'It's Complicated,' starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin, is simply charming

1225 it's complicated 2.JPGMeryl Streep and Alec Baldwin star in the romantic comedy 'It's Complicated.'
There's really nothing at all complicated about the formula for "It's Complicated."

In her latest romantic comedy, writer-director Nancy Meyers ("Something's Gotta Give, " "The Holiday") starts with a sturdy but fairly standard genre script, equal parts silly and sweet. She adds a likable gimmick -- in this case, a group of amorous 50-somethings and 60-somethings running around breathlessly like 20-somethings. Then she finishes things off with one of the funniest ensembles this side of "Tropic Thunder."

The result: a fun and sweet romantic comedy that lands comfortably on the smart side of vacant, along the way offering a pleasant and satisfying holiday diversion for the grown-ups in the room.

Meryl Streep (convincingly playing her second French cooking expert this year, after channeling Julia Child in "Julie & Julia") is Jane, a divorced mother of three wrestling with empty-nest syndrome and still trying to shake off the sting of her divorce 10 years earlier.

Steve Martin is the charming and vulnerable architect who was hired to design her new kitchen but whose designs on other things might hold the key to rebuilding Jane's self-esteem.

1225 it's complicated 1.JPGAlec Baldwin, left, and Meryl Streep star in the charming 'It's Complicated.' IT'S COMPLICATED 3 stars, out of 4 Snapshot: A romantic comedy about a mother of three who, 10 years after her divorce, has an extended affair with her remarried husband. What works: The outstanding performances and pitch-perfect casting carry the film. What doesn't: Beneath it all, it's a fairly standard genre film dressed up with an age-based gimmick. Starring: Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, John Kraskinski. Director: Nancy Meyer. Rating: R for some drug content and sexuality. Running time: 1 hour 58 minutes. Where: See movie listings.
And Alec Baldwin is Jane's smooth-talking lawyer of an ex-husband, Jake, who -- realizing 10 years later that the key to long-term happiness doesn't involve trading one's family for a young hottie (Lake Bell) -- decides to try and rekindle his romance with Jane during a weekend together at their youngest son's graduation.

Jane is reluctant, of course -- but she's also flattered, not to mention long overdue for a good mattressing. And so what starts out as a shared drink at the hotel bar turns into a liquor-fueled dalliance with Jake. And what starts as one liquor-fueled dalliance turns into two, then three, then four illicit, and giddy, meetings, as Jake pursues and courts Jane with a schoolboy's energy.

"I have an ex with benefits!" Jane exclaims to her coffee klatch gal-pals, slowly getting her groove back.

Meyers sprinkles in several farcical flourishes along the way -- obligatory stuff, this being a rom-com and all -- as Jane tries to hide her relationship from her kids. Predictable though they are, they're fun. There's a mid-rendezvous heart issue. There's an episode involving Martin and Streep and a big, fat spliff. And, in a scene that brought down the house during an advance screening last week at the Elmwood Palace, there's a scene involving an unnoticed Webcam and a randy Alec Baldwin.

Amid all the silliness, Meyers weaves something satisfyingly real into the mix, something mature, as Jane juggles her emotions amid all the newfound attention she's getting.

To her credit, Meyers recognizes that "It's Complicated" is a story that is elevated leagues by its cast. Soft-pedaling her direction, she wisely steps of the way and lets the stars of the show be the stars of the show.

Streep is fantastic, which are two words -- "Streep" and "fantastic" -- that feel redundant in the same sentence. If acting is anywhere nearly as easy for her as she makes it look in "It's Complicated, " she should return her paycheck.

The always-reliable Martin provides the heart of the movie, with his wonderful mix of sensitivity and silliness. And Baldwin -- one of those love-him-or-loathe-him actors, an opinion that often seems to be in direct proportion to one's opinion of his politics -- is sheer fun here.

Even John Krasinksi ("The Office"), whose role as Jane's son-in-law is minor at best, makes the most of the great lines thrown his way.

Together, they make "It's Complicated" a light, just-for-fun holiday romp. It doesn't get any simpler -- or much more enjoyable -- than that.