Best Friends Really Do Make the Best Couples. Movie Review: "Friends with Kids"

Movie Review: Friends with Kids

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 109 minutes

Premiere Date: Roadside Attractions will release this movie Friday, March 9, 2012

Rating: ★★★★★

Friends with Kids is an enjoyable, funny movie and more likely than not, will be a box-office success. While the subject matter is nothing new, already being compared to When Harry Met Sally and others of its ilk, the dialogue is fresh, the ensemble cast shines, and writer/producer/director Jennifer Westfeldt does an excellent job wearing each hat, especially since she also stars in the movie. I originally thought she was taking on a lot but she handles herself with great aplomb.

Best Friends Really Do Make the Best Couples. Movie Review: "Friends with Kids" 1

Missy, Ben, Leslie and Alex don't think Julie and Jason should have a baby together.

Friends with Kids revolves around best friends and college buddies Julie (Westfeldt) and Jason (Adam Scott). After seeing all the pitfalls married couples face both before and after having children—including baby diarrhea, lack of private time together, marital squabbling—they decide to have a baby without the benefit of marriage. You know the story—their biological clocks are ticking, they’ve each had their share of good and bad dates, and now think they can have the best of both worlds by having a child together while continuing to date other people. They know everything about each other, have seen all the drawbacks and dangers of married life, and truly believe having a child together won’t change a thing for them. Their friends, however, know better and think it’s a terrible idea.

Best Friends Really Do Make the Best Couples. Movie Review: "Friends with Kids" 2

Jason and Julie, after sex

With all Westfeldt has to do, it’s surprising she has cast herself in the starring role. Apparently, this lady knows what she’s doing because she absolutely shines in Friends with Kids. She moves from an assured, self-confident, happy woman to a spurned, distrustful and skeptical woman with ease. Scott, the other half of this starring duo, isn’t known for his leading man roles—actually, it’s just the opposite with roles like ‘Ben Wyatt’ in Parks and Recreation and ‘Henry Pollard’ in Party Down, among others. He proves himself and more with this movie. The range of emotion Scott shows is something one would expect from a much more seasoned actor. Playing both comedic and dramatic roles in one movie isn’t easy and both Westfeldt and Scott do it effortlessly and well.

Surprisingly, co-stars Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Megan Fox and Edward Burns are relegated to the background in supportive roles. Missy (Wiig) and Ben (Hamm) used to be hot for each other but the stress of being parents has taken its toll. Hamm, Westfeldt’s real-life main squeeze, does a fantastic job of shedding his handsome Hollywood leading man image, playing an angry man who no longer loves his wife and leaves. You know, the whole grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side deal. Wiig, on the other hand, known for her comedic roles, takes on a dramatic role in this film and shows she’s more than capable of playing the unhappy wife. Fox charmingly plays M.J., Jason’s beautiful, self-centered, dancer girlfriend, a woman with absolutely no interest in having children, while Burns plays Kurt, Julie’s teacher boyfriend who’s extremely likeable and excellent with kids. I have to say, I’ve never seen Burns in a role I didn’t like, and Friends with Kids is no exception. Reminiscent of Sex and the City’s Charlotte who left Manhattan with her husband for the married culture of Brooklyn, another branch of Julie and Jason’s circle of friends, Leslie (Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O’Dowd) move to Brooklyn to raise their children. Rudolph shines in this comedic role of harried mom, while O’Dowd probably receives the most laughs with the myriad of witty lines he’s given.

The script is well-written and well-directed, marrying both comedy and drama extremely well. While I kept waiting for the inevitable—Julie and Jason to realize they are each other’s soulmates—it takes its time arriving, providing a nice ebb and flow to their relationship. Westfeldt should be commended for taking this tried-and-true formula and making it into something fresh and modern. Her dialogue is quick and witty, with hip and stylish—sometimes bawdy—commentary. Her depiction of married life is credible and genuine and reminds me of several
married couples I know.

Friends with Kids is charming, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. I’ve always thought best friends make the best couples, and this movie proves me right.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!