A close-knit circle of friends are at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends' relationships and wonder if there's a better way. They decide to have a kid together - and date other people.
Genres: Comedy, Romance, Drama Running Time: 1 hour 47 minutes Release Date: March 9, 2012 MPAA Rating: R (for for sexual content and language) Distributor: Roadside Attractions
Cast And Credits
Starring:
Kristen Wiig, Megan Fox, Jon Hamm, Maya Rudolph, Chris O'Dowd
Directed by:
Jennifer Westfeldt
Produced by:
Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm, Joshua Astrachan, Jake Kasdan
Like the girly sitcoms currently speckling the television schedule, “Friends With Kids†comes fully equipped with jokes about vaginal elasticity (in this case lack thereof) and other formerly unmentionable female concerns. As limiting in their way as the football-watching, belly-scratching preoccupations of the sitcom man of yore, these quips have become de rigueur in a certain kind of entertainment directed primarily at women, badges of progressiveness that often serve only to veil the retrograde themes lurking behind them.
She may not have any children, but Jennifer Westfeldt made a very funny movie, “Friends With Kids,†about people who do.
If “Friends With Kids†is less grating in this regard than its small-screen sisters, it’s only because the film’s writer and director, Jennifer Westfeldt, has assembled powerhouse actors (largely plundered from the recent hit “Bridesmaidsâ€) and plugged them into roles they could play by improvisation alone. The result is a talky, predictable, less-audacious-than-it-thinks romantic comedy that wonders whether sexual attraction can survive childbirth. Fearing that it can’t, two cozily platonic pals (Ms. Westfeldt and Adam Scott) choose to procreate together while seeking life partners (and, presumably, orgasmic bliss) elsewhere. You can already see where this is heading.
But in a world where men now knowledgeably discuss Kegel exercises and uterine droop â€" and where the only true unmentionable is income â€" we must all navigate the birth canal to get there. Dawdling toward a destination visible from the outset, Ms. Westfeldt, a smart writer and a charming actress, allows the comfy familiarity of her sitcom rhythms to sideline her most poignant insights. In the crumbling passion of a once hot-to-trot couple (a perfect Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm), her film locates a jagged heart that no amount of zingers can surpass.
Like the girly sitcoms currently speckling the television schedule, “Friends With Kids†comes fully equipped with jokes about vaginal elasticity (in this case lack thereof) and other formerly unmentionable female concerns. As limiting in their way as the football-watching, belly-scratching preoccupations of the sitcom man of yore, these quips have become de rigueur in a certain kind of entertainment directed primarily at women, badges of progressiveness that often serve only to veil the retrograde themes lurking behind them.
But in a world where men now knowledgeably discuss Kegel exercises and uterine droop â€" and where the only true unmentionable is income â€" we must all navigate the birth canal to get there. Dawdling toward a destination visible from the outset, Ms. Westfeldt, a smart writer and a charming actress, allows the comfy familiarity of her sitcom rhythms to sideline her most poignant insights. In the crumbling passion of a once hot-to-trot couple (a perfect Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm), her film locates a jagged heart that no amount of zingers can surpass.
