Friends With Kids

Overview

Oh, the things that creative couples can do! Jon Hamm and his partner Jennifer Westfeldt may be the latest amazingly talented pairing on the Hollywood scene, hopefully with a lot less drama than those we read about in the gossip rags. Hamm, the loveable face we've come to know from Mad Men, once again gets to show off his comedy chops in Friends with Kids, not to mention also take a producer credit on the film. But it's Westfeldt who steals the show, writing, directing, and starring in this very interesting rom-com about having children that manages to leave out the schmaltz.

Julie (Westfeldt) and Jason (the very funny Adam Scott) have been friends since college days and share absolutely everything with each other, except themselves. While all their friends are coupling up and deciding to have children, they are continually searching for 'the one' that they can finally settle down with and procreate. After seeing their friends' marriages deteriorate at the arrival of children, however, they decide to go for parenthood as friends so as not to kill the romance.

While the path to your typical Hollywood rom-com is crazy clear with this plot description, the journey there isn't. The characters are witty, real, and very well-crafted for screen. Relationships in pain and the reality of having children and how it changes you are very clearly and thoughtfully portrayed without always going for the easy comic route. While this film may only particularly reach an audience at the time in their lives when all their friends are having children, there's enough fiery banter along the lines of  a slightly more crass Chandler Bing coming from Scott and Westfeldt that most viewers will find something to laugh at.

The film is not without fault; it is slightly long in places, and it's unclear why they get Chris O'Dowd to do an American accent when he quite clearly can't. But with a spectacular support cast that might as well be a reunion special for Bridesmaids, this could be the Bridget Jones's Diary meets Knocked Up of the teens.

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