Failure is an education. That’s particularly true of romantic dalliances: to truly appreciate perfection, first you must recognise the qualities that will drive you to distraction. Everybody wants the fairytale ending, but to find a prince or princess, you are going to have to kiss a lot of frogs so prepare to pucker up.

Writer-director Nancy Meyers has forged a reputation with smart, insightful and semi-autobiographical comedies that reveal myriad potholes in the road to true love.

What Women Want highlighted miscommunication between the sexes and Something’s Gotta Give deftly sketched a romance between a middle-aged woman and a younger man.

In her latest film, Meyers skips through the emotional minefield of post-divorce relationships as seen through the eyes of a mother, who embarks on a tempestuous affair . . . with her ex-husband.

It’s Complicated is a misnomer – the simple, linear narrative follows the characters’ machinations to a logical conclusion – but the sparkling on-screen chemistry between the three leads adds polish to the familiar material.

Jane Adler (Meryl Streep) runs a bakery/restaurant in Santa Barbara, dazzling customers with flaky chocolate croissants and light, airy breads.

Her grown-up kids – Lauren (Caitlin Fitzgerald), Luke (Hunter Parrish) and Gabby (Zoe Kazan) – have all moved out, leaving Jane to her own devices with gal pals Diane (Alexandra Wentworth), Joanne (Mary Kay Place), Sally (Nora Dunn) and Trisha (Rita Wilson).

During a trip to New York to celebrate Luke’s graduation, Jane gets drunk at the hotel bar with attorney ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) and the two of them end up in bed. The tumble beneath the sheets ignites old desires but Jane feels guilty since Jake is now married to a younger woman, Agness (Lake Bell).

Ignoring her moral compass, Jane continues the affair with Jake, only to develop feelings for divorced architect Adam (Steve Martin), whom she has hired to remodel her kitchen. “I don’t want to fall for someone who’s seeing someone else, I couldn’t take that,” he confides, forcing Jane to decide where her future lies.

It’s Complicated is a delightful two hours of laughter and self-reflection.

Meryl Streep affirms her credentials as one of the best comic actresses working today. A sequence in which Jane lets her hair down with a joint is hysterical. “I don’t know what they’ve done to pot over the last 30 years but it rockkkkks!” squeals the mother with unrestrained glee.

Baldwin is irresistible as the bullish alpha male, determined to turn back time, who cannot help but re-appraise his ex-wife.

“FYI, I like that you stopped getting bikini waxes,” he growls. “You’ve gone native. I was into it.” Meanwhile, Martin delivers a tender and funny performance that leaves a lump in the throat.