Friends with Kids

There isn't a plot really, the story is really predictable, even though it's different. But in fact, I did not really lose interest and rather felt my time passed by pretty well. The supporting stuff have given some wonderful performances, Edward Burns as the perfect man/potential-husband, and Megan Fox as the perfect girlfriend. But the lead pair could have done better.

One thing that is horrible about the movie is the ending. One of the most horrible endings there could have been, the director tries to be unconventional but fails miserably. MISERABLY. If only the scene went differently I would actually be recommending this movie to those tired of old stuff.

I hate when comedies try to be "real". For some reason a writer will feel that they know the secret to human beings that will totally connect with audiences and make them say, "Finally, someone gets it." Of course this never works and it always comes off as artificial and forced from the actors. Thankfully this doesn't happen so much here with Jennifer Westfeldt's directorial debut (she also wrote it). There are a few moments where this can slightly creep in, but for the most part it actually tackles things in a refreshing, honest way and I was surprised by that.

Of course the premise (two thirtysomething best friends decide to stop waiting and have a kid together) is straight from the rom-com horsecrap handbook, but there are some turns along the way that I thought were surprisingly dark and genuine for something with such a cheap, hokey idea. There are some scenes that key into the stupidity of it all and I was impressed with how Westfeldt's script delved into that. Then again the film does end up being a pretty standard rom-com at the end of it all, so it kind of takes a jab at itself in the end.

Westfeldt assembled a nice group of her actor friends to play out the parts, but unfortunately she didn't have the smarts to cast someone other than herself in the lead. Her co-lead Adam Scott and the supporting cast are all fantastic here, in particular Jon Hamm who steals the entire movie as far as I'm concerned, but the director herself is a very cold and robotic actor. It was hard to feel anything for her or her dynamic with Scott when I couldn't even buy her as a real person. Overall though, this is a solid film of it's type with slightly better writing, a great cast for the most part and unfortunately one god awful ending.

Greetings again from the darkness. Evidently this is a movie for thirty-somethings who need more ammunition to defend their decisions to avoid marriage and parenthood. At least that's the best case I can come up with ... otherwise it's just a bitter, caustic view of those two topics. It's pretty obvious from the opening scene where the relationship story is headed, but it's not an easy road for us viewers.

This movie belongs to Jennifer Westfeldt. She wrote the script, directed the movie and stars as the woman who decides to have a baby with her platonic friend (Adam Scott). These two are part of a group of six close knit friends in Manhattan who start out doing everything together and telling each other everything. One of the couples (Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd) announce "We're pregnant" and promptly move to Brooklyn. The other married couple (Jon Hamm, Krisen Wiig) start out by attempting to break all Guiness records for sex, and end up evolving into something a bit less exciting.

The two platonic friends decide to "beat the system" by sharing parenting responsibilities while pursuing separate dating lives until they find "the right person". Westfeldt has a Lisa Kudrow quality about her that doesn't play well with me. She was the star and writer of Kissing Jessica Stein, and here she comes across as insecure and awkward, and not nearly as smart as she would like to believe. Adam Scott (brilliant on "Parks and Recreation") is quite the ladies man and also views himself as smarter than the masses. Westfeldt finds a "perfect" guy in Edward Burns, and Scott finds happiness with Megan Fox. Of course, you know where this is headed.

What struck me throughout the film was how every scene and every character was just a bit off. Nothing really worked. Jon Hamm has one really nice scene where he is intoxicated and really stirs the pot at a group dinner. Kristen Wiig has very few lines and spends the movie sulking. Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd have a couple of decent scenes, but mostly the film has little insight to offer and no characters with whom you would like to connect.

In 2011, we were faced with two films asking whether or not it was possible for two people to casually have sex and unintentionally fall in love with one another. In 2012, we are presented with, from what I can see, one film that asks a more debatable and better question; is it possible for two people that are vaguely attracted to one another to have a baby, and while raising it, make efforts to meet and see other people? I'll be completely honest and say I could not and would not ever want to do this, although the idea, when put on the table, immediately sparked my interest. Not only does the idea of having kids disinterest me completely at this point in time, but I find that plan sort of selfish and unfair on both the parents and the child. If the parents seek out relationships with other people, the inevitability of it all will be that one or both of the parents will become so caught up in the new relationship that they will dump the baby on the other person. And unfair for the child, because every baby deserves a prominent mom and dad figure in their life.

Friends With Kids asks this question, using two couples and two very close friends as the subjects. The two friends are Jason (Adam Scott) and Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt, who serves as the writer, one of the six producers, and director), who have been the kind of people who are truly meant for each other, but neither one will wake up and realize it. Their friends are the collective Alex and Leslie (Chris O'Dowd and Maya Rudolph) and the intimate sex-hounds Ben and Missy (Jon Hamm and Kristen Wiig, all four are Bridesmaids alumni). The film opens with them childless, happy, and even more ecstatic once Leslie announces that she will be having a baby at dinner at a luxurious New York restaurant.

Four years later, the two couples have children and their marriages lack the intimacy and cheeriness they once bubbled with. The only two that still seem remotely happy are Jason and Julie, who both remain single and childless. After a disastrous party for Jason, the two talk over the idea of having children, something Julie has wanted for a while seeing as she is older than Jason. Jason and Julie figure that if they have a baby together and then proceed to move forward by dating other people, yet still taking care of the kid, their relationship as friends will not suffer.

They decide to do this on a whim and out of convenience, and nine months later, they have a child. Now here comes the inevitable part; they must support it yet are trying to seek out new people to date as well. Jason falls lust at first sight when he meets the offbeat and attractive Megan Fox's Mary Jane, and Julie can't seem to take her eyes off the rather cliché everyman, Kurt (Edward Burns).

Their friends are concerned for their behavior, mainly because they believe the having-a-child-without-plans-to-marry setup was an impulsive and foolish decision on their part. One area Friends With Kids absolutely wins at is its ability to have believable, real-life conversations that are projected through a mature, human scope. One of the most heartbreaking scenes involves Jason, a rather self-absorbed, egotistical character, confessing to Julie why they could never be together. This scene doesn't pull any punches. It genuinely makes its audience wince. No sight gags or one-liners involved.

Another perfect scene involved Jon Hamm's Ben lecturing Jason on why having a kid was a stupid idea on his part, and how the kid may grow up to be confused and troubled by not having two firm parental figures in his life. These are the scenes that create great humanity and drama between the characters, in an non-contrived, believable manner.

Friends With Kids feels like an exercise in Woody Allen-esque filmmaking, right down to the intellectual characters and the subtle character the state of New York plays. It's charming, often quite poignant, and perhaps offers some keen insights about the idea of raising children that is often forgone in many modern romantic comedies. It's endearing and reassuring to see a picture so true to its "romantic comedy" title.

Starring: Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Chris O'Dowd, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, and Jon Hamm. Directed by: Jennifer Westfeldt.

I did NOT dislike Friends With Kids but I did not love it either. It is a finely-made/put-together film but I'll stress that there isn't anything overly special here (other than the cast). The most notable thing about it is that it (almost) features the entire (already-mentioned) cast of Bridesmaids! Equally comedic and dramatic, this is the latest writing effort from Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein, Ira & Abby ... and the longtime girlfriend of John Hamm) who decides to step behind the camera for the first-time with this one. Westfeldt also takes the lead female role and she is "okay" although I think it is fair to say she is a better filmMAKER than actress (I would have preferred seeing Maya Rudolph in the role).

The film brings to the surface the question of what happens to friends when their other long-time friends begin having children -- it is a MOST valid question as any of those friends "left behind" can attest to. People seem to seek-out people of similar tastes and interests. Once a child is born the child -- for good reason -- becomes the primary interest/focus of their lives ... although the childless are most often sacrificed for not having that NEW one common-bond any longer.

This film observes and ponders this "predicament" when two of its central characters decide to have a child together after witnessing what their childless existence has done to their relationship with their best friends. What is different with this scenario is that this pair are best-of-friends and they do not intend on staying together as lovers/parents. They just know their friend would make for an ideal "other" parent. Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein, "Notes from the Underbelly") and Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation", The Aviator, Leap Year) play the adults believably -- their questions and concerns of what they are and/or are not doing are common and never unbelievable.

Their friends all come from relationships of varying degrees of happiness and success -- Kristen Wiig ("SNL", Bridesmaids, Whip It), Jon Hamm (Bridesmaids, "Mad Men", The Town), Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids, "SNL", MacGruber), Chris O'Dowd (Bridesmaids, Pirate Radio) and the non-Bridesmaids-actors such as the surprisingly-decent Megan Fox (Transformers, Jennifer's Body, Jonah Hex) and Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen, Saving Private Ryan, 27 Dresses) -- which stir-up even more questions of what a relationship is supposed to be.

There is nothing wrong with Friends with Kids ... it is just rather forgettable and not that memorable (I'm "just saying" that a few months down-the-road this film will not be easily recalled -- NOT disliked, just not clearly remembered is all). Hamm plays "jerk" nicely, Fox doesn't embarrass herself and everyone else gives a reliable/dependable performance although I would have preferred (as mentioned) Westfeldt and Rudolph switching roles.

I did have problems with the film's conclusion; but I won't get into it here as I don't want anything to be spoiled. This is a film about friends, friends and friends and it most-oftentimes succeeds at what it is wanting to say. Some critics might say it glosses over the pressures of parenthood and what it takes/means to be one; but I don't think that is the case when we see movies from Adam Sandler (etc) tackle the same theme with nary a complaint. There are some honest depictions here and Westfeldt knows what she is wanting to say ... it is just that the audience might not pick-up everything that she is wanting to say.