in return for a promise of a reduced sentence, says the ex husband offered him money to kill the ex wife. He later refused, but the key is, he says he talked with the ex- husband in the latter's apartment. Even more significant, he describes in detail the squeaky desk drawer from which the ex husband removed the proposed murder payment.

This is enough to charge the ex-husband with the actress’ murder. A jury trial begins.

The protagonist is the assistant DA, who leads the case against the ex-husband. Her DA boss is about to leave his office, since he is up for nomination to be US attorney general. The woman talks to the two cops who originally worked the case of the actress' murder. She dislikes one of them, although he is the DA's cousin.

The key is the ex husband's testimony. During the trial, when he is on the stand, the assistant trips him up. He doesn't understand how the con could have known about the squeaky desk drawer. He gets flustered and looks guilty to everyone.

The jury convicts him and his bail is of course remanded, pending sentencing.

However, a furniture mover in Brooklyn, who often hires men off the books, is urged by his wife to say he and the convict had moved another piece of furniture into the ex-husband's apartment. They dealt with the housekeeper at the time, since dead. He knows he left the con alone for awhile. Since the convict was later confirmed to be a petty thief, he could have examined the desk drawer and known how it squeaks.

In the meantime, the convict complains about his reduced, still 4 year, sentence. He says he wants probation or will provide additional testimony to mess up the assistant's case. There may be a question as to whether the one obnoxious cop had led him on as to what to testify to. But back in jail, before he can make good on his threat, he is poisoned.

Finally, the mover comes forward and shows how he and the convict had in fact been in the ex- husband's apartment. He provides journal entries to show he had hired the deceased felon. This is grounds for letting the ex husband out on bail.

The DA is furious with his assistant at this reversal of the case. He says that, somehow, she should have known about the furniture mover's activities. An acquittal for the ex husband will endanger his nomination. He orders her off the case.

In the meantime, a serial killer, wanted nationwide, has been living next to the assistant DA. He has targeted her as his next victim. Although now on the lam from New Jersey as well, he has returned with the aim of finishing her off.

But the assistant goes into NYC to look at the 15 year old case file on the murdered friend. What she finds is a stunning twist that may enable her to solve the case. In the meantime, she has to deal with threats to her life from two sources.

This latest Mary Higgins Clark provides expected suspense until all conflicts are resolved in a just manner.

Labels: book review, Mary Higgins Clark "Please Take My Heart", Norm's Thoughts, norman e hill

posted by Norm  7:00 AM