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| Adam Scott and Jessica Westfeldt star in “Friends with Kids.” |
If Harry and Sally had decided to have a baby somewhere in the middle of falling in love, you’d have “Friends With Kids.” The romantic comedy opening today stars Jessica Westfeldt (who also wrote and directed the movie) and Scott as Julie and Jason, a pair of best friends and the only non-married singles in their circle of friends.
After witnessing what having kids do their best friends marriages, the two of them decide to save themselves the trouble with marriage and make plans to have a baby. They agree to all of the commitments to the child without the romantic commitment to each other. “I promise to be 100% committed half the time,” they pledge to each other before the conception. By the end of the movie, they realize (at different times of course) that they love each other and belong together.
The movie has terrific scenes of the two of them once the baby arrives; getting their homes ready and taking turns feeding the baby, all in the form of a montage. Personally, I would have like to have seen those scenes expanded including the nine months that Julie carried the child. Westfeldt and Scott have amazing chemistry that could have been utilized more. In fact, the movie covers too much ground (and years – more than 6 years?) in its short span of movie time.
The strong supporting cast is terrific but underused. With “Bridesmaids” actors Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Jon Hamm (Westfeldt’s real-life love) and Chris O’Dowd in the cast, one might have expected more of an ensemble, given the title and the movie poster picture, but not.
Ed Burns and Megan Fox play the significant others who help the two of them realize that they can’t live without the other and their non-traditional family. All of the predictable plot points are there but laid out in a clever, funny and interesting way.
The movie doesn’t ignore the controversy surrounding the subject of raising children out of wedlock and smartly tackles the issue.
Best friends Leslie (Rudolph) and Alex (O’Dowd) discuss the subject, with Leslie wondering if their friends are insulting marriage and all they believe in. Jason’s parents aren’t receptive to the idea, basically ignoring everyone in the room, including the baby when they arrive to the hospital to meet their grandson for the first time. Ben (Hamm) challenges Jason about his true commitment to Julie during an argument at one of their dinner parties.
All in all, there are lots of moments in the movie worth watching, including the child birthing scene and any scenes with the kids.
“Friends With Kids” is in theaters now.
