Concrete Playground

People jump up and down a lot in Nancy Meyers movies. Her heightened, playful worlds of wealthy white characters may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Meyers has established herself as a bit of a champion for the Baby boomers. Egad! They still have sex, get drunk and make bad decisions!

Meyers’ latest offering almost feels like a remake of Something’s Gotta Give, but the Alec Baldwin/Meryl Streep/Steve Martin love triangle is much more successful than her previous attempt with Jack Nicholson/Diane Keaton/Keanu Reeves. Let’s face it, many would pay to see Streep recite the alphabet, let alone delight in her reapplying her Julie & Julia cooking skills to mouthwatering effect, whilst playing Jane, a confused divorcee rekindling the relationship with her ex some 10 years after the nasty split. She and Baldwin spark off each other nicely, and Martin does well playing the straight man and her besotted architect.

Though sugary sweet, there’s a lot to giggle about in this film, as well as a few home truths. Meyers strikes a much better balance this time around, so while having “an ex with benefits” leads to much hilarity, she also shows that a divorced family isn’t anything to jump up and down about.

By Alice Tynan