L!fe Happens

Kate Bosworth was great in the movie. Krysten Ritter was great as well. Justin Kirk, who played Henri was great as well. And no he's not French. Rachael Bilson was amazing. They could have made a movie on just her. From Valley of Dolls to America's Last Virgin. She was awesome. So what went wrong? The script didn't have enough development in the relationships. Kim and Deena looked comfortable and their rapid fire exchange showed they had great chemistry but it didn't happen enough, which is why Bilson's character stood out the most since she did it on her own. She was sweet, innocent, fun, kind, and sexy in a sweet girl next door way. Then there's Nicolas and the baby. Why? The story centers around this for a good portion of the movie then Kim finds herself. This could have been Bridesmaid fun. Instead it ends up being a movie that falls flat. It remembers me of Life as We Know It and Friends with Kids. Both which are better than this. But I would love to see Rachael Bilson, Kate Bosworth, Krysten Ritter, and Justin Kirk do a spin off of sorts minus the baby and Nicolas. And Jason Biggs? Wasted effort.

It showed up on my Netflix watchlist after devouring Krysten Ritter's two seasons of highly entertaining Don't trust the B in apartment 23. I was looking for a light girly movie and L!fe happens delivered. I thought the story was surprisingly decent, and Krysten, Kate and even Rachel were pretty good in their limited roles. I recommend it, it was quite funny, girly, and for me at least a little thought-provoking about single mothers without being too drama and tears about it. And of course all the girls look gorgeous even with baby puke on them :) Nice little movie about friendship, plans not working out, motherhood and happy endings.

L!fe Happens is the latest in a string of chick flicks that aspire to shirk the norms associated with the genre by being more "realistic" and "relatable", presenting life as it, well, happens instead of hitting us in the face with a shirtless Matthew McConaughey. Notice the subversive exclamation mark taking the place of the "i" in "life"? How clever! Doe-eyed Krysten Ritter, a quirky-cute girl in the Zooey Deschanel mould, plays the main character, Kim, and co-authors the screenplay with director Kat Coiro.

Kim and her housemate Deena (Bosworth) engage in a night of debauchery with a guy they each bring home, but lo and behold there's only one condom left, and Deena gets it. As a result, Kim gets pregnant and becomes a single mum, living with Deena and other housemate, the ditzy Laura. Kim juggles motherhood with a job as a dog-walker working under mean boss Francesca (Kristen Johnson), and inadvertently lies about her mummy status to Nicholas (Geoff Stults), a cute guy she meets. Hilarity and drama supposedly ensue.

Now wait a minute – forgive this reviewer if he's mistaken, but that sounds exactly like sticking to chick flick norms. The movie tries so hard to have a hip, indie feel that it slides ever so noticeably down the slippery slope into slickly-packaged, commercialised rom-com territory. You've got the free-wheeling heroine who is suddenly saddled with the responsibilities of single motherhood, the slightly bitchy best friend who also happens to be an advice columnist, the chain-smoking, wine-guzzling boss who treats the heroine like garbage, the hunky prospective love interest whom the heroine misleads and, last but not least, cute dogs.

Despite having something of a plot, the movie unravels rather aimlessly, like the cameraman is hanging around capturing stuff as they, well, happen. The audience gets inundated with inane pop music and the movie awkwardly lurches from comedy to drama. For example, Kim and Nicholas are in the middle of their requisite love scene when something, uh, happens – something that wouldn't be out of place in a gross-out Farrelly Brothers comedy. The filmmakers milk (you'll appreciate the pun after watching the scene) the inherently comedic moment for all the pathos it's worth – the couple argue, Kim stumbles out and drives home, confused, gets into a fight with Deena once she gets home and even gets an angsty bath complete with running mascara. All that's missing is Simple Plan in the background wailing "how could this happen to me?!" The characters are also paper thin, which is unfortunate as the film could have been infinitely better if we cared a little more about them. Admittedly, Ritter is a watchable leading lady and is plenty charming and likable as the protagonist, though one gets the impression she might be better as a slightly meaner character, like the one she now plays on TV in the sitcom Don't Trust the B--- in Apartment 23. The bitchy-best-friend archetype has been done to death, and done better than Kate Bosworth's ham-fisted attempt. The script also finds every excuse to put Rachel Bilson in skimpy outfits, and takes a stab at satire when her character joins a reality TV show where the last virgin standing wins. Justin Kirk does manage to be quite funny, even though the creepy, socially mal-adjusted character who develops an obsession with Deena has also been done to death.

To its credit, the movie did elicit a few chuckles, if only because the humour is so out of left field. When a non-sequitur hurtles out of the screen, it's a fairly pleasant surprise – while the premise and the characters seem tired and a little old, the jokes don't. For example, Kim gushingly compares Nicholas to a Greek statue, when Deena reminds her that they are typically not very well-endowed and Kim's mother-and-baby yoga classmate shows her with a wacky, disturbing children's book she's working on.

As hard as it wants to separate itself from the pack, L!fe Happens can't shake off the time-honoured chick flick conventions it carries around on its back like Kim's baby Max. Ironically, if it weren't trying so hard, maybe it could have worked. But alas, that's life for you.

Kim (Krysten Ritter) and Deena (Kate Bosworth) were party girls, but Kim is now a single mom. The surfer douche dad is leaving town, and she's spinning her wheels. She dreams of starting a doggy mall, and just wants to have a little bit fun. Their roommate is the over-sexualized religious virgin Laura (Rachel Bilson).

I like all three ladies in this movie. They just don't have enough funny written jokes. Kat Coiro has professional directing skills for a novice. It's the lack of joke writing skills from Kat Coiro and Krysten Ritter that is problematic. It's as if they expect the premise to be good enough to make the audience laugh. Rachel Bilson's character is kinda funny, but she's just one joke. Kim and Deena have some chemistry but never really takes off as a comedic duo. And then there's the unnatural ending all perfectly wrapped up.

"Nobody tells you it's gonna be so hard...Yes they do Kim, that's pretty much all people say." Kim (Ritter) and Deena (Bosworth) are best friends. They do everything together. One night when both bring home a guy they discover a problem. One year later they are still best friends but now Kim has a baby. Trying to balance work, friends and her love life all around being a single mother turns out to be harder then she expects. This is a very funny movie that is almost done like an Apatow movie. The dialog is very witty and hilarious and keeps you laughing throughout. The beginning of the movie made me feel (as a parent) a little annoyed at Kim. It felt like she considered the baby a burden and that she didn't really want him. Her feelings did change but that part did bug me a little. Other then that and the movie being a little predictable this was very very funny and I recommend this. You will not be disappointed. I do have to say that this is more on the "chick-flick" side of comedies this will appeal to both men and women. I laughed all the way through. Overall, if you like the Apatow movies you will like this one too. I give it a B+.