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My opinion is that the film has some things going for it, but as far as the script/story goes, it falls way short of its intended goal, if it had one that is. This film suffers from an identity crisis; it's unclear exactly what kind of story it's telling. There were definitely a couple laugh-out-loud moments, and the film does an excellent job of putting you in the world of the characters; but because of the mostly singular storyline and ankle-deep manner in which the writer waded into the subject matter, this is mostly a shallow, one-dimensional piece that barely scratched the surface of where it could have gone.

The film is carried mostly by the stellar performances of the leading cast--Meryl Streep & Alec Baldwin make for a wining duo of ex-spouses--but unfortunately, that's about where it ends. The picture that the screenwriter paints is unclear. It goes from being a drama told through the eyes of Streep, then has comedic elements, then veers back into a drama like an 18-wheeler being driven by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel. And the ending was unsatisfying and ambiguous.

In short, I found it to be entertaining and enthralling in places, but the writer didn't venture very far into the lead characters' dilemmas, resulting in a basically flat, one- dimensional story, which as far as I'm concerned is the kiss of death for any story. As done, it seems more suitable to a half hour sitcom than a two hour feature. The only reason to see this is to watch fine performances by Streep & Baldwin. But overall it tries to be something that it isn't, and doesn't achieve what it set out to do. The writer gave only cursory nods in the direction of the characters' dilemmas, whereas she could have taken it much, much further. For me, watching this movie felt kind of like drinking a diet soda: it's wet and tastes a little sweet, but ultimately it contains only one calorie and the sweetness is artificial.