Life as We Know It

My wife's choice of film made me miss "The Town" and "The Social Network" which I preferred, but I'm not regretting this night. As a mere film lover, I have no idea how the two leads managed to make this script believable, but they did. Katherine Heigl is a known, reliable entity who's graced many a movie, but the real discovery for me was Josh Duhamel who conveyed all of his feelings to me, another guy, extremely well in situations I've never really encountered, perhaps better and more agreeably than any other male lead I can think of. Now I'm not sure why. The guy's quite a bit more handsome than me and everything's done with a light touch, but somehow, he's effective and simultaneously non- threatening, if that's the word.

Anyway, this film is far from perfect, but what it's attempting to explore is a bit mind boggling. How would two people who initially dislike each other find enough common ground to come together in the best interests of a child? You won't find a 'how to' here, but all the small moves and incidents rang true to me, and the result in the end, seems quite plausible to me, at least. Things happen when two people get thrown together like this and I doubt you'll have it illustrated more enjoyably than this any time soon.

In Atlanta, Holly Berenson (Katherine Heigl) is the best friend of Allison (Christina Hendricks) and Peter Novak (Hayes MacArthur). She is single and has just called off a three-year relationship and professionally she runs a bakery, is very well-organized and plans to upgrade her business to a restaurant. When her friends schedule a blind date with Peter's best friend, TV sports director Eric Messer (Josh Duhamel), their encounter is a flop and Holly hates the reckless womanizer Messer. However, when Allison and Peter have a fatal car accident, the godparents Holly and Messer learn by the lawyer that they have been named the legal guardians of Peter and Allison's baby, Sophie, and have inherited their large house to raise the girl. Having in common only their love for Sophie, Holly and Messer have their lives turned upside-down and need to support each other to keep the girl with them and honor the wishes of their best friends.

"Life as We Know It" is a pleasant romance, despite the tragedy and predictability of the story. I usually like the films of the gorgeous Katherine Heigl and the practically unknown Josh Duhamel is hilarious in the role of a wolf. Their chemistry is awesome, but the babies Alexis, Brynn and Brooke Clagett steal the movie. I believe that everybody that is experienced father or mother will recall their first experiences as parents and will love the troubles of Holly and Messer. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Juntos Pelo Acaso" ("Together by Chance")

"Life as We Know It" (2010). Having seen the film myself I was moved with empathy when the character of Holly Berenson discovers the death of her two best friends. This in turn causes an emotional breakdown in the local police precinct where she is joined by Eric (the other friend of the couple). I also thought the comedic timing was great as well with the chemistry within the cast. This was truly a film which held my attention. I laughed, I cried, I wanted more. The situation at hand was of two opposite people that have nothing in common; are abruptly placed as the legal guardians of their friends child, after the couple perish in an automobile accident. Soon after Holly and Eric Messer move into their friends home to make an attempt at raising the child. Throughout the film they show the difficult burden of raising a child before one truly knows they are prepared for such a step. The film concludes with a bond having formed over the three main characters Holly, Eric, and the little baby left in their care. This is a film that many should take the time to see and enjoy. The story shows how against the odds of tragedy two people can grow up and discover possibilities within themselves. The possibility to care for and further another human life.

OK, so perhaps it's a bit formulaic. But getting through the process was unexpected. A very sweet story line, and some clunky transitions; however, the ultimate feel was very sweet and pulled at the heart strings. Life isn't simple, doesn't always go as expected, and requires a bit of effort. This film seemed to capture a wide variety of experiences and faced them with poignancy and humor.

I truly was expecting it to be all fluff, or very silly, and I didn't expect the film to tell the story as well as it did. Insight into different families, good times, bad times, and the mundane. No huge laugh out loud moments, but definitely some chuckles. I'm glad I gave it a shot. Give it a try sometime, and you just might be surprised, too.

This film is about two people who got set up by their friends, but the date dis not go well at all. Their friend died unexpectedly, and they have to care for their friend's child.

"Life as We Know It" is fun to watch. It's a formulaic romantic comedy in the sense that you know what will happen in the end, but still it is not so formulaic as it has there are lots of elements which are not usually in romantic comedies. It is not usual for romantic comedies to incorporate the frustration of child care, for example. The two leads are charming, believable and goes well together. The social worker is very funny too, but if she really acted like that in real life, she would not have been so professional!