Director's Spotlight: Nancy Meyers

By Joshua Pasch

June 23, 2011

Wanna go back to my place and play Bad Teacher all night?

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The film is flighty fun, again populated by very wealthy people doing wealthy people things – having big graduation parties, planning expansions to their already expansive homes, and getting high and baking in the private kitchen of their own bakery. Again, it’s simple to see why these movies are so successful – who doesn’t want to do those things? The formula is pretty basic and Meyers doesn’t stray far. Swap out Keanu Reeves for John Krasinksi, and trade Nicholson walking in on Keaton changing for Martin accidentally Skyping with Baldwin’s junk. Meyers knows how to put this tidy package together better than anyone.

My chief complaint is that Meyers continues to insist wrapping her neat little packages with a tidy bow by the end of two hours. In The Holiday, that the relationships were extended past the holiday is not plausible, and I resented that it was being passed off like it was. Likewise, the relationships in It's Complicated live up to that title and I would’ve enjoyed the movie just as much with a more ambiguous ending to Streep’s love life. In the end, though, these quibbles mean little. I’ve caught It's Complicated at least two and half times on cable in the last handful of months. I don’t seek it out and I don’t pay too close attention when it’s on. But, like everything else Meyers has directed, it’s another colorful, candy sweet product that I never mind having on in the background.




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Released on Christmas Day 2009, this was a return to form for Meyers at the box office. The opening was a solid $22 million and this one took advantage of January’s dearth of quality releases, legging its way up to $112 million domestically, with another $106 million abroad. Few directors can pull an international audience of that size without using excessive CGI and pyrotechnics, making her film's performances all the more impressive.

What's Next

Somehow I’ve been unable to obtain info on what’s up next for Meyers. If I had to make a friendly bet, it’d be that by 2013 we’ll have another charming yarn about the romantic plights of the affluent. Her imprint on film is both simple and instantly recognizable. It’s as identifiable of a tag as lens flare is to JJ Abrams movies or pyrotechnics are to Michael Bay’s pictures. Her films speak to the middle-aged, wealthy women. But if you’re up for giving them a whirl, even if you don’t fit that mold, you may find yourself enjoying them. Full disclosure: I am none of those things.


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