The older I get, the more I appreciate Meryl Streep. She can make a 2 second facial expression into dramatic genius. I adore her.

That said, I have…well…very complicated feelings after watching It’s Complicated.

Funny movie? Hilarious. Great acting? Oh yes, especially for Ms. Streep, Steve Martin (who plays it down very well), John Krasinski as the sweetest future-son-in-law imaginable, and Alec Baldwin, who is definately no longer hot-80s-Alec (yikes!) but plays his layers with great emotion.

This movie caught a lot of the subtle complications involved with divorce, blended families, second marriages, cheating, dating as adults, trying to make things nice for the kids. Alas, though, as I watched through my own tinted glasses, I was disappointed that only one character in the movie was painted as a total cliche. Want to know which?

The Second Wife.

Agness was played by Lake Bell, whom I first encountered while she played the BFF on the lovely but ill-fated Alicia Silverstone series, Miss Match. She was a delight on that show, as well as during her stint on Boston Legal

In It’s Complicated, she was made up severely…bone straight hair, tight skin, big tattoo, inappropriately scanty clothing. She had a 5 year old son who was painted as an annoying brat, save for one scene with Alec Baldwin when he was sleeping. She was shown as having no regard for her husband’s “other family,” her past life, or the complicated emotions stemming from all of those things.And the fertility clinic she chose was only populated by gray-haired men and runway models, because, you know, those are the only people who go to fertility clinics.

Agness was given one moment of sensitivity on screen in a near-2-hour movie.

She was also completely vilified by the friends of the first wife, who then cheered on Janie, the Streep character, for her revenge: being the “other woman” with her ex-husband. Because, you know, cheating is ok as long as the woman being cheated on is a b*tch.

I have been told to get over this before. Hollywood (and culture in general) will likely never get it right when it comes to the blended family. The movie Stepmom is a great example; that family could only get it together when one of them was dying.

But so many adults do manage to get over themselves for the sake of the kids, for the sake of themselves, for the sake of what is considerate and compassionate.

Not every 2nd wife is an uncaring, self-serving deviant.

Not every 1st wife is totally blameless. (There is actually a painfully honest scene in which Janie tells her ex-husband that his cheating on her made it easier for her to admit she’d already given up on their marriage).

Not every divorced/remarried man is an ignoramis who doesn’t learn from his mistakes.

I am also not saying that every 2nd wife is a saint, that no 1st wife is a victim, and that men aren’t often jerks. But haven’t we seen enough of these archetypes?

I know it’s just a movie. It’s not meant to depict every situation. Perhaps it’s not even meant to depict a realistic example of a situation. I actually think it is a well-balanced portrayal of emotions and relationships. Married people don’t stop having a “connection” just because they are no longer married (though many pretend that they do). Kids don’t stop having desires or wishes or regrets about their parents’ divorce just because they aren’t kids anymore. Well said, It’s Complicated.

But geez, just once, I’d love for a mainstream story to show this story without all the extremes. I guess that wouldn’t make a very fun movie.